Ethics, Liability, and Regulatory Compliance
Ethical Foundations
Ethics is doing the right thing when no one is watching. Core principles: integrity, honesty, fairness, respect, accountability, and confidentiality. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed. Gifts that could influence decisions should be refused or reported per policy. Guards must not use their position for personal gain.
Liability Concepts
Guards and their employers can face civil liability (negligence, false imprisonment, assault, battery, defamation) and criminal liability for acts beyond their authority. Negligence requires a duty, a breach, causation, and damages. Trap: questions ask whether "the company" is liable for a guard's actions. Generally, employers can be vicariously liable for acts within the scope of employment, and guards can be personally liable for intentional or criminal acts.
Regulatory Compliance
Know the regulations that govern your work: licensing and training requirements, use-of-force reporting, privacy and data protection, workplace safety rules, and firearms licensing where applicable. Maintain required certifications and report incidents as mandated.
Worked Example
A vendor offers you a $100 gift card to "look the other way" on a delivery inspection. Accepting it is a conflict of interest and potentially a bribe. The ethical response is to decline, report the offer to your supervisor, and document the interaction.