Former undercover narcotics cop starts consulting firm

YARMOUTH, Maine—This is the path that former undercover narcotics officer Chris Eggers has taken, using the knowledge he gained learning from admitted burglars and robbers to start a new career as president of a consulting firm that offers security solutions for cannabis facilities dispensing marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes.

On the heels of turning in his badge after more than 12 years as a police officer in the Oakland Police Department and San Francisco Police Department, Eggers told Security Systems News that he voluntarily left the force to join the private sector and form his own consulting firm.

“I’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit that the public sector just couldn’t satisfy, and never would,” he explained. “I recently resigned from 12 years of law enforcement in the Oakland and San Francisco PD. My experience is fairly unique, even for cops.

“I spent a considerable amount of time working undercover infiltrating known violent offenders and violent offender groups. My knowledge base is from offenders themselves, admitted burglars and offenders teaching me what they looked for when they commit crimes and target specific places and people.”

With the knowledge he gained working undercover, Eggers formed Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions (CCSS), a consulting firm that allows him to take what he learned undercover and use that knowledge to advise cannabis facility operators what they could to protect their business and decrease any vulnerabilities that alarm companies and guard companies may not address.

“My passion is cannabis. I am now starting my own firm around security consulting in the cannabis space,” he said. “I aim to offer security plans for pre-permanent businesses, and I offer security audits, identifying deficiencies as I see them through the eyes of a burglar or robber on a physical space.

“The end product is a report. My most recent one was 17 security deficiencies, and regulatory issues too that would have somebody up if the regulatory bodies came knocking.”

Eggers noted that the report is “really simple to read. What is the issue, what is the security principle behind it, and then the recommendation on how to fix it.”

Learning in the Field

Eggers began his career in law enforcement with the Oakland Police Department. After several years working patrol in East Oakland, he was transferred to a specialized unit tasked with curbing violent crime in Oakland’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Eggers spent a considerable amount of time working undercover around admitted burglars and robbers. He completed Security Audit and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) training, but his differentiating experience and expertise was gained through the teachings from admitted offenders.

“It’s really the experience of being brought around by a burglar or robber and saying to me, ‘I’m hitting this building later,’ or ‘I’m going to stake out this grow facility,’ whatever the case may be, and really peeling the layers back of that onion and understanding why,” he explained. ‘Why did you target that one and not that one?’ It’s really interesting when you really get inside the mind of an offender.”

Providing Security Solutions

CCSS has a deeply rooted background in law enforcement and compliance. The firm’s website,  states, “We understand what is required of you and can help get you there quickly and seamlessly. We can design and implement a security solution for your business that works and does not take away from your true passions.”

As CCSS president, Eggers specializes in security audits and pre-compliance checks, identifying security vulnerabilities that alarm companies and guard companies may not typically address. He helps identify areas of vulnerability within cannabis businesses with respect to physical security, staff, vendors and customers. Eggers also identifies procedural security risks and addresses these risks with recommendations and training. 

“I think that as this industry emerges, people have to understand the limitations of an alarm, the limitations of a guard, the limitations of your camera,” he said. “What I focus on, from an offender’s point of view, is addressing all of the risks that exist when you only check those main boxes.”

In addition, Eggers’ vast experience within law enforcement could help clients with regulation and compliance issues that a business may have with respect to security, authoring security plans, camera mapping, internal loss prevention, creating standard operating procedures and helping clients through the permitting process. 

As stated on the CCSS website, “What sets us apart from others is our ability to be by your side through the entire permitting and ‘sign off’ period. Our work isn’t done until law enforcement gives you the ‘all clear,’ and we will make sure that is done as quickly and efficiently as possible.”  

Among the solutions that CCSS offers its clients are:

• Cannabis-Compliant Security Cameras

• Access Control/Badging

• Alarm Systems/ Intrusion/Panic Buttons

• Law Enforcement Liaison Services

• Security Guard Training

• Physical Security Audits

• Camera/Equipment Mapping

CCSS can provide your business with a custom, detailed map of cameras, access control, intrusion detection and panic buttons that not only is most effective, but also satisfy the regulatory requirements placed on you.  Easy to read and understand, this will help explain your plan during the permitting process. 

Webinar

Eggers will be offering a cannabis security Q&A webinar on Thursday, March 25, at 2 p.m. EST. A synopsis of the webinar states: “The operational and risk management challenges of operating a cannabis business are SIGNIFICANT. Your standard operating procedures are your first line of defense. Are you aware of the remaining risks when you check the boxes for alarms, cameras and guards?

“An effective strategy to protect your business requires an understanding of the specific risks to which you’re exposed, the capabilities of your business security systems and an appropriate combination of measures to manage your risk.”

Discussions on security plans and implementation, common security deficiencies, and law enforcement’s role within the legal cannabis market will take place during the webinar.

Those interested in the webinar can register by clicking here. 

Ready to Go

By jumping into a new venture just one week after handing in his badge, Eggers is chomping at the bit to offer his unique perspective on how to protect cannabis facilities.

With his vast experience working undercover, learning the mindset of burglars and robbers when they target a person or business, Eggers is laser focused on providing extreme value for cannabis operators to make sure they are well informed on how to protect their business.

“My experience is unique in that I was taught from the offenders themselves,” he noted. “My approach is much different than those of my colleagues. For better or worse, I’m starting a new venture, but I hope to add value using the knowledge that I have.”