Security Officer Mini Training Camp www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Georgia
May 18 2008

From The Corporate Offices of
The National Association of Private Officers

This week, The National Association of Private Officers and http://www.privateofficer.com/ is sponsoring a Security Officer Mini Training Camp for our readers.
This five part series will refresh memories of those of you who have previous training and give much needed training to those who may not have gone through any type of training as a security officer.
Although this series is a condensed version of the standard Private Officer courses that we offer, it will still cover many essential areas and provide some good preliminary security officer training as well as a chance for some of you to see what real security officer training is like.

The five part training is scheduled to include:

Day 1 Job Responsibility
Scope of Authority

Day 2 Laws of Arrest, Detention
Search and Seizure

Day 3 Levels of Force
Use of Force

Day 4 Handcuffing
Civil Liability

Day 5 Patrol Techniques
Trespass Warnings

Job Responsibility

A private security officer has a wide array of job responsibilities that vary depending on employer and type of security position.
Long before the 9/11 tragedy and certainly after it, the role of a security officer has been changing dramatically all across the nation and around the world.

Depending on your employer’s requirements and needs, your role as a security officer will vary to some degree but all private officers have many of the same responsibilities and basically it is equal to the “protect and serve” of law enforcement officers.
Our motto here at the N.A.P.O. is “protecting life and property” and that is exactly what private security officers do everyday!
If employed by a contract security agency and stationed at a fixed post such as an industrial complex, factory or office building, your overall duties of “observe and report” will be the same everywhere but other duties including access control, foot or mobile patrol, employee package searches, first-aid response, fire suppression, parking enforcement and an assortment of other duties may be part of your daily responsibilities at that post.

It is extremely important, whether working as an “in-house” or contract security officer that you obtain a “written” copy of your job duties and responsibilities, hours of assignment, rules and regulations of your employer and if you are a contract security officer, the rules and regulations of the client where you’re assigned.
It is equally important that you maintain a copy of these policies for your own personal records. If only one copy of the material is available at your post, have copies duplicated if possible.
This documentation may protect you in the future should you be the subject of a reprimand, suspension or termination for doing something that you have previously been told was part of your assignment duties.

As a uniform security officer, the extent of your proactiveness will be directly controlled by your employer, client or both. In some cases, your employer or client may want you to stop, question and detain trespassers or violators of the law or they may want you to simply stand back regardless of what happens on the property and merely call the police and let them take care of the violations.
Even though, as a uniform security officer, you may feel that it’s your duty or your rights to do more than what policy dictates and in some cases it may be the right thing to do, keep in mind that your employer/client maintains and directs what you should and should not do and should you overstep your authority or limits, you will probably face discipline actions including termination and depending on circumstances, possibly even arrest.
Along these lines, you’ll also be responsible civil actions for anything that you may do outside of your normal duties should you be sued. But we’ll talk more later in another segment about liability.

Scope of Authority

As with your job duties and company policies, your scope of authority comes directly from your employer, client or both if you are employed as a contract security officer.
A sworn commissioned police officer of any law enforcement agency, city, state or federal department, including colleges and universities, airports and utility companies get their authority from the state statues of the state in which they are employed in. These statues spell out the authority and its limits of the various police agencies.
For instance, a police officer employed by Jones Township has the authority to enforce the laws within the township borders but can not enforce the laws of another city or town across the state. Law enforcement officers have many statutory limitations.
And private officers also have certain restrictions, limits and constraints put on them by their employer and by local criminal and civil codes.
For instance, you are employed by BIG BOX stores as a plainclothes loss prevention officer and they want you to handcuff every shoplifter that you catch regardless of their age. They have instructed you in writing that this is store policy.
You follow their instructions but soon learn that state statue does not allow for a “private security officer” to handcuff anyone who is under the age of eighteen regardless of their crimes. Your employer tells you to continue using handcuffs to detain everyone and you are arrested by the police for breaking this law.
Even though you were acting within the policy of your employer, it was a direct violation of local criminal laws and in this case the laws supersede your employer’s policies.
Technically you were following orders but legally you were breaking the law and you alone will be left to face the consequences of breaking this law. Your employer criminally will be held harmless while you are subjected to criminal prosecution.

As a security officer assigned to any type of property, your authority will be limited by these two elements; your employer and the laws of the land. Make sure that both are in harmony with each other and that you are not left out to dry in a criminal or civil action.
If you’re not sure if your company policies match the current criminal and civil codes, research them online, at the library or call your local authorities and run it by them.

I remember an occasion where a client which had an apartment complex wanted their security officers to stop speeding cars on their very large property. The owners wanted traffic stops and radar guns used and even issued written warning citations.
Normally, this might sound alright and could be within the scope of authority of the property owner and its security staff.
But there was a huge problem here because no one bothered checking on one thing……who owned the roads that divided the various apartment buildings, tennis courts, pools, clubhouses, entrances and exits.
As it came to be, the roads were not part of the private property but were instead “city” roads and therefore the apartment owners and security officers had no legal control over them and were in fact breaking the law( criminal and civil) every time that a traffic stop was made.
So, the moral of this story is to make sure that the laws will allow you to proceed according to your employers request, directions or orders.

Authority is broad in many areas of private security. You may be given the “authority” to search emploee lockers, all employee vehicles parked on company property, stop, detain and arrest shoplifters or other violators of local or state laws. You may even have the authority to issue certain citations and parking tickets on your property.
Security officers assigned to schools, prisons, jails and government properties often have much wider and broader authority and duties because of the type of property that they are assigned to.
At a nucular plant, armed security officers often carry automatic weapons and train for terrorist take overs, civil disorder and emergencies of all levels. But as a security officer assigned to a library, factory or car dealership, such training and scope of authority is not given because it probably would never be needed.

Remember that Scope of Authority must come from your employer and comply with the laws of the land! That’s where a private security officer gets their authority.

In part two, we will discuss your authority in making arrests, search and seizures and detentions. Once again, several things will apply and things will vary depending on state, position, training and requirements.

Should you have questions, comments or suggestions please email us at rick@privateofficer.com.

Another dumb thief www.privateofficer.com

JONESBORO, Ark. May 18 2008 — One Arkansas burglar probably should have eaten the whole thing.

Police in Jonesboro said a burglar left a half-eaten Snickers bar on a counter at an animal hospital during a robbery in January.

Police said the candy bar was sent to a lab in Little Rock, where scientists pulled off a DNA sample. It matched a 39-year-old man, who now faces felony commercial burglary and theft charges.

Authorities said the hungry burglar also ate two cans of Vienna sausage.

 

 

Police charge 2 with theft, fraud and drug charges www.privateofficer.com

PINELLAS PARK Fla. May 18 2008 A vagrant was arrested after he allegedly defrauded a local store to obtain money for crack cocaine. Travis S. Crawford, 40, no home, was charged with grand theft, scheming to defraud and violation of parole involving a previous grand theft and petit theft case.

He remains in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $7,500 bail.

Police said Crawford would walk into a Marshall Store, take clothing off racks and present them for returns.

The alleged incidents occurred at Marshall stores in Largo, St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park.

The suspect allegedly got away with gift cards amounting to $2,047 from the three stores during the month of April alone.

Police said the suspect allegedly told officers that he sold the gift cards for pennies on the dollar. The money was used to feed his crack cocaine habit, police said.

PINELLAS PARK – A woman on May 6 who claimed to be a member of a “shoplifter’s anonymous group” told police she cannot resist the impulse to steal after she was arrested for shoplifting.

Kelly Mae Tate, 27, of Pinellas Park was charged with possession of Oxycodone and retail theft. She remained in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Police said Tate was at the Publix store, 7580 49th St., at about 11 a.m. when a store security officer saw her placing items in her purse.

The suspect then allegedly walked from the store without paying for the items. She was apprehended by the security officer after a brief struggle, police said.

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Couple evicted from home because of identity theft www.privateofficer.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – May 18 2008 A Spring Hill couple thought they were paying their mortgage every month until they came home and found a lock on the door. It was a huge shock for Ami Hobgood.
Not only were the impersonal items, such as electronics and furniture outside, but also the personal things like pictures and underwear and things you just don’t want people to see. There was stuff every where. It looked like a tornado hit our house,” said Hobgood
A sheriff’s deputy tapped an eviction notice taped to their door, and their bank foreclosed on the home.
“The only documentation we have regarding the foreclosure at all is right there on the door,” said Hobgood.
After a phone call to their mortgage company, they found out that a notice of the foreclosure had been printed in the paper three separate times, but they never saw it.
Also, a certified letter was sent to their home.
“We’re not here during the day. They said they sent a certified letter. They said they did, but we weren’t here to sign for it,” said Ami Hobgood
She said she wrote the mortgage company a check every month and saw money being withdrawn from the account.
It turns out that someone stole her identity and was cashing in.
Unknown to her, those checks to the mortgage company bounced.
“Someone had been siphoning funds from our account that we were using to pay the mortgage and someone opened two credit cards, which $20,000 had been charged,” said Seth Hobgood.
By law the mortgage company did everything required to notify the couple of the foreclosure, but the couple said it wasn’t enough.
“You could just have three ads in a paper that you never read, and a certified piece of mail that never gets to you, and your stuff is in the yard, and you are out of a house,” said Seth Hobgood.
The bank is going to reimburse the couple for the fraudulent charges to their account.
But it’s not clear if anything can be done about the foreclosure on their home.
They are seeking legal advice from an attorney to figure out what to do next.

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Security agents nab four on burglary and fraud charges www.privateofficer.com

Palo Alto Ca. May 18 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com
Police say that criminals are brazen and dumb and such is the case of Allen Russell who went to Bloomingdale’s at Stanford Shopping Center on Tuesday and allegedly stole a $5,000 watch.
After committing the theft, police say that he came back to the shopping center on Wednesday with three other people and allegedly tried to open an account at Macy’s under a false name and buy a $3,000 ring.
But security cameras were rolling and security agents had seen him the day before and the police were ready.
“There are a zillion security cameras in there,” Palo Alto Police Detective Brian Philip said. “But these guys get bold and come back.”
Russell, 61, was arrested without incident, as were Raymond Moore, 58, Herman Brian Stewart, 57, and Liller Johnson, 45 by store security agents who had already notified police to send back up officers.
All four were charged with parole violations and face various charges of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, identity theft and forgery, Philip said.
Police said that Bloomingale’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom were the stores where the four attempted burglary or tried to buy items by opening accounts under false names.
Police said the four have long criminal histories and now could face stiff prison terms for their probation violations and these new charges.
All four are being held in the county jail without bond.

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Store security nabs flasher in the act www.privateofficer.com

Cincinnati Oh May 18 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com
A 61-year-old man is accused of flashing a woman inside a downtown department store according to city police officers..
Dennis McDonough, of Madisonville, allegedly exposed himself to a woman inside Macy’s just after noon Tuesday, an arrest report states.

Macy’s security agents were notified and followed McDonough through the store and down the streets until police arrived where he was arrested at 12:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Elm Street.
Police say McDonough admitted to exposing himself and that the act was caught on a store video camera.

McDonough has been booked into the Hamilton County Jail .

On his first day in court, he pleaded no contest and the judge found him guilty.

He was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Police are not sure if McDonough has committed this type of crime elsewhere and said that they are still looking into it. More charges could be brought against him should evidence of other flashing incidents be found.

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Shoplifter crashes during high speed chase www.privateofficer.com

Augusta Ga. May 18 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

A suspected shoplifter is in the hospital today after running a car into University Hospital.
Investigators say Modean Lindsey and a passenger took off after she stole more than a hundred dollars worth of hygiene products from the C-V-S on Walton Way.
The store immediately notified police and officers responding to the store spotted a car matching the description of the fleeing shoplifters.
Officers tried to conduct a traffic stop on the suspected shoplifters but they sped off leading police on a high speed chase through city streets.
Modean ended up crashing into University Hospital’s wall.
The passenger in the car has been released from MCG Health and is being questioned by police investigators.
The driver now faces theft and various other traffic charges as a result of the chase.

Lindsey will be taken into custody and charged as soon as he is released from the hospital.

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3 Shot during church gathering www.privateofficer.com

LOS ANGELES Ca. May 18 2008 A man with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire at a festival outside a Southern California church Saturday, wounding three people, one of them critically, police said.
Shots rang out shortly before 11 a.m. outside St. John Baptist de la Salle, a Roman Catholic church in Granada Hills, Officer Norma Eisenman said. Bystanders tackled the man and held him until he was taken into police custody, she said.
“He was tackled by an off-duty Burbank police officer” and taken into custody by Los Angeles police, she said.
The gunman wounded three people, including a female who was shot in the elbow, Eisenman said. Two people were taken to a hospital in stable condition and one was in critical condition, she said.
Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said another person was treated for chest pains.
The motive for the attack was not immediately known, Eisenman said.
Church officials did not immediately return calls for comment.

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DHS agent arrested on federal charges www.privateofficer.com

San Diego Ca. May 18 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

A Department of Homeland Security and customs officer has been arrested by the San Diego Border Corruption Task Force authorities said this week.

Investigators from the task force began looking into one of their own agents suspecting him of traffic in narcotics and illegal immigrants across the Mexico border.
Police say that they have arrested Luis Francisco Alarid in the vicinity of Elrose and Dearborn without incident.

Alarid was arrested pursuant to a federal arrest warrant charging him with conspiracy to import a controlled substance and conspiracy to smuggle illegal immigrants.

The case is still under investigation and being prosecuted by the San Diego U.S. Attorney’s office.

No other details about the investigation or arrest has been made available by the DHS or the U.S. Attorney’s office.

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Security officer aids in capture of burglars www.privateofficer.com

Ventura County Ca. May 18 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/

A man and two juveniles were arrested Friday night on suspicion of attempted burglary at Hollywood Beach School, authorities said.
According to police, a security officer spotted Justin Martin, 19, and two juveniles about 11:30 p.m. on the campus at 4000 Sunset Lane, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Capt. David Kenney said.
The security officer notified police and kept the three under surveillance and they were on the school’s roof when authorities arrived, Kenney said.
The trio climbed off the roof and tried to flee, but were captured with the help of K-9 units from the Sheriff’s Department and the Port Hueneme Police Department.
Two of the suspects sustained minor dog bites, Kenney said.
All three were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary and resisting officers, authorities said.
Martin was held at Ventura County Jail on Saturday in lieu of $50,000 bail.

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Security officer in critical condition after assault www.privateofficer.com

SOUTH BEND IL. May 18 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private officers

www.privateofficer.com A 63-year-old security officer remains in critical condition after a patron at the South Bank lounge attacked him early Saturday, police said.
According to police, the security officer, James E. Muddiman Sr. was trying to get people to leave the bar at 3 a.m. when 27-year-old Joshua Kati became unruly and assaulted Muddiman police said.
Muddiman was transported to an area hospital and has suffered life-threatening injuries according to a police spokesman.
Kati, a South Bend resident, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery and battery resulting in serious bodily injury.
The incident took place in the 1700 block of Lincoln Way East.
Police don’t think that anyone else was involved in the assault and did not release the bond amount for Kati who could face more serious charges in the event the security officer succumbs to his injuries.

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AMW selects All Star Winner! www.privateofficer.com

2008 AMW All Star Awards
Charlotte NC May 18 2008
The votes are in and you have chosen Deputy Martin Lawing as the 2008 AMW All-Star Grand Prize Winner!
On December 12, 2007 Deputy Lawing, of the Burke County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office, became involved in a standoff with an armed suspect who threatened to shoot anyone who approached her door.

The SWAT Team, including Martin Lawing, was deployed, and Deputy Lawing was assigned to throw a phone into the woman’s home so negotiators could try to establish communications.

As he approached the home, police say the woman made good on her threat, opening fire and hitting Deputy Lawing in the neck. T

he wound has left him paralyzed, but he is undergoing intense physical therapy and hopes to regain the use of his legs.
This past Saturday, Deputy Lawing enjoyed an All-Star weekend with John Walsh at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race in Charlotte, NC, where John presented him with a check for $10,000 from Sprint.
Martin Lawing epitomizes the First Responders who risk their lives for us every day. Your votes made him this year’s winner, but every First Responder is a truly a hero.

We’ll keep information about all of this year’s nominees posted on our website (www.amw.com/allstar), and we hope you’ll have a chance to check them all out.
And don’t forget to tune in next Saturday, May 24th, to meet our 2008 AMW All-Star, Deputy Martin Lawing, on America’s Most Wanted (9 pm ET/PT on FOX).

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