When Protection Becomes More Than a Badge
A Word From Our Chief Operating Officer, Zac Hatton
A Calling, Not Just a Career
I count it as a blessing — and not a small one. A lot of folks spend years, maybe even decades, trying to find a career that clicks with their heart. Some spend their whole working life chasing that sense of purpose and passion, and if we’re being honest, some never quite find it. I’ve met plenty of good people who clock in, clock out, and repeat — but their soul never fully lands in the work.
That wasn’t my path.
For me, the story started early. As a 21-year-old young man, Law Enforcement didn’t just offer me a job — it offered me a calling. It etched itself into who I was, almost overnight. It became part of my identity, shaping how I saw the world and how I saw myself in it. The lessons, the camaraderie, the experiences — all of it set some of the firm foundations for the man I am today.
And this November, 2025, marks two decades since I raised my right hand and took my first Oath of Office. Twenty years. When I stop and let that sink in, it feels like the blink of an eye. Just yesterday I was stepping into a patrol car for the first time, green as the grass, still figuring out how the world worked — and today I find myself standing in a much different role, but with the same fire burning in my chest.
The Passion for Protection Never Left
When I think back to those early days, it humbles me. I signed up because I needed a job. Simple as that. I was young, I needed a paycheck and a path. But what I found was something entirely different: a passion for protection. I saw people in the worst moments of their lives — victims of abuse, neglect, theft, violence. People whose lives had been shattered by injustice. People desperate for someone to stand between them and the chaos.
And standing in that gap? That was me. Not because I was some kind of hero, but because the badge I wore gave me both the honor and the obligation to do so.
But as the years went by, like anyone, I found myself asking the inevitable question: What’s next?
Understanding the Limits of Law Enforcement
See, the passion for protecting people never left. If anything, it grew. But I started realizing that the badge, for all its authority, also came with boundaries. That’s something most people outside the profession don’t really think about — the limits built into Law Enforcement by design. And those limits? They’re important. Law Enforcement in America operates under the rule of law, bound by jurisdiction, policies, constitutional rights, and checks and balances — and that’s exactly as it should be.
Most people don’t realize that Law Enforcement officers are tasked with reacting to crimes, not preventing them. The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed more than once that police do not have a constitutional duty to protect an individual, but rather to enforce the law in a broad sense. That distinction shapes the job in a profound way.
The numbers paint a clear picture. The average response time for police in the United States hovers between 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the region — and in rural areas, that number can stretch much higher. When a crime is in progress, those minutes can feel like hours to the person in danger. And once the officers arrive? Their actions are still boxed in by legal jurisdiction, available evidence, departmental policy, and prosecutorial priorities. The crime has to meet certain thresholds. The victim has to be inside the jurisdiction. The suspect has to meet probable cause. Due process, paperwork, and court calendars loom over it all.
That’s not a flaw in the system. It’s by design. Law Enforcement serves the public good inside a framework of civil liberty and constitutional law. But it also means that sometimes, good people slip through the cracks — not because an officer didn’t care, but because the system was never built for proactivity, only for response.
Expanding the Mission: Why Private Security?
So for me, the question was clear: How could I do more? How could I help, not just react?
That’s where Private Security and Investigations entered the picture.
I realized that outside of the municipal, county, or state system, I could build something that wasn’t boxed in by jurisdiction. Something mobile. Something flexible. Something professional. A team and a mission that could be shaped by the needs of real people, not the limits of a legal boundary.
Private Security, especially in the modern era, fills in a gap that the public often doesn’t even realize exists — the gap between feeling safe and being safe.
And here’s where the contrast really sharpens: while Law Enforcement agencies are governed by statute and operate within strict legal borders, the private security sector is often contracted to serve the specific and sometimes highly nuanced needs of individuals, families, businesses, or events — with much greater operational leeway.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
That’s not to say private security is some kind of free-for-all. Reputable firms, including ours, are held to rigorous state licensing standards, insurance requirements, and training mandates. In Texas, for example, all commissioned security officers must complete state-approved training and certification, including weapons qualifications and continued education.
But once those certifications are met, the scope of work is often defined more by the client’s risk profile than by a city boundary or a case number.
And the industry is growing — fast. As of 2024, the U.S. private security industry employed more than 1.1 million security guards, compared to roughly 660,000 full-time sworn police officers nationwide. That’s nearly a 2-to-1 ratio. Think about that: in sheer numbers, private security personnel now outnumber traditional police almost twofold.
And that shift isn’t by accident. It’s a direct response to modern security needs.
Proactive Protection, Not Just Reactive Response
When a business faces credible threats, when a property needs round-the-clock coverage, when a private event needs protection, or when an individual has security concerns that fall outside the standard law enforcement umbrella — private security steps in. Whether it’s high-visibility deterrence or low-profile protection, the flexibility is built into the service.
And more importantly, the relationship is different. Private security is proactive by nature, because the work starts before the incident happens, not after. Clients don’t have to wait for something to go wrong. They can put protection in place to ensure that the “something” never happens at all.
That’s the kind of work that lit my fire all over again.
Built to Stand in the Gap
And I suppose, at the heart of it, the move from Law Enforcement to private security wasn’t about leaving something behind — it was about expanding the mission. About stepping beyond the badge. About building an organization rooted in the same principles I learned all those years ago as a young officer: integrity, readiness, and the relentless belief that people deserve to be safe.
The only difference now is that I don’t have to be bound by jurisdiction, shift changes, or administrative red tape. I can design teams around the client’s unique needs. I can respond faster, prepare sooner, and stay longer. And at the end of the day, I can offer something most people never think about until it’s too late: peace of mind.
So, when I started thinking about creating a private security firm, I wasn’t thinking about contracts or uniforms. I was thinking about people like you.
The business owners who lock up their shops at night and wonder if their livelihood will still be there in the morning. The churches that want their congregations to worship without fear. The families that need someone to watch over them while they live their lives. The event planners who need their guests to feel welcome, but secure. The companies who send their staff on the road and want them to come home safe.
That’s who I was thinking about. And that’s who we serve at Blacklands Security Group.
The passion never changed. The mission only grew.
Ready to Serve You
Thanks for trusting us to stand in the gap — and for letting us do the job we were built to do.
Looking for protection that goes beyond a badge?
Contact Blacklands Security Group today. Whether you need site security, event protection, or personal security services, we’re ready to stand with you.
📞 817.993.9641
📧 info@blacklandssg.com
