Private security officers walk a fine line between being a civilian and being an enforcer of rules and laws.

Sometimes, that line is crossed in part because the security officer is trying to do a good job, stopping someone from violating a property rule or breaking a law.

In most states, security officers have the same authority as any other person to detain an individual who has committed a violation of the law and in other states, private security officers are given special police authority to make arrests. They, like any civilian or law enforcement officer, have the legal right to defend themselves against attacks or perceived threats.

The work of a security officer is not easy and often misunderstood.

Security officers do good work, save lives, and protect people and property and are frequently the victims of assaults and they are frequently viciously attacked and in 2020, 327 died on duty. Security officer on duty deaths is often the result of assaults and homicides.

Most of the time security officers work alone and must defend themselves against attackers who are armed, and this can sometimes lead them to be arrested for going too far.

Even with the best training, an individual being attacked, fearing for his life or being in a situation where they are alone and defenseless, will go into a survival mode and use whatever means necessary to escape harm or death.

It is not unusual for a private security officer to find themselves on the wrong side of the law and 2020 was no different.

Although the pandemic slowed down the economy, closed businesses and in some cases reduced the need for the use of private security, 433 security officers were arrested and a number face profoundly serious charges including assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, and murder.

Of those 2020 arrests, at least 17 face murder charges, 2 were charged with kidnapping after unlawfully restraining a person and dozens of other security officers faced felony charges of identity theft, burglary, rape, and fraud.

61 security officers faced charges for unlawful firearm possession, expired security licenses, and not complying with other state regulatory laws.

Dozens more were charged with misdemeanors ranging from disorderly conduct, shoplifting, theft, to vehicle tampering, all while on duty.

A Florida security officer was charged with 87 counts of theft from a school after he pawned computers that had been stolen from his employer.

On the same day, a security officer in Hartford Connecticut was charged with sexual assault that occurred at his place of employment.

A Louisiana and a Tennessee security officer both were arrested for watching child pornography while at work and a security officer in Texas faced similar charges in August.

A Utah security officer was arrested on felony assault charges after beating and using a Taser against an unarmed man who called the guard names.

In Harvey Illinois, a transit security officer was arrested after he punched a man in the face in front of police officers. The man had been involved in an earlier disturbance but posed no threat to anyone at the time of the attack.

Between 2016 and 2021 the number of on-duty arrested security officers rose by 61.7 percent and certain factors directly correlate to those arrests including the higher use of private security, more armed security personnel, and a reduction of training requirements by some state regulatory agencies.

Additionally, the use of lethal force by private security officers also has risen substantially in the past nine years especially in the areas of nightclubs, bars, gentlemen clubs, electronic gaming establishments, apartment complexes, and mobile patrol services.

While training and supervision are components of what can be done to correct the problem, ultimately it comes down to the employee’s own ethical and moral compass. Even with strict screening and background guidelines, it will always be the individual employee who will either do the right thing or not.

Private Officer International records daily statistical data using more than 3500 news sources, dozens of law enforcement and public databases as well as proprietary databases and catalogs and analyzes thousands of incidents involving private security annually.

About The Author:

Rick McCann is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Private Officer International and seasoned law enforcement and security professional with more than four decades of experience. Mr. McCann is certified in more than three dozen disciplines and is an Expert Witness in the area of Use of Force, Law Enforcement, and Private Security Training and in areas of Best Practices for Public Safety.

About Private Officer International:

Founded in 2002 as a national security association, the group quickly expanded to become a global law enforcement and private security organization in 2004 with members now around the world. The organization employs a full-time news department, a benevolent unit to assist injured officers, and an educational arm of the organization among many other services that it provides to its members as well as to both the private security and law enforcement community.