For many companies, the use of professional security officers who protect a corporate campus is a key piece of the physical security puzzle.
These individuals can secure a building or sensitive assets if there is a breach, monitor points of entry and exits, and offer a human presence on hand to fill in the blind spots inherent in any security technology.
That being said, the use of these security teams can bring about very human — sometimes dangerous — errors.
A tragic case
Oregon Public Broadcasting reports on a 2021 case in which a Portland security officer was convicted of murder in the second degree with a firearm, among other serious charges.
That security officer shot the victim, a response the property owner deemed “self defense” — the victim acted in a way that suggested he was going to run over the security officer with his car.
This tragic episode underscores not only the challenges that security officers can face in their jobs, but also some of the unexpected risks a company takes on in employing a physical security officer staff.
Avoiding excessive force
In a recent SecurityInfowatch.com article, Jeff Dingle, a senior consultant with Security Advisory Group, writes about this incident and why it’s important that companies emphasize proper protocols to avoid these tragedies.
“From a business standpoint, knowledge of the use of force guidelines [from the U.S. Department of Justice] is critical. An ‘excessive’ use of force lawsuit can be expensive,” he writes. “Force can range from verbal or nonverbal techniques to lethal force. Security organizations typically consider the least forceful technique to be simply an officer presence and lethal force as the last resort.”
These distinctions between what kind of force to use and when to use it can open companies up to being sucked into an ethical and legal quagmire.
Dingle reports that many security officers receive minimal firearms training compared to police officers. Oftentimes, a security officer will have a firearm and few other — less lethal — options at their disposal.
Putting training at the forefront
What is clear is that training has to be placed center stage.
“Training yourself and others on your team on proper Use of Force can help to clarify what actions are appropriate and may reduce liability in case of an incident. There is a great deal of information and training on the topic of Use of Force for the police, but very little available for security officers and private investigators,” Dingle adds.
For companies looking to train their physical security officers properly, affordable online trainings through the National Investigative Training Academy exist.
Strong ethics, sound judgment, a mastery of defensive technologies and tools — all of this has to be hammered home and made foolproof to ensure tragedy doesn’t strike and the physical security of one’s company is maintained.
Peter Cavicchia II 