Security Guards Offer Protection, But Get Paid Little in Return

Antonio Salguero pored over the checklist on his laptop: eight extra security guards, radios for guards and staff, a specific catchphrase for emergency response.The Jewish High Holy Days, underway this week, are the busiest time of the year for Mr.Salguero, who owns a company that handles security for Congregation Beth Israel, the largest synagogue in San Diego.

With thousands attending multiple special services, the logistics can get complicated.The stakes of the work feel especially heightened these days.Threats against houses of worship, especially synagogues and mosques, are on the rise.

And a few months ago, two teenagers opened fire on the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in the region, killing three men.The shooters had also planned to attack a local synagogue.“The risk is always there,” said Mr.

Salguero.“But that shooting really hit home the reality.”That attack resonated for people like Mr.

Salguero because one of the men killed was Amin Abdullah, the security guard at the mosque’s front entrance.Mr.

Abdullah ensured the mosque went into lockdown and then confronted the gunmen.He died doing his job, protecting the worshipers inside.There are some 1.3 million people working as security guards in this country, more than the nation’s police and sheriff patrol officers, according to a report released this summer by the UC Berkeley Labor Center....