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The traditional image of a security guard is often one of a person with a simple flashlight and a walkie-talkie. While those tools are still in use, the modern security officer is now equipped with a powerful array of advanced technological tools that have completely transformed the way they protect a property. These modern tools make a security officer more efficient, more accountable, and far more effective at their job. This integration of technology allows a single officer to be a more powerful security asset, providing clients with a higher level of protection and a much deeper insight into the security of their property.
The Digital Command Center: The Smartphone or Tablet
The single most important tool for a modern security guard is their smartphone or a dedicated tablet. This device acts as their mobile command center and runs a suite of specialized software.
- Digital Reporting Software: Gone are the days of the handwritten, often illegible, paper logbook. Modern officers use specialized software to create detailed, real-time digital reports. When an officer logs an incident, they can instantly include time-stamped photos and videos taken with their device’s camera. These digital reports provide a much more accurate, transparent, and useful record of all security activity on your property.
- Guard Tour Systems: Many of these software platforms include a “guard tour” system. This uses NFC tags or QR codes that are placed at various checkpoints around your property. As the officer patrols, they must scan each checkpoint with their device. This provides you, the client, with a verifiable, GPS-stamped record that proves the officer is actively patrolling your entire property as required.
Security Guards use Enhanced Communication and Situational Awareness
- Advanced Two-Way Radios and Push-to-Talk Apps: Modern digital radios and push-to-talk applications on their smartphones allow for clear, instant communication between the on-site officers, their field supervisors, and the 24/7 dispatch command center.
- Body Cameras: The use of body-worn cameras is becoming increasingly common in the private security industry. A body camera provides an unbiased, video and audio record of any interaction or incident. This is a powerful tool for accountability, for training purposes, and for providing crucial evidence in the event of a legal dispute. As resources from organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other public policy groups discuss, this technology has a major impact on accountability.
The Integration with On-Site Technology
A modern officer is also trained to be the human interface for your property’s built-in technology.
- CCTV Monitoring: They can monitor the feeds from your property’s CCTV camera system, allowing them to have eyes on multiple parts of your property at once.
- Access Control Systems: They are often responsible for managing your building’s electronic access control system, issuing or deactivating credentials and monitoring access logs.
As security industry publications often highlight, the modern security guard is now a “hybrid” professional who must be skilled in both traditional security practices and the use of these advanced technologies.
Triumph Protection:Your Experts in Plain Clothes Security (Armed & Unarmed)
Whether they are in a highly visible uniform or in discreet plain clothes, a modern security guard is a technologically empowered professional. The team at Triumph Protection is committed to equipping our officers with the modern tools they need to provide the most effective security. We are your experts in plain clothes security, armed & unarmed. Contact us today to learn more about our advanced security solutions.