When individuals were staying in the Federal Building on Sharkey Avenue at night several years ago, Wood & Wood Security began to have guards in the facility.
The service began during Daniel Vassel’s tenure as county administrator in 2010, but there was no official contract.
Patrick Wood, owner of Wood & Wood Security, wrote a security proposal in a letter and spoke to the Board of Supervisors by phone during the Wednesday, Nov. 14 meeting.
The contract was approved at the rate of $14 per hour for a guard with a minimum of three hours per day. The company carries a $2 million liability insurance policy. A field supervisor is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides a walk-through at night with no extra charge to the county.
Security has been provided at locations other than the Federal Building such as the Coahoma County Expo Center in 2015.
However, the Federal Building was the main concern and reason Wood & Wood Security was hired.
“We had people that were homeless and didn’t have any place to stay,” recalled Board of Supervisors president Paul Pearson. “They would never harm anybody or anything, but they were sleeping in elevators.
“They were using it for shelter. They were staying inside the staircase. They actually had a bed set up inside there.”
Pearson said individuals sleeping in the building were ill and at the mercy of the world.
“They were doing what they thought they had to do, but they were sometimes frightening people,” he said. “They would come in at 7 in the morning and go to work seeing an individual laying on the floor. It would scare them. I understand their reason, too.
“It was very unfortunate. I think that possibly people were able to help the people that were there and gave them a place to stay, so they didn’t have to stay in the Federal Building.”
Pearson said he believed Wood made sure those who stayed in the Federal Building had somewhere to go after there was security.
There was no particular reason a contract began at this time.
“We just never really had a contract and we just needed to negotiate something,” Pearson said.
“I think everybody’s satisifed with the services.”
Wood explained some of the services provided to the Board of Supervisors.
He said a security officer walks through the building and makes sure the doors are locked once everything is closed.
“Throughout the day, we go through there three or four times in the afternoon to kind of deter some of the solicitation that’s going on,” Wood said.
He said individuals have asked for money at the front door of the Federal Building.
“Everybody up there has our number,” Wood said.
Wood also said there was an individual having several different conversations with himself and shouting profanity at the building.
“We had to remove him several different times,” Wood said.
Wood said several rounds are made in the building during the night.
“What service are you billing us for at the Federal Building,” asked supervisor Derrell Washington.
“The service that you all are getting billed for is an hour and a half in the morning and an hour and a half in the evening,” replied Wood.
“At $14 an hour,” asked Washington.
Wood confirmed the cost was at $14 an hour.
Wood said office space is also used at the Federal Building.
