Higher pay for private guards debated

Private-sector security guards could be replaced with ill-prepared lobby attendants if the D.C. Council passes a law setting a minimum wage for trained guards, a council panel was told Thursday.

The Enhanced Professional Security Amendment Act, now under consideration by the council, would tie commercial office building guards’ salaries to those of their public-sector peers — currently $11.51 per hour for “Guard 1,” plus another $3 per hour for benefits under the federal Service Contract Act.