Security Reporting

What you need to know about security reporting

Security Reporting

Observe and report. These are the two main duties for all security guards. For an owner or manager, security reporting is vital to their ability to handle situations as they arise and ultimately will decide the true value security can add to their property.

Types of Security Reports

A manager should expect many different types of written security reporting. All of which should be very detailed with the necessary information so the manager can take proper action. Here are a few you should know about…

-Daily Activity Reports

-Incident Reports

-Maintenance Reports

Daily Activity Reports (DAR)

The first and most important type of security reporting is the Daily Activity Report, commonly referred to as an officer’s DAR. This report is a firsthand account of the activities your guard performed while on duty as a Security Officer. Without a proper detailed report, you might as well not even have your security show up. This report will encompass all of the information of a security officer’s patrol including: basic patrol details, maintenance issues, parking violations, resident contacts, lock-up and unlock services, and anything else the officer is responsible for performing. From this report, management can decide to reference other reports for greater detail if the situation calls for more information.

A manager should never settle for a report that reads, “All clear” or “All Quiet.” A report like this is useless, and quite frankly may be a sign the officer has become lazy, complacent, or too comfortable. All security reporting should also be easily legible with proper spelling and grammar. No manager should have to struggle to understand what a report is saying. Every report should include: date, time, specific location, activity preformed, all observations, actions taken by the officer, and the result of those actions taken.

***The quality of an officer’s report should be constantly monitored by the security company’s management to ensure an ongoing high level of service.***

Incident Reports

Incident Reports are a detailed, narrative account of specific notable occurrences on your property. They will only be written if something out of the ordinary occurs. They are most commonly associated with criminal activity, but should not be limited to only these scenarios. They will resemble a standard police report that can be used in legal disputes. These reports could easily span multiple pages and should include the who, what, when, where, why and how of the incident.

***Incident reports are documentation that could be used in court. The quality and details of the report make it more credible and more valuable in winning a case.***

Maintenance Reports

Maintenance Reports, sometimes referred to as “Lights Out Reports,” are key in keeping the operations of your property safe and secure. All too often, maintenance reports will not be written as separate reports from the DAR. This is unacceptable and is very common with subpar, discount security companies. Maintenance reports are most valuable type of security reporting for your maintenance manager to be able to complete repair in a timely manner. In addition to the written maintenance report, they should include picture documentation. It is also a plus to have the capabilities to reference the location via a GPS pin drop online. All of these features ensure quick action can be taken by management without confusion, which results in timely repairs and happy residents.

Record Retention

It is important that your security company has the ability to maintain all security reporting for at least two years, if not more. Especially the daily activity reports (DAR). These reports are vital for evaluating your current security needs and for identifying repetitive problems on site to assist you in legal disputes such as evictions. These reports are critical in defending premises liability lawsuits since they are proof of providing adequate security. Even reports showing no activity should be stored to show that the property has been reasonably safe.

At Bravo Three, every client report will be stored in our online database for a minimum of two years. This also solves the problem of having to keep paper reports in your office filing cabinet, taking up needed space. The majority of the time we will retain security reports in excess of three years or more. All reports are easily accessible for recall categorized by both date and type of report. We can and have helped our clients build a case against unruly residents by creating a third party paper trail that management can use as a reliable reference in legal disputes. All of our security reporting is structured from a manager’s point of view. After all, the managers are the ones that will be reading and using the reports to better their property for their residents.

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All in all, security reporting should be taken very seriously and is one of the only tangible elements of a security service. For this reason, Bravo Three takes pride in every report written by our officers and provides adequate security reporting training that sets each officer up for success at your property.