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1. All Security Officers are trained and receive a license.

Before becoming a licensed security officer, a person must be sufficiently trained in the following tactics and practices:  how to look out for suspicious activities, writing professional reports, de-escalation tactics, basic lifesaving techniques, and laws pertaining to the industry. This training is usually done in a classroom setting where the officers are trained by industry professionals. The class provides space for face to face engagements and role playing of certain scenarios that the officers might face while on duty. At the end of the training, the officers must then receive a specific grade on the final exam for them to be eligible to apply for a Security Officers license.

2. Security Guards can be a friendly face providing customer services.

Beyond ensuring the security of your business, Security Officers can be very helpful with your clients and employees. Given that they have basic information about the business, they can help customers to locate offices or provide them with helpful information; many professionals in the industry refer to security officers as customer service representatives. This added value is beneficial to the client as they do not have to spend money to hire someone else to perform certain tasks.  

3. Having a security officer on site creates a safe business environment.

With a visible security officer, both you and your employees will feel a sense of security and peace of mind knowing that your building is being monitored for any suspicious activities or breaches. Most businesses that prosper can attribute their success, in part, to the security that their businesses have in place.  A secure premise promotes good business as you are likely to get more customers who recognize your efforts in keeping their data and information safe.

4. Deterrence of Crime 

Having a security officer present helps deter crime. Thieves will think twice about targeting a business that has uniformed protection. Professional officers are trained to look for suspicious activity. They can assess a situation and react to security breaches. An officer is a greater visual deterrent than just camera surveillance or a standard security system. Having an alert officer patrolling your premise and being observant sends a message to potential criminals that you are serious about the security of your business.

5. Monitoring your property

 A security professional may be utilized to monitor video surveillance, check credentials, check for contraband or restrict access to an area. A security officer may also have specific goals, such as watching for shoplifters, keeping an eye on the grounds after hours, and opening or closing a business for the day. These monitoring duties take a lot of security responsibility off the shoulders of the business owner and employees which allows them to focus on their jobs. 

6. To promote order

There are many things that take place daily at your business and your security team is there to maintain order. Unfortunately, there might be those who will try to violate the regulations that guide conduct in the workplace. When this happens, a security officer can know how to ensure that people observe the stipulated rules.

7. Security protects your business during strikes.

Occasional strikes are bound to take place. When this happens, a security officer serves the important function of protecting the security of your business and that of your employees. Security can prevent unauthorized persons, who would otherwise cause harm, from entering your business.

8. A marketing tool

A business that has security officers can attract more customers as opposed to those that do not. security officers give potential and current customers a good impression about the company and how you do business. In addition, when security officers wear uniforms, it’s a good and unique way of increasing the awareness of your business and the services that you offer.

9. Security guards are better at controlling crowds.

 As an employer, you might find it overwhelming to manage crowds at the workplace. Things can quickly take a turn for the worse especially when they are being stubborn and uncooperative. Security officers know what it takes to manage many people and have been trained on how to do so. In addition, crowds tend to obey security guards as they are a sign of authority.

10. They provide better response to emergencies.

In case of an emergency, a security officer will quickly respond to it as they are readily available and are trained on how to handle most emergency situations. Security officers attend hands on trainings that ready them for things such as; active shooter situations, natural disaster responses, and building evacuations.

As a former Operations and Branch Manager, I have been asked what is the biggest issue I have faced in the security industry. Without hesitation, I always say that our most challenging situations are officer-involved safety incidents. Officer-involved incidents not only cost the company workman’s comp and administrative costs, but it also hurts morale. Clearly, many safety incidents also end with the loss of productivity by a great employee due to injury. Throughout my years in the industry, I have seen many different examples of these incidents.

What I realized after an investigation was that most of them, if not all, could have been avoided by simply using good judgment and following protocol.

I once received a phone call from an employee who was reporting that he had received a 2nd-degree burn from a heat lamp. At the time of the incident, the lamp was located in a golf cart used to perform rounds of a facility. The officer stated that as he was doing patrols, the lamp came undone and subsequently fell. As the lamp fell, the officer instinctively reached out to grab it and the lamp face burned the palm of his hand. The officer had to receive immediate medical attention and was transported to the Emergency Room. He ended up being diagnosed with nerve damage.

When the investigation began, the first question that I had was:

Why had there been a heat lamp in the golf cart, to begin with? The post orders provided laid out all equipment necessary to perform site duties, and a heat lamp was not listed. This officer had decided to bring his own equipment, without our knowledge or permission so that he could stay warm while driving in the golf cart. This bad judgment call ended up costing the full use of the officer’s hand and left him unable to retain his armed license.

The second question I had was:

How fast was the golf cart traveling when the heat lamp fell out? The officer stated that he was performing his duties at a normal speed and was being cautious around corners. I was able to access the security video of that nights patrols and determined that he was driving at an unsafe speed, as well as cutting corners sharply. As the officer was speeding around one of the corners, the golf cart lurched sideways, and the momentum caused the lamp to come undone.

Because of the officers’ actions and disregard for site rules, the company I was with at the time lost our contract. With no site to assign him to, the officer was subsequently let go.

Safety issues are all preventable by taking basic precautions and adhering to what is in our post orders.

As a company that prides itself on being the “benchmark” among professionals, Citadel Security can maintain the safety of our sites by using good judgment, following post orders, and by making sure we take ownership of our sites. Let us all make workplace safety our number one priority and be examples to others around us.