Ryan ChartrandPrivate security guards will return to patrol downtown San Luis Obispo for the first time since February, when they were removed due to lack of funding.
Brent Vanderhoof, administrative assistant for the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association, said that the decision to return private security in the area was based on the organization’s member survey. He said that patrons’ top priorities for the downtown area were cleanliness and safety.
He added that the $1,600 a month needed to maintain security initially came from sponsorships, however, the program will now be a part of the Downtown Association’s budget.
The Downtown Association has approximately 700 members, mostly businesses within the center of San Luis Obispo.
Vanderhoof thought that the investment in private security brought benefits to downtown.
“The goal of it is to make the business owners and shoppers feel comfortable in those businesses and not feel threatened,” he said.
Other issues also played a role in their decision, including panhandling, public drunkenness and drug use.
“The panhandlers are aggressive,” Vanderhoof said. “A lot of customers were complaining to store merchants who would then complain to us.”
However, Doug Shaw, who owns Sanctuary Tobacco Shop and Monterey Street Wine Co., said that the issue of security mostly comes from the homeless population.
“There were city ordinances enacted so that transients would not stay around one place for a long time,” Shaw said. “Those rules were put into effect so transient people would not camp out in one spot or another.”
Shaw observed other issues that could affect the sense of security in downtown San Luis Obispo.
“We found that there is a combination of certain areas where there is an increased volume of graffiti,” Shaw said. “We decided to bring in extra eyes in the form of security to patrol the downtown area.”
Some downtown customers welcomed the change. Agricultural communications senior Lauren Friedman said the homeless population had an impact on her shopping habits.
“I would imagine that (panhandling) would be bad for businesses,” Friedman said. “I’d rather go to a store that didn’t have those people around it.”
While Friedman had genuine sympathy for the transients, she said that she would have more motivation to shop in downtown San Luis Obispo thanks to the presence of the private security guards.
However, Vanderhoof said security guards have limited power on what they can do in various situations.
“They don’t have the authority to enforce the law. But they will notify people,” he said, adding that they do not carry guns. If there is a serious problem, the guards will call the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
Vanderhoof said that the guards, employed by Inhouse Security, will patrol downtown areas from Thursday to Sunday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.