What Security Guards Can and Can’t Do - Secure Guard

• April 29, 2021
• By ahmad hamidi

Businesses and corporations hire security guards. They often serve two purposes for a specific industry; the first is to deter threats. This includes deterring theft and vandalism – not only do they have to deter, but they also have to deal with issues of these sorts when they arrive.

Thus, you notice that their task is similar to police officials, which often leads to the belief that they have the same legal authority as police officers.

What Guards can and Cannot Do?

Even though a corporation will employ them to defend against criminals or violence, security guards do not possess more rights or legal authority than the public. This means that they cannot impose their interrogation on you, and you can simply deny talking to them.

This raises questions about what they can rightfully do. To be precise, a security guard can voluntarily make a citizen’s arrest. However, this only applies if their grounds of suspicion on that person are reasonable and valid.

What they CAN do According to Law

However, for security guards to perform a legal arrest of a citizen, the situation must meet certain legal requirements that validate the security guards’ action. If it does not, a citizen can file charges against the security guard for wrongful accusation and arrest.

The legal requirements and grounds are sections of the criminal evidence act and declare that the witness must have a reasonable suspicion that the suspect either committed the crime or was in the act of committing a crime, and the guards intervened.

Moreover, a guard can also protect in the event of a person causing harm to others or even themselves, according to the sections in the act. Guards can also prevent someone from causing damage to a particular property that will result in the loss of business to the corporation that hired them.

Security guards can also stop a person from fleeing after performing a criminal act. They must arrest the culprit until the police show up. If any of these situations occur, a security guard has all the rights to perform a citizen’s arrest.

Levels of Force

To seize an individual and perform an arrest, a security guard must use force. However, security guards are limited to only a certain degree of force by law. This means that any levels of physical force, such as pushing or grabbing, are only acceptable when necessary.

A security guard can push and pin an individual down in the process of detaining someone when they are attempting to escape after committing a criminal offense.

Searching

A security guard cannot search you or your possessions without your consent. However, if you are unconscious or not present, and a security guard notices your possession as unidentified, they can search it for security purposes of others.

This possession can be your bag, pockets, or even your car. This also applies to when a security guard believes a person to be a potential shoplifter. Moreover, a security guard does not have the right to search your possessions if they suspect you of stealing. However, they can detain you until a police officer arrives.

If a security guard must check your belongings to allow you access to a specific venue, and you refuse to comply, then they have the right to disallow you from entering. Businesses set this rule to ensure that their premises remain safe and secure.

Carrying Weapons

Security guards can carry weapons that can help them detain a person in the act of a felony. When it comes to firearms, corporations that hire security guards will typically not allow them firearms. In the instance that they do, a security guard must comply with the laws of the state on firearms. They need to also qualify at a gun range and possess a gun card.

Conclusion

Security guards often face adverse and difficult situations in which the suspects do not agree to comply with their instructions. Only professional security guards who have the right training, knowledge, and certification can be useful in those occurrences. This is why you should only hire the best security guard services for protection.

To hire top-quality private security services in the Southern California region, contact Secure Guard Security Services at 888-908-7818 or visit their website for more details.