What Security Guards Can and Can’t Do
Any business that trivializes security does that to its detriment. Therefore, you must put every measure in place to ensure that you address any potential security threat facing your business.
If you have businesses in the Twin Cities, part of the measures you can adopt to ensure that your business runs smoothly is hiring trained security guards. At Unparalleled Security, we pride ourselves on providing professionally trained security guards to protect your businesses.
When you partner with us, our security guards will help you with two important security issues: deter threats and respond to any security issues when they arrive. However, there are some limitations to security guards’ operational jurisdiction, and our security experts will explore them in this piece.
Learn more about what security guards can and can’t do in this guide.
What Security Guards Can Do
Security guards are an excellent way to get extra protection for your business. They can help keep your products and property safe while also securing the area to help your clients, employees, and the community.
Here are the things that security guards are trained and legally allowed to do.
1. Remove People From a Private Property
Security guards have the right to remove you from private property if you trespass. This is part of the jobs of construction site security guards, building security guards, and events security guards.
While this is in their job description and within their rights, they may call in police or other authorities if someone refuses to leave.
2. Perform a Citizen’s Arrest
Under certain circumstances, security guards can make an arrest but do not have any other power to prosecute the matter more than the arrest. They often make this arrest and wait for the law enforcement agencies to arrive for a handover. Anything outside this basic arrest falls outside the powers of security guards.
Whether or not a security guard performs a citizen’s arrest will depend on the policies of the business they work for and the situation at hand.
3. Request a Physical Search
Gaining entry into some places requires that safety precautions be taken. Conducting a physical search is part of such precautionary measures. Therefore, security guards have the right to perform a physical search on you with your consent.
Often, security guards will search through employee bags when they leave a shift, or they may look through shopping bags of customers leaving a store if they suspect shoplifting.
4. Carry Weapons
Security guards can carry firearms that can be used to apprehend someone committing a crime. However, not all security guards can carry weapons. In order to be an armed security guard, each individual must also abide by the state’s gun regulations if they are allowed to carry weapons.
Even if you hire security guards who are legally allowed to carry weapons, it’s not always necessary. Depending on the needs of your company, it may be better and less upsetting for customers to rely on unarmed guards. But, for businesses with high-security risks, armed guards provide extra protection.
Learn more about what it takes to be an armed security guard.
5. Refuse Entry
This is another thing security guards can do. For instance, if you come to an event uninvited, security guards reserve the right to deny you entry. With this ability, trained security guards can keep your business or any event safer from outside threats.
What Security Guards Can’t Do
While security guards can do many things to protect a business or event, they can’t do everything. They aren’t police, so they haven’t gone through as much training and aren’t legally allowed to do the same things as police personnel.
As a business owner, you want to ensure that you hire security guards who understand the limits of their authority. This way, you end up legally liable for a mistake.
When you partner with Unparalleled Security, we ensure all of our security teams understand what they can and can’t do, including when it’s better to step back and call for help.
1. Search Someone Without Their Consent
While security guards can search through bags, they can’t search someone without permission. They can request to search a person, but if the person refuses, they can’t go any further.
2. Use Unbridled Force
Security guards do not have any right to use excessive force on anyone for any reason. While they can act in self-defense, trained security guards err on the side of caution and act with good judgment.
Our professional security guards understand this aspect of their job and conduct themselves according to the approved code of conduct we train them with.
3. Detain People for an Unlimited Time
Security guards do not have to detain people indefinitely. They do not have such rights. If a situation demands that one be detained, our trained security guards are meant to call in law enforcement personnel to take up the matter.
4. Pull Someone Over
Security guards don’t have much authority outside of the business or property they are hired to protect. So, while security guards can patrol parking lots or garages and ask someone questions or even detain them without force, they don’t have the power to pull someone over or arrest them. They can’t perform traffic stops outside of monitoring the property or the entrances.
Don’t Wait! Hire Security Guards Today
Our years of experience in providing security for businesses in the Twin Cities and our detailed approach to training security guards prepare our security guards for every security situation.
At Unparalleled Security, we have security guards who can sniff out security threats on time, even before they happen. Our processes are seamless, and you can book security teams today. You can also call us at 651-300-1515 or via the contact form.