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Introduction to Security Guards

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While the police protect and serve the people at large, many individuals and businesses hire private security guards to offer continual security protection for their own interests. More than one million Americans work at least part time as a security guard.

Companies (as well as individuals and government agencies) use security guards in a variety of ways. Guards serve as deterrents against vandalism and theft but also protect property against fire damage. In addition, security guards serve as leaders during dangerous situations because they have received training in building evacuation procedures as well as in first-aid and CPR. Finally, security guards are increasingly expected to serve as a line of defense against terrorist attacks.

In the end, however, security guards simply do whatever their employers instruct them to do. Their job responsibilities vary depending on the size, type, and location of their workplace. Security guards at an airport, for example, have very different responsibilities than do security guards at a bar. Security guards act as agents of the employer and enforce the employer’s rules, whether those are curfew restrictions, traffic regulations, language or behavior requirements, or federal laws.

In addition to paying the wages of the security guard, most employers provide the equipment and training for security guards. A security guard’s equipment may include a vehicle, as well as handheld equipment such as a weapon, radio, flashlight, and cell phone. Many security guards will also maintain paperwork, with which they will document the actions they took in the name of security. A security guard’s training, on the other hand, may include general training, such as first aid training and self-defense training, as well as specific job training, such as proper evacuation procedures and proper use of radios, closed-circuit television, and other security equipment.

Many employers obtain discounts on their insurance premiums because they employ security guards. Other employers simply want to protect their property and employees, so they either hire security guards or outsource security issues to a private security company.

Next Page: What are the different types of security guards?

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