Can security guards detain or arrest someone in Arizona?

Direct answer

The short answer

An Arizona security guard does not receive police arrest powers merely by being licensed or employed as a guard. State law expressly says guards are not peace officers and perform their duties as private citizens. Arizona does recognize a limited private-person arrest authority, but it applies only under specific statutory circumstances and should not be treated as routine security practice.

What to know

Under A.R.S. §13-3884, a private person may make an arrest when a misdemeanor amounting to a breach of the peace or a felony is committed in that person’s presence, or when a felony has in fact been committed and the private person has reasonable grounds to believe the individual committed it. Applying that statute incorrectly can create safety, civil-liability, and criminal-law consequences. The facts, level of force, duration, communication, transfer to police, and other circumstances all matter.

For most assignments, the safer operational emphasis is observation, de-escalation, accurate descriptions, preservation of evidence, prompt notification to police and the client, and compliance with written post orders. A guard may also ask a person to leave private property when authorized by the owner, but escalating a refusal is not automatically the same as having police powers. This is general information, not legal advice. Arrow and each client should have Arizona counsel approve any detention, private-person arrest, search, or use-of-force policy.

Sources and further reading

  1. Arizona Legislaturewww.azleg.gov
  2. Arizona Legislaturewww.azleg.gov
  3. Arizona Legislaturewww.azleg.gov