Letter: Private guard forcesnot really about security

The only purpose the so-called "security guards" at community gates is to collect money. They secure nothing.

As a 20-plus-year Army veteran, I know how to secure a facility or controlled area. If I pull up to the gate and say I'm going to the Omni, they would wave me through even if I had a nuclear warhead in the trunk. No random searches of vehicles, no explosive-sniffing dogs, no X-ray machines.

The only thing the guards secure is the entry toll. How is this different from me and Vinny placing a booth on the bridge and charging people "safe" crossing from Bluffton?

As an Uber driver, I am forced to pay $10 for a pass to enter Palmetto Dunes on a $9 fare. However, a driver that resides in Palmetto Dunes has a decal and has free access with his/her fares. It's hard to make a living having to pay $10 at Palmetto Dunes, $6 at Sea Pines, and $10 at Shipyard every night.

Without Uber there would be many more drunk drivers on the road. Funny that if I was walking or boating, I could enter the so-called "secure" housing communities for free.

It's time to end the facade, or actually secure these areas with real security.

Dan Byron

This story was originally published October 18, 2015 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Letter: Private guard forcesnot really about security."