NJ Security Guard flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

SORA registration card

In New Jersey, the credential issued under the Security Officer Registration Act by the State Police; a registered officer must carry it while on duty and produce it on request.

Source of officer authority

A security officer's authority comes from the property owner or client through post orders; legally the officer holds only the powers of a private citizen, never police powers.

Neglect of duty

Failing to perform assigned post responsibilities, such as sleeping on post, abandoning the assignment, or being impaired by alcohol or drugs while on duty.

Gratuity prohibition

Security officers may not accept gifts, money, or favors from vendors, contractors, or persons they deal with on duty, because it creates a conflict of interest and undermines impartiality.

Post orders

Written, site-specific instructions from the client or employer that define a security officer's duties, patrol routes, access rules, and emergency procedures for that assignment.

Negligence elements

A civil claim requires four elements: a duty of care owed, a breach of that duty, actual and proximate causation, and measurable damages suffered by the injured party.

Confidentiality duty

Security officers must not release client information, incident details, employee data, or security procedures without authorization, except to the client or law enforcement as required.

Citizen's arrest in New Jersey

A private person may arrest without a warrant someone who committed an offense in the officer's presence, or who the officer reasonably believes committed a felony, then must deliver that person to police without unnecessary delay.

Deadly force standard

Under New Jersey law deadly force is justified only to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury to the officer or another person, and never solely to protect property.

Defiant trespass

A New Jersey offense under N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3 committed when a person enters or remains on private property after receiving notice, such as a posted sign or verbal order, that entry is forbidden.

Miranda and private security

Miranda warnings are required only of government agents; a private security officer not acting at police direction generally has no duty to give them, though statements should be reported to police.

Permit to Carry a Handgun

New Jersey requires a court-issued permit under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4 before a person may carry a handgun; an armed security officer must also satisfy SORA armed requirements.

False imprisonment

Intentionally confining a person without lawful authority or consent; a security officer who detains someone without an arrest basis may face both criminal and civil liability.

Search by security officer

A private security officer generally may search only with the person's voluntary consent or as a limited weapons search incident to a lawful citizen's arrest; otherwise the search may be unlawful.

Fact versus opinion

Facts are directly observed or verified details such as what was seen, heard, or done; opinions are conclusions like 'he was drunk' and must be replaced with the specific behaviors observed.

Chronological narrative

A report written in the order events occurred, in first person and past tense, moving from start to finish without skipping around, so a reader can follow exactly what happened.

Correcting report errors

Errors are fixed with a single line through the wrong text so it stays readable, then initials, date, and time are added; erasures, white-out, and rewritten pages are prohibited.

Head-to-toe description

Describing a person from the top down, recording permanent features first such as race, sex, age, height, build, eyes, and marks, and clothing last because it can be changed.

Objective report language

Writing that states observable behavior instead of labels, such as 'hands shaking, speech slurred, smelled of alcohol' rather than 'appeared intoxicated', so readers can judge the evidence themselves.

24-hour clock

Time recorded from 0000 to 2359 hours to avoid confusion between a.m. and p.m.; 3:15 in the afternoon is written 1515 hours and midnight is written 0000.

Supplemental report

A separate follow-up report used to add facts discovered after the original report was submitted; the original is never altered or rewritten once filed.

RACE fire response

A fire acronym: Remove anyone in danger, Alert others and pull the alarm, Contain the fire by closing doors, then Extinguish only a small fire or Evacuate the building.

PASS extinguisher use

Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep from side to side while keeping yourself between the fire and an exit.

Life safety priority

In any emergency the order of protection is people first, then property, then the environment; no property is worth an officer's or occupant's injury.

Scene preservation

After an incident, secure the area, avoid touching evidence, restrict and log everyone who enters, and hold the scene until police or investigators release it.

AED use

An automated external defibrillator analyzes heart rhythm and delivers a shock for certain cardiac arrests; turn it on, follow the voice prompts, and continue CPR until help arrives.

Active shooter response

Run if you can safely escape, hide and barricade if you cannot, and fight with improvised weapons only as a last resort; the goal is survival, not confronting the attacker.

Tailgating

Following an authorized person through a controlled door without presenting credentials; officers prevent it with one person per badge entry, door control, and polite challenges to unbadged persons.

Visitor log

A record of each non-employee's name, identification, host, purpose, time in, and time out, kept at the access point so occupants can be accounted for during an evacuation.

Elicitation

A social-engineering technique in which someone subtly questions employees to gather information about security procedures, staffing, or building layout; officers disclose nothing and report the attempt.

NJ ROIC tip line

New Jersey's Regional Operations Intelligence Center accepts suspicious-activity reports at 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ, which is 1-866-472-3365; call 911 first if a threat is imminent.

Challenge procedure

Politely identify yourself, state the access requirement, request identification or a badge, verify it, then admit or deny the person, documenting any refusal and notifying a supervisor.