Questions over whether banks should hire armed security guards are being raised in the wake of the thwarted robbery attempt in Franklin Square Thursday.

Police say a retired officer working as a security guard shot a would-be robber four times at the Chase bank on Franklin Avenue.

Authorities say there were seven employees and eight customers inside the bank at the time of the incident.

Denis Monette, a retired assistant commissioner with the Nassau Police Department, says there are two sides to the issue of arming security guards. He says armed guards may entice would-be robbers to engage in a gun battle.

Monette says if banks choose to have armed security, they should hire the best of the best. "I suggest they be in plainclothes, so they're not as obvious as who they are in the bank," Monette told News 12.

The Nassau Police Department would not comment on whether it supports banks hiring armed security.

Detectives interviewed the Franklin Square robbery suspect in the hospital Friday afternoon. His identity has not yet been released by authorities, but he is in stable condition.