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Black Wolf: Examining the Pros and Cons of Armed Ride-Share Drivers

Mike Matranga, CO of M6 Global Defense and host of the SecurED Podcast, and Mike Monsive, CEO of ASAP Security and co-host of the SecurED Podcast, discuss Black Wolf, distinguishing itself from Lyft and Uber by offering armed ride-share drivers. The idea presents pros and cons, especially considering drivers may have other jobs and liabilities….

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Mike Matranga, CO of M6 Global Defense and host of the SecurED Podcast, and Mike Monsive, CEO of ASAP Security and co-host of the SecurED Podcast, discuss Black Wolf, distinguishing itself from Lyft and Uber by offering armed ride-share drivers. The idea presents pros and cons, especially considering drivers may have other jobs and liabilities.

While the concept seems intriguing, concerns arise regarding liability for individual drivers. The CEO actively recruits law enforcement, military, and experienced security personnel. However, this doesn’t guarantee the drivers possess the necessary skills and mindset for the role.

Viewing the concept through a risk-oriented lens reveals potential dangers. Criminals may exploit the availability of armed drivers, leading to weapon theft and additional security concerns. Despite law enforcement or security backgrounds, anyone can be vulnerable.

To secure things, both experts agree on the importance of looking at the concept from various angles. While having an armed guard in the vehicle may seem appealing to consumers, evaluating risks is essential to prevent potential misuse.

In conclusion, the idea of Armed ride-share drivers raises complex considerations. Ensuring safety and minimizing potential risks should be a top priority when exploring such services.

The Full Length Podcast Will Be Available July 24th.

Video TranscriptExpand ↓

Why don't you tell us a little bit about Black Wolf and how it separates itself from Lyft and other rideshare? Companies like Uber. So according to the CEO of Black Wolf, very similar as far as the functionality and the requesting of a ride, like you would with a with an Uber or a Lyft app. However, you can request a driver who is armed. And so, you know, I wanted to talk about it because there's there's pros and cons to this. And I know on the surface sounds pretty good. Right? Like, you know, hey, yeah, I'm gonna have a driver there and, you know, he's he's gonna have a gun. But as somebody who is former law enforcement who carried a duty weapon, uh-huh, and you know, many of the, Uber drivers today have full time gigs or jobs, and they they do this for extra money. Right? So I think in the interviews is that we actually saw, today, the CEO specifically said that he had been contacted by a slew of officers already. So, you know, it makes makes you wonder about a whole host of questions. Yeah. As a as a a a duly licensed officer employed by an agency, and you are now doing this side gig of driving on a rideshare app, picking up who knows who. And where's your duty to protect begin and end Absolutely. You know, and I think that's, you know, part of me wants to think that this is a genius idea, but the other part of me You know, being cautious thinks that it could be terribly bad. You know, from a liability standpoint, especially not necessarily for the CEO of the company, but for the individual drivers. Right. You know, because in the interview that we watched on Fox News today, He specifically stated that he's work actively recruiting law enforcement and military. And so that goes to security personnel with five years of experience or more. Yeah. But that doesn't mean anything. I mean, you you and I both know, and it's not meant to be sparaging, but it is disparaging is sometimes you get what you pay for and just because someone's been in a security industry as a licensed security or doesn't mean that they really have the skills or the mindset to actually carry out, their duties. Which is why maybe they're in security instead of law enforcement. So, you know, we have to have these open and honest conversations. I mean, what do you what do you thought I mean, let's let's dig a little bit deeper. Well, in order to secure things, we always look at things at a different angle than most people. Yeah. Right? Consumer looks at it and goes, hey, I would love to have an app and have an armed guard. You know, in my vehicle, that sounds like a good concept. But when you look at it through the the other lens that you and I often look at risk through. You know, the the bad mic on this shoulder over here whispering in our ear, you know, going, well, look, I just got to the city and I need a weapon. Now I don't even have to go find one just take it off. Yeah. I'll just go ahead and sign up under this app and have this guy come in here. And while he's driving his back to me, and he can't defend himself, I know that there's a weapon in the car. I'm just gonna take it. Right? And if I take the weapon from the guy, now I got a car and a weapon, And there's a lot of people, regardless of your skill set and law enforcement or even in security. There's a lot of people walking around as daily that have the knowledge and skills and capability to take those weapons.

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