QuikTrip's First Armed Security Employees Get to Work

TULSA, Okla. — QuikTrip Corp.'s first employees who fill a role combining security and store associate responsibilities have taken their posts in select Tulsa-area convenience stores.

According to Tulsa World, the convenience store chain hired 11 full-time hybrid employees to work the store and provide armed security.

QuikTrip spokesman Mike Thornbrugh declined to reveal which locations are staffed with the new employees; however, he told the news outlet the company was placing them at select stores as needed and continuing to hire more.

Hybrid employees' presence has "significantly" lowered thefts and other incidents at those stores, Thornbrugh added.

He did not provide any specific numbers, but he noted the program's community policing approach has often deterred habitual offenders at the door.

"The response has been phenomenal," Thornbrugh said. "We can tell from inventory control that theft is down. ... When (habitual offenders) walk in, they see our people and walk right back out."

The employees carry weapons openly and are clearly identified apart from regular clerks, he told Tulsa World. Security officers won't work behind the counter and, though they may assist in stocking and cleaning in some cases, they will primarily function in the same way the store previously used off-duty law enforcement and security guards.

The role requires relevant certifications as an armed security officer or peace officer, whose conditions vary by state. QuikTrip also asks that applicants be certified in electronic stun devices, pepper spray, first aid, baton use and hand irons, Convenience Store News previously reported.

The job description calls for applicants to have at least three years of experience as a peace officer or five years as a reserve officer, armed security officer or honorable military service.

Among the new Tulsa hires, Thornbrugh said the average employee has 10 years of law enforcement experience and about a third have military experience. The first employees started shifts at Tulsa stores in late January, the news outlet reported.

"Our customers have loved it and our employees like it from a morale standpoint," Thornbrugh said. "It's everything we have envisioned."

QuikTrip operates more than 700 convenience stores across 11 states.