AZ Security Guard cheat sheet

Arizona private security is regulated under A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 26 (Private Investigators and Security Guards), administered by the Department of Public Safety.

An employee of a licensed security guard agency who performs guard duties must hold a valid Arizona security guard registration card issued by DPS.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, submit fingerprints for a criminal history check, and meet the statutory standards for registration.

A registration card is issued for a fixed term and must be renewed before expiration; working on an expired card is a violation.

Guard registration is tied to the employing agency; a guard who changes employers must notify DPS and update the agency affiliation of record.

Unregistered or unlicensed guard work is a criminal offense for the guard and exposes the agency to license discipline.

DPS may deny, suspend, or revoke a registration for disqualifying convictions, fraud in the application, or misconduct in the course of duty.

Guard duties are limited to the scope authorized by the license and the client contract; guards may not perform private investigator functions without separate licensure.

Required training and continuing education hours must be completed and documented as a condition of registration and renewal.

A private security guard is a private citizen with no greater arrest authority than any other person; police powers belong to sworn officers only.

A.R.S. 13-3884 permits a private person to make an arrest only for a felony committed in the person's presence or for a misdemeanor amounting to a breach of the peace committed in the presence.

A.R.S. 13-3883 governs peace officer arrest authority and does not extend to private guards.

A.R.S. 13-403 defines physical force as any means of bodily impact, and deadly force as force likely to cause death or serious physical injury.

A.R.S. 13-404 authorizes defensive force only when a person reasonably believes it is immediately necessary to protect against another's use or attempted use of unlawful force.

A.R.S. 13-405 permits deadly force only against an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury, and never against mere property loss.

A.R.S. 13-407 justifies force in defense of premises only against trespass or entry that the person reasonably believes is unlawful, using no more force than reasonably necessary.

Detention by a guard is a citizen's arrest or a consensual encounter; an unlawful detention can expose the guard and agency to civil liability.

Force must stop when the threat ends; continuing force after the threat is neutralized is unlawful and creates criminal and civil exposure.

Patrol observation follows the perception cycle: notice, interpret, decide, act; report facts observed, not conclusions drawn.

Report content should answer who, what, when, where, how, and how many, using objective descriptors and direct quotations where possible.

Notes must be contemporaneous, written in ink, time-stamped, and preserved; alterations are initialed and dated, never erased or obliterated.

A report is a permanent record subject to subpoena and discovery; write only what you personally observed or verified.

Patrol documentation typically records time on post, checkpoints, conditions found, contacts made, and actions taken.

Access control procedures require verifying identification, logging entry and exit, and refusing entry to unauthorized persons.

Incident reports should separate observed fact from opinion and should not assign fault or legal conclusions.

Chain of custody for evidence requires recording who collected the item, time, location, and every transfer thereafter.

Radio and written communication use clear, brief, standard phrasing; codes and phonetic alphabet must match the agency's procedures.

Life safety comes first, then incident stabilization, then property protection; escalate to 911 for fire, medical, or violent emergencies.

A guard's role in an emergency is to notify, contain, evacuate, and document, not to perform duties reserved for police, fire, or EMS.

Evacuation procedures must identify primary and secondary routes, assembly areas, and accountability methods for occupants.

Fire response steps: activate the alarm, call 911, evacuate, and never re-enter a burning structure.

Medical emergencies: call 911, provide only the level of aid trained and authorized, and do not move an injured person unless there is immediate danger.

Active threat response follows the run-hide-fight principle; guards should avoid engagement unless no other option exists.

Bomb threats and suspicious packages require notification, area isolation, and no handling of the item.

Emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers, AEDs, and first aid kits must be checked, logged, and accessible.

Post-incident duties include securing the scene, preserving evidence, and completing a factual report before the end of shift.