Lesson 4 of 7 · 3 min read

Patrols, post orders and staying alert

Know your post, move with a purpose, and notice the details that matter later.

Read your post orders first

Post orders are the written instructions for your assignment: hours, duties, patrol routes, who may enter, what to do in common situations, and who to call. Read them before your first shift, ask about anything unclear, and check for updates. If something isn't covered, call your supervisor.

Patrolling

• Vary your timing and route. A predictable patrol is easy to avoid.
• Check, don't just walk. Doors and locks, lights, fire exits, alarms, fences, parked vehicles, slip and trip hazards.
• Use the tools. Many companies use electronic checkpoints (scan tags) to record patrols. Scan honestly; the record is only useful if it's true.
• Greet people. A simple, friendly hello is good customer service, and it lets people know they've been noticed. CISA calls this the "Power of Hello."

Describe people and vehicles

Details fade fast. Work in a set order so you don't miss anything:

• People: top to bottom. Hat and hair, face and glasses, upper clothing, lower clothing, shoes, then height, build, anything they carried and the direction they went. Describe what you see, not guesses about who they are.
• Vehicles: color, make, model, body type, plate (state and number), damage or stickers, direction of travel.

Radio and phone

• Think before you key the radio. Keep it short and plain: who you are, where you are, what's happening, what you need.
• Give your location first in an emergency.
• Never say anything on the radio you wouldn't want played back later.

Shift change

Use the pass-down log (or whatever your site uses) to tell the next officer about open issues: a broken door, a person who was asked to leave, an alarm that keeps going off.