Why is it important to have a Security Guard?

Security guards typically do the following:

• Protect and enforce laws on an employer’s property
  • Monitor alarms and closed-circuit TV cameras
  • Control access for employees, visitors, and outside contractors
  • Conduct security checks over a specified area
  • Write comprehensive reports outlining what they observed while on patrol
  • Interview witnesses for later court testimony
  • Detain criminal violators

Guards must remain alert, looking for anything out of the ordinary throughout their shift. In an emergency, guards may call for assistance from police, fire, or ambulance services. Some security guards may be armed.

A security guard’s job responsibilities vary from one employer to another:

• In retail stores, guards protect people, records, merchandise, money, and equipment. They may work with undercover store detectivesto prevent theft by customers or employees, detain shoplifting suspects until the police arrive, or patrol parking lots.
• In office buildings, banks, hotels, and hospitals, guards maintain order and protect the organization’s customers, staff, and property.
• In museums or art galleries, guards protect paintings and exhibits by watching people and inspecting packages entering and leaving the building.
• In factories, government buildings, and military bases, security guards protect information and products and check the credentials of people and vehicles entering and leaving the premises.
• At universities, in parks, and at sports stadiums, guards do crowd control, supervise parking and seating, and direct traffic.
• At bars and nightclubs, guards (or bouncers) keep under-age people from entering, collect cover charges at the door, and maintain order among customers.
• guards who work as transportation security screeners protect people, transportation equipment, and freight at airports, train stations, and other transportation facilities.