I've noticed too many "authority figures" let it go to their heads. They seem to think that not oy are they above the law, but that what they say is law as well. It's quite frustrating.

I spent 14 years working security. The opposite is true, too. Nothing messes up your day faster than some galoot who thinks he's smarter than you and starts playing the 'victim card'.

Good and valid point(s)!
My very brief 'Tour' as a Security Guard was utterly uneventful, so I can't draw from any applicable experiences while working as such.
As a Citizen/Veteran, I've had many.
In the military, though 'M.P.' was NOT my given M.O.S., they filled in the gaps by calling it 'Garrison Duty,' which meant you got stuffed into whatever role they needed, or deemed YOU needed (ie, punishment). For me, being 'Gate Guard' SUCKED (And not in the fun way!). All that 'SNAP-and-POP' (Saluting the Officers' in their vehicles), and just the,,, boredom, was excruciating. What I DID know, was my boundaries, and exactly where they were! I'd seen Civvies, coming-and-going, OUTSIDE the borders of my Post, and unless they were doing something criminally lethal, 'I' had zero authority and could not intervene. OUR real 'Authority' had bounds, and only a Fool would challenge them w/o damned good reason.
Today? I've seen videos on EweTube, of AUDITORS, standing outside the bounds of said 'Posts,' and NOW, the arrogant, ignorant, EGO-POISONED Fools in their various uniforms (Sadly, I've even seen Marines do this shit, which is both shocking and offending in equal measures), walk OUT OF THEIR POST, and then begin wiping their ASSES with our Constitution/Bill of Rights, trying to harass/threaten/intimidate said 'Auditors/Civilians,' doing no wrong and merely enjoying their Rights.
It's a shit-show, all around.
Now, 'Security Guards?' Holy hell... They have ONE DUTY, imho: 'Observe and REPORT.' Period. With very few exceptions (Some are armed, and their Duties demand other considerations). Still, anyone trying to challenge me, accuse ME of shoplifting or such, isn't going to leave the scene of their stupidity with their ass-cheeks intact!

;-P

In the late 1980s I spent 2½ years working security at a SECRET U.S. Navy research base. We were civilian security, hired through a contractor. A sequence of crooked contractors. We had regular Navy and retired Navy working at the base; a few of them in security.

There was also a Coast Guard Station on the base. Most of the Coasties were cool and we got along fine. One or two had an attitude and decided they didn't need to pay any attention to any 'rent-a-cops'. I had one joker blow through the gate like he owned the place. I went down to the Station and spoke to the O.D. who did not have a sense of humor about scofflaws. Bad Boy got a night in the brig on my report.

A week or so later he blew through the gate again and I called the Station Commander, who asked me to give him a copy of my Incident Report. That's all it took; the jerk bought himself 30 days for disregarding, dereliction and dumbness. When he got out they shipped him to another Station -- that had Marines at the gates!

heh heh heh
When I was going through my first two M.O.S.'s (3521/22), at Camp Lejeune, N.C., I was pulling 'Guard' one weekend, at a far Motor T. Post that had a border where the Officers' Homes were. One Colonel LOVED getting drunk and galloping his horse through that Post, and we were told ahead of time to expect it, and just let it go.
Nope! NOT PART OF MY 'General Orders!'
I literally tackled him off his 'Steed', and arrested him for refusing to properly I.D. on Command, and then called the Battalion Guard C.O. to come take him away. I grew up on a small working ranch, and rode horses since I could hold myself onto one, so seeing a horse-borne trespasser in no way deterred me!

He/They wanted to roast my hide over the coals for that, but literally couldn't, because I'd done exactly as I was supposed to do!

Funnily, I never again had to pull Battalion Guard again!

Darnit.

;-P

Of the handful of families we had living on base, most of them were the salt of the earth. The exception was a large family of The Most Inconsiderate People on Earth who infested inhabited the larger ranch house below the fort. Well, the Commander came in in a snit one evening and told off my gate guard with no valid reason. I called my supervisor who referred me to the NIS folks. The base NIS boss was sympathetic and she sent me a fax to (politely) shove in the Commander's face that evening.

When I knocked on the door he told me to leave or he would call Base Security. "I am Base Security, sir." He screamed at me in high-pitched English and Hindi until I read him the strip of data on the top of the fax. The door opened and I handed him the flimsy.

He was NEVER a problem again. Friends in high places and all that.

lol

Well, sometimes the pen IS mightier than the sword, eh?

Absolutely, and a fax from on-high can whip them all!

People can be hard to work with. I'm glad the situation stopped before things escalated.

There is no doubt that, the instant anyone gets any 'Authoritah,' their egos swell and their intelligence plummets.
Being officially 'Olde' (Hey, you hit six decades clinging to this spinning rock, earn some gray hairs, you earn that Title!), I recall engagements with both species of Govt., and they were good/positive. They were polite, professional, HELPED ME with what help may have been needed, and we parted in good company. yay
Now, fast-forward a couple decades. Today? Hell. No. I must acknowledge that my local Sheriff Deputies and the small town P.D. personnel have been awesome! Being an 'Open Carrier,' my meetings/chats with these Tax Payer funded 'Public Servants' has been as expected and demanded. No harm, no foul, everyone goes home at the end of the day content. Another 'Yay!'
However... (Ain't there always?)
I HAVE had run-ins with utter assholes stuffed into their 'Law ENFARCEMENT' costumes, and cute little shiny badges. Both of the 'Highway Robbers,' 'Park/Ntl. Park/Security 'Tard' sort, and even a few times from arrogant, ignorant little door trolls at certain businesses that shall remain nameless, here.
In my world, 'Respect' is earned, not and NEVER 'Demanded.' Anyone strutting up to me, and trying to 'Flex' is going to have a very, very bad experience, because there is literally nothing they can say or do that can/will intimidate me. Living as long as I have, being a USMC Veteran, I'm not cowed or intimidated by anyone. If they want to dance, by all means, let's dance MF'r!

*Ahems*

Sorry to hear you too have had too many such engagements with these,,, let's be kind (A rare thing for me, I admit)- Fools.

When someone makes a mistake (Such as plucking a HARDLY RARE FLORA SPECIES, as a CHILD), or a pesky vehicle failure (License plate light is burnt out? Headlight/Turn-Signal), and they simply INFORM US, fine! 'Thanks for your help, I'll amend this A.S.A.P.!'

When they THEN try to FINE, or worse still, harass/threaten/ATTACK anyone, over such things?

For me, that's my 'GO!' button, and in spite of all the terrible things we hear about, committed by the deranged/homicidal people in the world, what really concerns me ARE these 'Public Servants.' With the full power/weight/control 'They/Their Dept./Agency' can bring down, it's pretty much like that Classic image of a rodent flipping the 'Bird' to a predator descending on them with lethal intent.

Sometimes that's the best we can do- Go out defiantly!

I'd much prefer to die comfortably in my hammock, way out in the woods somewhere?

I'm glad it didn't escalate to a far worse level

Whatever park ranger they had then was just some full-on Karen or Kevin — kind of like the slang usage of common names being used nowadays on the Internet. If I were your folks, I would have submitted a complaint as a guest that the attitudes of those people in charge need to be put in check and that their #1 job is respect for the individual. If they actually had rules, they would explain the situation civilly instead of making a big stink about it, because flying off the handle doesn't net respect, and whatever park ranger they had then sure sounded like an uneducated person with no morals.