NJ Security Guard cheat sheet

Authority flows from the client or property owner through post orders; a New Jersey security officer holds only the legal powers of a private citizen, not police powers.

Core function is observe, deter, and report - the officer does not investigate, adjudicate, or punish; findings are referred to the client, human resources, or police.

SORA (Security Officer Registration Act, N.J.S.A. 45:19A-1 et seq.) registration must be current, and the registration card must be carried and produced on request while on duty.

Neglect of duty includes sleeping on post, abandoning the post, unauthorized absence, and impairment by alcohol or drugs; each is grounds for removal and possible charges.

Accepting cash, gifts, or favors from vendors, contractors, or persons under the officer's authority creates a conflict of interest and is prohibited.

Never state or imply you are a police officer; uniforms, badges, titles, and vehicles must not mimic law enforcement.

Confidentiality: client procedures, staffing, access codes, incident details, and personal data are released only to the client or law enforcement with a need to know.

Negligence requires duty, breach, causation, and damages; post orders and log entries are the primary evidence of whether the duty was performed.

New Jersey citizen's arrest: a private person may arrest without a warrant for an offense committed in the officer's presence, or where there are reasonable grounds to believe a felony was committed; deliver the person to police without unnecessary delay.

Use only the force reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful purpose; force ends when resistance ends.

Deadly force under N.J.S.A. 2C:3-4 and 2C:3-7 is limited to preventing imminent death or serious bodily harm; it is never justified solely to protect property.

Defiant trespass, N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3: a person who refuses to leave after notice (posted sign or verbal order) may be arrested; document the exact notice given.

Searches require consent or a lawful basis; a search incident to a citizen's arrest is limited to weapons and areas within the person's immediate reach.

Miranda warnings bind government agents; a private officer need not give them unless acting at police direction, but any statements should be recorded verbatim.

Carrying a handgun in New Jersey requires a Permit to Carry (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4) plus SORA armed status for security work; hollow-point ammunition is restricted by N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3(f).

Unlawful detention can create liability for false imprisonment, assault, and battery; the officer's protection is a documented, lawful basis for the stop.

Report facts, not conclusions: 'slurred speech, unsteady gait, odor of alcohol' rather than 'intoxicated'; 'removed merchandise without paying' rather than 'shoplifter'.

Answer who, what, when, where, why, and how; include full names, dates of birth, badge or employee numbers, and the disposition of the incident.

Write in first person, past tense, in chronological order, using plain language and short paragraphs.

Record time on a 24-hour clock and identify the source (post clock, CCTV, radio log); note arrival and departure times for every responder.

Quote exact statements inside quotation marks and attribute them; paraphrase never substitutes for a direct admission.

Correct errors with a single line, initials, date, and time; no erasures, no correction fluid, no rewritten pages after submission.

Describe persons head-to-toe with permanent features before clothing; describe vehicles by plate, make, model, color, and damage.

Submit reports before end of shift; later discoveries go into a supplemental report, never an edit to the original.

If it is not written down, it did not happen - contemporaneous notes support the report and any later testimony.

Priority order at every emergency: life safety first, then incident stabilization and property, then environmental protection.

Fire: RACE - Remove people in danger, Alert and pull the alarm, Contain by closing doors, then Extinguish only a small fire or Evacuate.

Extinguisher: PASS - Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side, keeping an exit behind you.

Call 911 as soon as a threat to life exists; give address, cross street, nature of the emergency, and number of victims, and stay on the line.

Never re-enter a burning or unsafe structure; evacuate to the designated assembly point and report missing persons to the fire department.

Preserve the scene: secure it, do not touch or move evidence, log everyone who enters, and hold it until police release it.

Medical: do not move an injured person unless there is immediate danger; obtain consent when conscious, rely on implied consent when unconscious, and document care given.

Bomb threat: do not use radios or cell phones near a suspected device, do not touch it, evacuate the area, and call 911.

Active shooter: Run if escape is safe, Hide and barricade if it is not, Fight only as a last resort; do not hunt the attacker.

Access control principle: verify identity, confirm authorization, and grant the minimum access needed for the shortest time.

Challenge every unbadged or unfamiliar person: identify yourself, state the requirement, request identification, verify with the host or system, then admit or deny.

Tailgating and piggybacking defeat badge readers; enforce one person per entry and watch for propped doors and held doors.

Visitor management: log name, identification, host, purpose, time in, and time out; issue a visible visitor badge and escort where required.

Key and credential control: sign out, account for, and immediately report lost, stolen, or unreturned keys, badges, and access cards.

Do not disclose security procedures, staffing levels, camera locations, or access codes in response to questioning; that questioning is elicitation.

Terrorism indicators include surveillance, elicitation, testing of security, acquiring supplies, dry runs, impersonation, and deployment of assets.

Observe and report; do not confront - record description, vehicle, direction of travel, and time; call 911 for imminent threat or the NJ ROIC tip line, 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ (1-866-472-3365).