Joaquin Geurrero worked for STT Security for four years beginning back in 1986. Since then, he has gone on to become a Police K9 Handler/Trainer and Animal Control Officer. His passion resides in partnering with dogs on the police force, and it also encompasses rescuing abused and neglected dogs. Guerrero served over 30 years in the public sector, providing rehabilitation and training to canines both in and out of the police force. His partner, Rookie, assisted him in search and rescue the day after 9/11.

Retired, Guerrero took on the role of an Animal Care and Control Officer. He now dedicates most of his time to giving back to the communities he serves. He is also a successful actor, starring in six movies with a seventh underway. Joaquin is a published author as well, and he often does book-signings at Barnes and Noble – specifically hosting the events for veterans.

We conducted a brief interview with Joaquin to dissect how his role with STT Security paved the way for his professional career.

What was your role when you worked for STT?

• I started out doing loss prevention; I was in a rotation between Saginaw, Carleton, Midland, and Hemlock. After some time, I ended up doing undercover work – still in loss prevention – and added the Detroit/Novi area, Grand Rapids, and work for a large distributor to the list. The distributor is extremely large, providing fertilizer, grain, saws, and some other stuff to stores like Meijer, Walmart, and some hardware stores. I also installed and ran camera surveillance for some liquor stores.
• Another thing I did was follow trucks that would make illegal stops; they were stopping to sell off cargo that they were transporting, so I would document and record that and report it back to the suppliers. I also did some penetration testing/quality assurance for lumber yards. I would go in and pay for a single bundle of shingles or a few pieces of wood, and I would walk out of there with enough shingles to cover a barn. I reported these things to the company – and obviously returned the merchandise – but it was to show that their security system had flaws.

How would you describe your time working for us?

• I had a great time. That job gave me an opportunity where I learned so much, and I loved working with all of the people around me. I became good friends with some people there and would look forward to my shifts working with them. I had plenty of opportunity and the job never felt stagnant; I started our uniform projects and got a parking lot detail job for Dow Chemical. The first actual uniforms that STT had were for [Dow Chemical family member] whose house butted right up against Dow Gardens. We would patrol the area and make sure kids weren’t going into [their] yard or near the house.

What was your favorite part about the job?

• The undercover work, definitely. I became really good at it, and I got very tactical with how I would catch people stealing. I sort of developed a methodology to what I did; it made the job more enjoyable and more rewarding.

What are your favorite stories/tidbits from your time with STT?

• It felt like I was always in the midst of something; I got my hand broken, had a glass bottle smashed over my head, and was thrown in to do cleanup work after a couple of big busts.
• One time, I had a lady who I had caught stealing chase me in my car and throw battery acid at me. I had got my passenger window up just in time, but the acid melted the paint off of my car.
• Some people would slip through the cracks, meaning I knew they were stealing but couldn’t really get them for anything. I would follow them around and talk to them, or get them – in one way or another – to admit or acknowledge that they were stealing. Then I would get them, having proved they were stealing or had stolen something already.
• We had an undercover van with a periscope on top; it was sound-proofed, carpeted, steel-plated, and all of the radios were in briefcases. I mainly caught people selling drugs in the parking lot when I was doing that.
• Even nowadays, I’ll still run into old coworkers or people who recognize me and say, “I heard about you!” I look back on these stories before my law enforcement days and think of how crazy and fun it was and how much I learned. I was doing security for [a state government building], and a guy came up to me and said, “you don’t belong here.” I thought that I just sucked at my job or something, but he gave me a card and told me to apply with STT. I worked part-time with the Sherriff’s department while also working for STT until I took a full-time position as a Police Officer about 3 or 4 years after I started there.

Joaquin Guerrero is currently filming his next movie, Warpath. He is also shooting a trailer to promote his current training canine, Little Chief, titled The Adventures of Little Chief. Freezin’ for a Reason is an initiative that brings attention to the effects of cold weather on pets that are left outdoors in the winter months; Guerrero spent a night in the cold to raise awareness about these issues.

Joaquin explained that he takes part in these types of extracurricular work because he enjoys it and it’s fun to take part with the community and people he’s served.