Security guards working at apartments and for home owners associations have to be versatile, have impeccable communication and customer service skills. A security officer at an apartment building has an incredibly difficult job, because he must enforce the rules of the property owner, but at the same time he must be courteous and keep the tenants happy. At home owner associations and apartment buildings the security officer often is not only responsible for a huge property, hundreds of apartments, but he has to also close and open many facilities like the laundry rooms, pool area, community room and other parts of the property.
A security guard at an apartment building must be extremely vigilant, because some areas are dangerous and known for burglaries and drug sale. In those areas the security officer should always be armed, because just in the last couple years several security officers in the Los Angeles area were killed by drug dealers connected to gangs and by perpetrators in the process of a crime. A security consultant should always provide a security consultation and make recommendations if a security officer should be armed or unarmed. In a case the security company believes the security officer should be armed and the client refuses the security company should refuse the contract. If they accept the contract although they know the security officer will need to be armed they are putting the security officer in harm’s way.
A security guard at an apartment building must be able to multi-task, because in addition to his patrol duties and his responsibility to close and open facilities he will have to respond to calls from tenants. The calls can range from simple noise complaints to domestic violence and more serious crimes. The security officer must understand when to call for backup and when to simply stay out of the situation and to call the police. The guard must be versatile, because he will be dealing with different kinds of people while enforcing the property rules and providing excellent customer service to tenants.
The officer must be able to write excellent reports, because property managers rely on their security company to keep the informed about incidents and everything else that might happen during the time they work. Only efficient report writing and communication will enable property managers to do their job correctly. A lot of things happen throughout a shift. A car might have to be towed, people might be breaking the rules and the police might be called. If the property manager is not correctly informed they will not know how to deal with the situation the next day. It is the responsibility of the supervisor and the security company to train their guards in writing efficient reports, but also to continually stress that all information about what happens at the property must be recorded and forwarded to the property manager.
I have been a security consultant for many years and it still amazes me when we take over new properties how unorganized most security companies are and how much their guards lack simple, but essential skills. When property managers work with our guards and supervisors their life is much easier. When they come to the property in the morning they know that they will be well informed and when they leave in the evening they possess the sense of security that their property and their tenants are in good hands.
Charles Willis is a security consultant for a security company in Los Angeles frequently training and coaching Los Angeles Security Guards and Dallas Fort Worth Security Guards. He has provided security consultations to numerous Fortune 500 companies and smaller businesses. He is recognized as one of the specialists in the security consultation field.