MI Security Guard flashcards
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- Michigan security guard license
- A state-issued credential from LARA required to work for hire as a private security guard in Michigan; it does not confer police powers.
- Private Security Business and Security Alarm Act
- Michigan Public Act 330 of 1968, as amended, the statute governing licensing and regulation of security guard agencies and guards.
- LARA
- The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, the agency that administers security guard licensing, investigations, and discipline.
- Employment requirement
- A licensed guard may perform security duties only while employed by or contracted with a licensed security guard agency, not as an independent operator.
- License carry requirement
- A guard must carry state-issued license or identification while on duty and present it to law enforcement or LARA investigators upon request.
- Grounds for discipline
- Falsifying an application, working without a license, or a disqualifying conviction can lead to denial, suspension, or revocation by LARA.
- Scope of guard authority
- A guard's authority comes from the property owner's rights and the contract, not from police powers; it is limited to the premises.
- Citizen's arrest authority
- Michigan law permits a private person to arrest for a felony committed in their presence, or when reasonable grounds exist that a felony occurred and the person is fleeing.
- Prompt delivery to police
- After a citizen's arrest, the guard must deliver the arrestee to law enforcement without unnecessary delay and document the transfer.
- Reasonable non-deadly force
- Force proportional to the threat, used to defend against imminent unlawful force, prevent a forcible felony, or effect a lawful arrest.
- Deadly force limit
- Justified only to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, or a forcible felony involving imminent danger of such harm.
- Prohibited force uses
- Force may not be used to collect debts, enforce civil contracts, recover property, or retaliate; such use is unlawful.
- No impersonating police
- Guards may not display police insignia, use police titles, or claim law enforcement authority; doing so is a crime and licensing violation.
- Search exceptions
- Valid consent, a warrant, or a recognized legal exception is required before searching a person, bag, locker, or vehicle.
- Consent search rules
- Consent must be voluntary and given by a person with authority; it may be withdrawn at any time, and the search must then stop.
- Pat-down limits
- A frisk is limited to patting outer clothing for weapons when the guard reasonably believes the person is armed and dangerous.
- Detention limits
- An investigative detention requires reasonable suspicion, must be brief, and must end when the legal basis for the stop ends.
- Objective reasonableness
- Use-of-force standard weighing severity of the crime, immediate threat, and resistance or flight under the totality of circumstances.
- De-escalation duty
- Force must be reduced or stopped as soon as the threat ends; continued force on a controlled subject is excessive.
- Restraint justification
- Handcuffs and restraints are a use of force and require justification such as preventing harm, escape, or evidence destruction.
- Report elements
- A report records who, what, when, where, why, and how, using objective facts, direct quotes, and specific times.
- Report format rules
- Reports are written chronologically in the first person, in ink or secured electronic form, with no blanks, erasures, or unauthorized alterations.
- Person description
- Observations should note height, weight, build, hair, clothing, distinguishing marks, and direction of travel with exact times.
- Firsthand versus hearsay
- Reports must separate what the guard personally observed from information supplied by others, identifying the source of secondhand information.
- Emergency response priorities
- Ensure personal safety, call 911, provide first aid within training, secure the scene, and preserve evidence.
- Scene preservation
- Guards should not move injured persons unless there is immediate danger and should not disturb a crime scene or evidence.
- Report discoverability
- Security reports may be used in court and are subject to disclosure, so accuracy, honesty, and completeness are essential.
- Use-of-force documentation
- Every use of force, injury, property damage, and refusal of medical care must be documented in the incident report.
- Notification chain
- The report should record who was notified, including supervisor, client representative, and law enforcement, along with the time.
- Witness documentation
- Guards should record names and contact information of witnesses and the identity of responding officers for later follow-up.
- Timely report writing
- Incident reports should be completed as soon as practicable while memory is fresh, with notes retained per agency policy.
- Correction procedure
- Errors in a report are corrected with a single line-through, initials, and date rather than erasure or rewriting the document.