MI Security Guard cheat sheet

Michigan regulates private security guards and agencies primarily under the Private Security Business and Security Alarm Act (Public Act 330 of 1968, as amended), administered by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

A person may not act as a private security guard for hire in Michigan without holding a valid state-issued security guard license; the license is issued through LARA's licensing process and requires an application, fee, and compliance with statutory requirements.

Licensing typically requires a minimum age of 18, U.S. citizenship or legal authorization to work, no disqualifying criminal record, and completion of required training and fingerprint-based background checks under the Act.

A licensed security guard may only perform duties while employed by or under contract with a licensed security guard agency; independent unaffiliated guard work for hire is not authorized under the Act.

Employers must verify licensure before assigning guard duties; allowing an unlicensed person to perform security guard functions exposes the agency to administrative sanctions, including fines and license suspension or revocation.

Guards must carry their state-issued license or identification while on duty and present it upon request by a law enforcement officer, LARA investigator, or the client.

Licenses are subject to renewal and continuing compliance; failure to renew, falsification of application information, or conviction of disqualifying offenses can result in denial, suspension, or revocation.

The Act authorizes LARA to investigate complaints, conduct compliance inspections, and impose discipline including reprimands, fines, probation, suspension, or revocation of a guard or agency license.

Security guards are not peace officers; their license confers no police authority, no statewide arrest powers beyond citizen powers, and no authority to enforce criminal law independently of law enforcement.

A Michigan private security guard's authority derives from the property owner's or client's rights, not from police powers; the guard may act only within the scope of the contract and the owner's lawful authority over the premises.

A guard may request identification, ask persons to leave, deny entry, and enforce lawful rules of the premises; refusal to comply may support a trespass action but does not by itself authorize arrest.

A guard may make a citizen's arrest only under Michigan's statutory citizen's arrest authority, which generally requires a felony committed in the guard's presence or a reasonable belief that a felony was committed and the person is fleeing, plus prompt delivery to law enforcement.

A guard may use reasonable non-deadly force to defend themselves or others from imminent unlawful force, to prevent a forcible felony, or to effect a lawful arrest, but the force must be proportional to the threat.

Deadly force is justified only when the guard reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another, or to prevent a forcible felony involving imminent danger of such harm.

A guard may not use force to collect a debt, enforce a civil contract, recover property, or retaliate; force used for those purposes is unlawful and exposes the guard to criminal and civil liability.

Guards may not detain a person for an unreasonable time, may not conduct coercive interrogations, and must release a person promptly if the legal basis for detention ends.

Guards may search a person or property only with valid consent, a valid warrant, or another recognized legal exception; searches incident to a lawful arrest are limited in scope to the arrestee's person and immediate area for weapons and evidence.

Guards must not impersonate police officers, display police insignia, or represent themselves as having law enforcement authority; doing so is a criminal offense and a licensing violation.

Citizen's arrest in Michigan generally requires that a felony be committed in the guard's presence, or that the guard have reasonable grounds to believe the person committed a felony and the person is fleeing; the arrestee must be delivered to law enforcement without unnecessary delay.

A detention (investigative stop) requires reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, must be brief and limited to the purpose of the stop, and may include a pat-down for weapons only if the guard reasonably believes the person is armed and dangerous.

Consent searches require voluntary, unambiguous consent from a person with authority over the area searched; consent may be withdrawn at any time and the search must stop when it is revoked.

Searches of bags, lockers, or vehicles require consent, a warrant, or a recognized exception; a guard's contractual authority to inspect company property does not authorize a search of a person's body or personal effects without consent or legal basis.

A pat-down (frisk) is limited to a pat-down of outer clothing for weapons; reaching into pockets or removing items exceeds a frisk and requires additional legal justification.

Use of force must be objectively reasonable under the totality of the circumstances, including the severity of the crime, the immediate threat, and whether the subject is resisting or attempting to flee.

Force must be de-escalated and discontinued as soon as the threat ends; continued force after the subject is controlled is excessive and unlawful.

Handcuffs and restraints are a use of force and must be justified by the need to prevent harm, escape, or destruction of evidence; they are not appropriate for routine questioning.

After any use of force or arrest, the guard must promptly notify law enforcement, render aid if needed, and document the incident in a written report.

A security report should record who, what, when, where, why, and how, using objective facts, direct quotes, and specific times rather than opinions or conclusions.

Reports should be written in chronological order, in the first person, in ink or a secured electronic system, with no blank spaces, erasures, or alterations; corrections should be noted and initialed.

Observations should describe persons by height, weight, build, hair, clothing, distinguishing marks, and direction of travel, and should record exact times and locations.

Reports must distinguish what the guard personally observed from what was reported by others, and should identify the source of any secondhand information.

Emergency response priorities are generally: ensure personal safety, call 911 or the appropriate emergency service, provide first aid or CPR within training, secure the scene, and preserve evidence.

Guards should not move injured persons unless there is immediate danger, should not disturb a crime scene, and should note the names of witnesses and the identity of responding officers.

Incident reports should be completed as soon as practicable after the event while memory is fresh; reports are discoverable and may be used in court, so accuracy and honesty are essential.

A guard should document all use of force, injuries, property damage, and any refusal of medical care, and should retain notes and drafts consistent with agency policy.

Notification chains should be followed: supervisor, client representative, and law enforcement as appropriate; the report should record who was notified and when.