There are several available security options for private entities. Two of the most common are security guards and off-duty police officers, and the big decision is which one to choose. No one would ever confuse a police officer with a guard in normal life: it's clear from the start that there are some pretty big differences between the two jobs. The same thing holds when you hire a police officer to work off-duty, but not all of these differences are going to be obvious.
Let's stack the security guard and off-duty police services side-by-side and see how they measure up in three important categories.
Basic function
Security guards may be in the same basic field as police but their approach is completely different. A security guard is usually not authorized to take action during escalated cases. They may have to address a hostile person, but the guiding rule is to "Observe and Report" rather than directly enforce the law, and they only have the powers of a citizen to do so. This can include making notes to record any incidents.
For some, that may be enough. As risk levels rise, though, the limits of what guards can do will become more apparent. When security guards cannot intervene, their employers could have to wait for the authorities to get involved, instead of having someone there on the premises. Even worse, a security guard trying to overstep their bounds could cross legal lines and clash with police, possibly incurring civil liabilities.
"Off-duty police officers can be both passive watchers and active mitigators."
By contrast, the off-duty police officer can be both a passive watcher and an active mitigator. The law allows police officers to suddenly activate and become "on-duty" if necessary, meaning that they can take action when private guards can't.
Where a guard might only be able to deter someone until the police arrive, off-duty officers can resolve a problem by arresting a person or using their training to deescalate the situation.
Arizona CBS affiliate CBS5 spoke to security consultant Karl de la Guerra about observing and reporting. He said that it was generally considered cheaper than using armed individuals. However, that less expensive choice could also mean fewer options during an emergency.
Skills and knowledge
There's no disputing that security guards can be well-trained and useful in many of the same situations as off-duty police. The difference is, police will bring all of their existing police training to off-duty jobs, which may cover the same areas from a different perspective. It's likely that a police officer will know the law more intimately than someone without the same training, and will also have experience communicating in high-stress situations.
Liability
Finally, there's the issue of insurance and compensation. As employees, both off-duty police and security guards may have to be covered by the employer's insurance. However, police will have insurance from their department for active-duty situations.
"Police may bring a lower liability risk for their services."
Should they be required to enforce the law and get injured as a result, the compensation would not necessarily be the private company's responsibility, if their police coverage applied.
Considering the added duties police are allowed to take on, this could leave employers feeling safer about having police onsite.
Think of turnaround at an industrial plant, also known as a TAR. During this time, a facility is shut down for maintenance, with the company using streams of contractors non-stop to get things back to working order.
With so many personnel bustling in a potentially dangerous area, risk could be high. Both a guard and a police officer can work these sorts of situations, but the officer would be more covered if they had to take action to settle a conflict.
The advantages should be obvious: Off-duty police services are committed to the law, ready to act and prepared for difficult situations. Frizell Group makes it easy to find and manage competent police officers with the added benefits of risk mitigation, reduced administrative hassle and increased customer service. Contact us today for your off-duty police service needs.
