SECURITY OFFICER TRAINING HQ

Securing Your Future

Great Example of An “A” Rated Security Officer Report- Part 1

by 1 Comment

Well…as promised…I wanted to post an example of a great Security Officer report…so let’s jump into the reasons why I think this is a great report.

First, the report is four pages long. Yep…you read that correctly. Four pages long….to cover a typical eight hour shift. That alone should tell you that this Security Officer takes his job seriously. Huge contrast between this example and my previous posts on “poor report examples”. And because the report is a total of four pages, I broke it up into two parts so I could give it more attention. In this post I am going to review the first half of the report (page 1 & 2).

Notice the attention to detail provided in this report. For example, the Officer mentions that he observed “a lot of trash and cigarette butts in the wall planters.” He also writes “I observed a BMA (Black Male Adult) loitering next to the wall planter. I am assuming this is the same planter filled with cigarette butts, right. If so, this information would be very helpful if that BMA were to commit a crime at the location or assault someone near the post. DNA can easily be taken from a cigarette butt right?

Onward. The Officer then explains that he “picked up seven discarded receipts in front of the store”. You may be thinking, “Why is he picking up trash? That’s not his job.” If you know how crooks use discarded receipts then it becomes much clearer. Many thieves will pick up random receipts from a retail location, steal the item (or a similar item) on the receipt and then return it later for a cash refund. The retailer loses….big time. That’s why the Officer is picking up discarded receipts.

Then the report describes another potentially serious scenario. “Electrical wall box loose from the wall mount near the entrance”. Can you say “Customer SHOCKED by loose electrical wire…sues retailer for lot’s of money!” The Officer even states, “Clear and sunny today”. This is a great line of information that could potentially save the client thousands of dollars in a liability lawsuit if a customer claims the retailer “neglected a puddle of water from the rain earlier that day”. Fat chance that will work….thanks to this report.

Can you start to see why this is a great report so far?

Let’s move on…

The Officer describes in his report that he “checked all fire extinguishers.” Obviously, this is important if a fire started at this location. If the extinguishers were old or outdated, they wouldn’t be very helpful to put out a fire, would they? It also appears the Officer routinely checks the restrooms for signs of graffiti. This is a great example of proactive thinking that pays off many times during public post assignments. If you check the restrooms at regular designated times on your shift, then you’ll be able to focus on a suspect when you actually find some graffiti. Makes a lot of sense.

The Officer also writes that he “Greeted ten customers” around 1600 hrs. This is great because he is communicating with the client’s customer base and displaying a visual presence that is sure to put many customers at ease during their visit to the retail location. Smart.

Remember…this is an eight hour shift and there are already a lot of golden nuggets of information in this report so far.

Stay tuned for the second half and I think you’ll agree with me that this report deserves a high grade!

Stay feisty!

Talk soon…

Colt

Yet Another Disappointing Security Officer Report

by Leave a Comment

You call this a Daily Activity report? Really? I call it “scribble”! Or you can call it “chicken scratch” …or even “alien speak”…but just don’t call it a Security Officer Activity Report…because this is nothing even close to what a daily report should look like. By the way…if you can decipher what this report actually says, I might even buy youlunch…because I can’t figure it out. The hand writing is so bad that I can’t even recognize more than two words. Is it written in English? Spanish? Latin? Or… ?

As I discussed in my previous post, another example of a poor security officer report, a Security Officer is being paid to “observe and report”. This Officer may have done an effective job during the shift he worked, but the end result of his work (the report) looks like an example of Bart Simpson’s homework assignment instead of a professional and detailed Daily Report.

Remember, one of the most important qualities that an employer wants to see in a Security Officer is the ability to communicate effectively. (see my previous post on this topic) Effective communication includes the ability to speak clearly and the ability to write in a legible format that can be read at a later time, if needed.

How would you like this report to be presented in front of a judge or a jury during a liability case or a criminal defense trial?

The results for this client would be disastrous!

I know I sound like a broken record…but I have to keep it real.
So…if a Security Officer turns in a report that looks like this example, do you think the client is going to appreciate the quality of the words written on this page?

Not in a million years…

Talk soon…

Colt

P.S. Stay tuned for some examples of “A” rated Daily Reports!

Another Example of a Poor Security Officer Report

by 1 Comment

Here’s another example of what I consider a very poor Security Officer report. The Security Officer who completed this report should have just completed a one-line report that said, “Warm body was here…”.

Maybe I’m being too critical of this Officer’s daily re-cap, but as I pointed out in my previous post, a good example of a bad report, this report does not provide any value to the client. There is simply no excuse for this type of report.

So…on a six hour shift (1330 hrs.-1930 hrs.) this Security Officer didn’t observe any activity at all?

Hard to believe.

He mentions three specific areas that were “patrolled” all day (the dock, the inside, and the parking lot) but does not indicate any activity at all. Isn’t the top of the report specifically titled “Shift Activity”?? What’s the delio, dude?

“Once again…if I had to assign a grade to this daily report, I would give this report an “F”….as in FAIL!”

Security Officers are looked upon as “trained observers” and should provide a basic report that gives the client a detailed account of what transpired on their shift.

Use this report as a guide on what you should never turn in to your Supervisor.

Good report writing is not difficult if you instill a routine habit to just “report what you observe”.

Pretty simple.

Colt