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FIREARMS
Although it is generally not recommended that firearms be carried, it is felt that in some situations, security shift supervisors should have access to a four-six inch quality brand revolver (or an automatic of the quality of a Glock or Sig) for emergency situations involving possible loss of life.
If this appears warranted, the firearm should be owned by and provided by the contract service at no charge to the client company. It should be kept unloaded and locked in a secure drawer or cabinet accessible only by the shift supervisors. A log book should be maintained and each shift supervisor should sign the book as having received the revolver at the start of the shift. The log book should also show each time the gun is cleaned. The firearm should not be regularly worn by the shift supervisor. It would be for life threatening emergency situations only.
If a firearm is placed on the post, the shift supervisors who would be able to access it must be fully trained in the use of the firearm and the legalities surrounding the possession and use of same. These shift supervisors should be adequately trained prior to being assigned to the post and such training should include both fully documented formal classroom training and range training.
Documentation of annual or semiannual qualifying should also be required.
There are a variety of alleged standards relating to hand guns, many are based on community standards, police standards, military standards or standards created by legislators. Others have been created by theorists with little real world knowledge and are often either excessive or deficient. However, I feel in most cases the client should become informed enough to make decisions concerning the training requirements in venues where training is not regulated or requirements seem superficial. The client may want to take into account community standards, the exposure and many other factors. Discussing this subject with a competent attorney, makes good sense in predicting what level of training might be accepted as reasonable by a jury in the event a negative incident occurs.
It is recommended that these shift supervisors obtain weapons carrying permits where available (even if not required by law for carrying a weapon on private property). Often the boards which issue these permits go to great lengths to insure the qualifications of the applicants. When applicable, the permit should allow for both uniform and plainclothes carrying.
Under no circumstances should a security officer ever be armed while working in a retail facility. The reasons for this should be obvious, but are as follows:
Because of the presence of shoppers, there would never be a situation where the officer could discharge the weapon without the probability of shooting an innocent, uninvolved customer. Additionally, in the event of an attempted robbery, just the fact an officer is armed puts his or her life at risk and increases risk for shoppers. It should also be noted that most security-related litigation stems from situations involving an armed officer in a retail environment.
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