Guard OperationsAction checklist

Security Guard Post Orders Creation, Approval and Revision Checklist

Security guard post orders are controlled, site-specific instructions for carrying out an approved assignment. Effective orders connect the contract and risk assessment to routine duties, limits of authority, emergency support, communications, reporting, equipment, handoffs and escalation. They should be written jointly by authorized provider and client representatives, reviewed for safety and legal concerns, version-controlled and acknowledged by assigned guards. This checklist does not provide ready-to-use tactics or replace Arizona training, the service agreement, employer policies or the client's emergency action plan. Keep access codes, response details, patrol patterns and vulnerabilities out of public versions and available only to personnel with a need to know.

20 checks5 sectionsSources checked July 19, 2026
Why it matters

Use a system view, not a single-control view

A guard cannot reliably follow instructions that are vague, conflicting, outdated or scattered across emails. Controlled orders create a common operating reference for guards, supervisors and the client.

Arizona law states that a security guard does not have the authority of a commissioned peace officer and performs duties as a private citizen. Post orders must reflect that boundary and route detention, force, firearms, searches and medical issues to approved training, policy and legal review rather than public instructions.

Before you begin

How to use this checklist

  1. Start with the executed scope, a current site assessment and the client's emergency and safety plans.
  2. Have the provider and client draft duties and escalation together, involving qualified safety, HR, privacy, legal or technical reviewers where the assignment requires them.
  3. Test each instruction with a qualified guard: the action, trigger, limit, record and contact path should be understandable without guessing.
  4. Approve, issue and acknowledge one controlled version, then revise it after material site, scope, incident or plan changes.
Interactive checklist

Mark each task from current evidence

Use Not applicable only when the item genuinely does not apply, and follow the site’s approved escalation process for any urgent condition.

Section 1 of 5

Document control and scope

Make the orders authoritative, traceable and limited to the approved assignment.

01The orders identify the site, post, effective date, version, document owner and approving roles. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Use role titles where possible and maintain the controlled copy in the approved system.

02Duties align with the current contract, service schedule and client-retained responsibilities. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Reconcile conflicts explicitly rather than using the orders to add unpaid or unauthorized scope.

03Site and post boundaries are clear without exposing sensitive layouts in unnecessary copies.

Evidence to look for: Define assigned areas and exclusions in the controlled document; distribute only to people with an operational need.

04References to policies, forms and contact rosters point to current controlled sources.

Evidence to look for: Avoid duplicating volatile details when a maintained attachment or system reference is safer.

Section 2 of 5

Authority, conduct and safety

Define what the guard may do, must not improvise and must escalate.

05The orders state that Arizona security guards are not peace officers and act within lawful private-citizen authority. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Use language approved by the provider's qualifying party and counsel; avoid implying police powers.

06Instructions are consistent with required training, assignment qualifications and employer policy. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Do not use post orders to teach or expand detention, force, weapon, search or medical procedures.

07Known job hazards and prohibited tasks are identified with safe limits. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Address site conditions such as traffic, heat, lone work or restricted technical areas through the employer's safety process.

08Professional conduct, impartial treatment, privacy and confidentiality expectations are clear.

Evidence to look for: Include behavior-based reporting, respectful communication and restrictions on sharing client, personnel or incident information.

Section 3 of 5

Routine duties and exceptions

Write observable tasks and the safe next step when the expected condition is absent.

09Opening, fixed-post, patrol, access, closing and handoff duties are separated by role and period as applicable.

Evidence to look for: Each task should state the required outcome and record without publishing predictable patrol timing broadly.

10Access-control instructions identify the approved authorization source and exception path. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Describe whom to contact and what record to make without including credentials in uncontrolled copies.

11Equipment issue, testing, defect reporting and return responsibilities are defined. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Include communications and other assignment equipment; weapons require separate controlled policy and certified training.

12Common exceptions state a safe action, notification and documentation requirement.

Evidence to look for: Examples include a failed door, system outage, lost credential or incomplete relief, not tactical confrontation scenarios.

Section 4 of 5

Emergencies, communications and reports

Connect the post to the employer's plan and qualified emergency responders.

13The guard's role is consistent with the client's current emergency action plan. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Address alarm recognition, notification, evacuation or shelter support, accountability and boundaries; the employer owns its plan.

14Immediate-threat instructions begin with personal safety, 911 and the approved site plan. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Orders should not direct untrained tactical intervention and should account for communications failure.

15Routine, urgent and emergency communication paths are distinguished and maintained privately. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Identify roles, backups and acknowledgment expectations; keep personal numbers and escalation sequences in controlled rosters.

16Daily, incident, maintenance and other required reports have clear triggers and recipients.

Evidence to look for: Specify the approved system, required timing, review responsibility and cross-reference method.

Section 5 of 5

Approval, training and revision

Keep the orders current and prove that affected personnel received the change.

17Provider and client approvers completed operational review before issue. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Add subject-matter review for fire/life safety, HR, privacy, accessibility, technology or legal content as needed.

18Assigned guards receive orientation, can ask questions and acknowledge the current version. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Acknowledgment confirms receipt and briefing, not competence in a skill that requires separate training.

19Supervisors observe whether the instructions are workable and consistently understood.

Evidence to look for: Use documented coaching and raise conflicts, missing resources or unsafe assumptions through change control.

20A revision process covers scope, facility, technology, contact, incident and emergency-plan changes. Priority review item

Evidence to look for: Record reason, author, approval, effective date, affected pages, superseded version and acknowledgments.

Current result

Complete the checklist to see a summary

Results are informational and do not certify compliance or eliminate risk.

Common mistakes

What can weaken the review

  • Copying another site's post orders and changing only the property name.
  • Using post orders to expand contract scope or teach high-risk tactics.
  • Listing personal contact information, codes and sensitive routes in broadly distributed copies.
  • Combining an instruction, exception and escalation in one vague sentence.
  • Making verbal changes without approval, version control and guard acknowledgment.
  • Treating signed receipt as proof that a guard understands a complex or trained task.
Practical questions

Frequently asked questions

What should security guard post orders include?

Include document control, scope, duties, authority limits, hazards, access rules, equipment, communications, emergency role, reporting, handoff, escalation and revision procedures. The exact content must be site-specific.

Who writes security post orders?

Authorized security-provider and client representatives should develop them together. Depending on the content, qualified safety, emergency-management, HR, privacy, technical or legal reviewers may be necessary.

How often should post orders be updated?

Review them on a defined schedule and whenever the scope, site, equipment, contacts, emergency plan, risk picture or a significant incident changes. There is no single interval suitable for every post.

Can post orders give a security guard police authority?

No. Arizona law says security guards do not possess the authority of commissioned police or peace officers and perform duties as private citizens. Orders must stay within law, training and approved employer policy.

Should post orders be published online?

A general framework may be public, but operational versions often contain sensitive information. Restrict access codes, patrol patterns, vulnerabilities, personal contacts and detailed response information to authorized users.

Sources and evidence baseline

These references support the general planning baseline. Site-specific decisions still require the responsible organization and appropriate qualified professionals.

  1. A.R.S. § 32-2634: Authority; LimitationsArizona State Legislature

    Arizona security guards' private-citizen authority limitation.

  2. A.R.S. § 32-2632: Training and RecordsArizona State Legislature

    Agency training and employee-record responsibilities.

  3. Emergency Action Plan ChecklistOccupational Safety and Health Administration

    Emergency roles, communications, contacts and plan coordination.

  4. Security Assessment at First EntryCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

    Connecting observed site conditions to security practices and mitigation options.

Source links checked: July 19, 2026

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