Supervision and Training of Security Guards

The supervision of security guards is the most important and most difficult challenge of a security company. Most security guards in Los Angeles are not trained properly and due to the diversity in Los Angeles many security officers lack essential communication skills. For a good security company the first task after hiring a new guard will be to evaluate the skill and trainings level of the new employee. After identifying strengths and weaknesses the officer must be retrained in many aspects of the security job. In most cases officers will not only bring a lack of training, but also bad habits with them that they picked up while working with their previous company. After evaluating the skill level a comprehensive classroom, on the job training and mentoring program has to be devised for the new hire. The training should not end with the completion of the program. After the new associate is assigned to his post a supervisor should review post orders and expected behaviors with the officer repeatedly. From my experience as a security consultant in Los Angeles I have found that the biggest mistake one can make training and supervising security officers is assuming that training them once is sufficient or that telling them something once is enough. Additionally, it is a big mistake to assume that they possess certain elementary skills. Many security officers are extremely talented, well trained and educated, but there are also a lot of officers that are very talented in certain areas and lack skills in others. Wrongly assuming that a new employee in regards to their work experience should possess certain skills or taking it for granted will almost always backfire. In my years as a security consultant in Los Angeles I have encountered many guards that have been working in the security industry for decades, but they were not able to write simple reports or they were not able to follow simple written post orders. The worst situations arise when a crisis or an emergency occurs and the security officer is not able to handle it, because he was not prepared properly. In those cases supervisors and security company managers often become frustrated with the security officer. In my opinion it is not the guard’s fault. A security company that has been in business in Los Angeles for a long time should have realized the shortcomings in the training of many officers and should have reacted accordingly. In general it should be elementary to give a potential new hire candidate a test that includes writing reports, reading post orders and paraphrasing them, In addition every security officer assigned to a new post should be trained and the field supervisor should review the post orders and customer expectations with the officer. Also the field supervisor should consistently communicate with the guard on each visit and offer coaching. A security company depends on the skill level of their security guards in order to provide excellent customer service. The skill level of the security officers will to a high degree depend on the training and effort the security company is willing to invest in.