Legal Authority, Arrest, and Use of Force
Foundations
An Alabama security guard is a private citizen with limited authority. Your power to detain comes from the same citizen's-arrest statute that applies to everyone else, not from a peace-officer commission. Understand the difference between a detention (brief, investigative, based on reasonable suspicion of a crime) and an arrest (custody taken to answer for a crime). Know the felony/misdemeanor distinction and the breach-of-peace concept that lets a private person arrest for a misdemeanor committed in your presence.
Use of Force
Force must be reasonable and proportional to the threat, and only to defend yourself or others from imminent harm or to effect a lawful detention. Deadly force is reserved for imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. You are not authorized to use force to protect property alone against a non-threatening person.
Traps
- Confusing your authority with police authority (e.g., believing you can arrest for any misdemeanor you hear about).
- Assuming the uniform grants powers it doesn't.
- Using force to punish, intimidate, or retrieve property.
- Forgetting the duty to summon police and to document.
Worked Example
A shoplifter grabs merchandise and runs. You may use reasonable force to detain and recover the item, but you may not strike the person once they are subdued. Rule of thumb: the force stops the moment the threat stops.