Guide to Using Security Guards

Ah, security guards. They watch the cameras. They patrol with flashlights. They’ve got the cars with the flashing amber lights. They do a lot more than sit in guardhouses and take naps.

Hiring security guards can be useful for many businesses. They’ve been used to dissuade thieves at jewelry stores and to man front desks at corporate facilities. They monitor cameras at security-conscious businesses and patrol mall parking lots to keep away the hoodlums. Which brings us to what guards can do for your business. It might be easier to list what they can’t do, since the guard often becomes a jack-of-all-trades. However, there are a few basic tasks that guards often perform:

1. Serve as visual deterrent to potential robbers. The sight of a guard, perhaps an off-duty police officer, means your business is aware of its risks and ready to respond.
2. Deal with trespassing and vandalism. Whether it’s handling the vagrant sleeping one off on private property or the local skateboard crew who’s decided your facility’s steps are a skate park, patrols by security officers enable protection across the facility.
3. Fulfill business-mandated security policies. Security officers often monitor surveillance cameras, as well as staff entrance gates and lobbies, and can check basic security issues like making sure all facility doors are locked after hours.
4. Perform customer service duties. Security guards see a lot of downtime, and many employers have been able to utilize the presence of officers as ambassadors to both their employees and customers. The guard can help direct the lost delivery driver, sign in visitors to corporate offices, and escort employees to their cars after dark. Some have been called upon to handle maintenance or janitorial duties when the appropriate staff member is unavailable. Many guards are also trained for health response essentials, such as CPR and the use of auto defibrillators.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Outsource the position

As a business entrepreneur, it’s a pretty safe bet you didn’t get into your chosen business in order to add such duties as “managing a guard force” to your “To Do” list. There are scores of companies that handle security officer placement for you.

I recommend: A buyer’s guide for security guard services is a great place to start and can help you find local companies; you may also consult your local police department to ask which private security companies they recommend. In fact, many police officers moonlight as security officers to supplement their incomes. For businesses, that means you can have the benefit of a guard with full arrest powers.

Look to national companies

Despite the fact that many states license guard companies, the truth on the industry is that there is a wide gap between competent well-trained security officers and fly-by-night operations… and the price doesn’t always make it evident which is which. National companies tend to operate a bit more like a military, where specific training and values are instilled, and where background checks are usually performed to make sure the wolf isn’t being let into the henhouse.

I recommend: Securitas, AlliedBarton, U.S. Security Associates, Wackenhut, Brink’s (for security transport of assets) and SecurAmerica  are just a few of the guard services companies with a national presence and with comprehensive training programs.

Ensure that your security service provider is licensed

In many states, to operate a guard services business, a company must be licensed. Those registries are usually available on state government Web sites, since there currently aren’t any national standards. You’d be well advised to make sure that your guard services provider is licensed. It could mean a business liability issue.

I recommend: Because the Web links vary state by state, the easiest way to check on licensing requirements is to Google your state’s requirements using the terms “security guard license” and the name of your state. You should also request the license number from the company. Sometimes the license may have to be held by the guard him or herself. For instance, search for licensed security guards in California via the State Department of Consumer Affairs' License Lookup.

Set up checks for your security officers

You need a way of making sure your security guard is completing their patrol, if that’s the kind of duty you need them to perform. If they were supposed to check all entry points every hour, how can you ensure they did? One way has been to use guard tour technology that electronically registers their presence.

I recommend: Morse Watchman is one company selling devices that can verify your guard’s tour. It’s a simple technological way of making sure you’re getting what you’re paying your guard for.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• There is some debate over whether security officers should only have “observe and report” duties, or if they should be active participants in policy enforcement. For instance, upon confronting someone like a shoplifter, should the guard 1) simply take a description and call the police, and prepare their security report, or 2) detain the subject?
• The matter is sometimes just one of personal preference. Some stores will have their guards pursue thieves into parking lots, while others are required to let them go for safety’s sake. This also can be affected by state regulations (does your state give them arrest power?) and how you spell out the security guard’s duties. Clear this up with your guard or the company you contract with.
• Another debate is whether guards should be armed or unarmed. At locations with a high risk of armed robbery (i.e., a bank, jewelry store or high-cash-flow business), guards tend to be armed. However, that usually adds greater expense, and depending on the case, a business can be liable for how that gun was used in a security situation or other type of altercation. Consult a lawyer to be sure. Unless you absolutely need an armed response, your best course of action may be going “unarmed.”