All newly selected SecurAmerica security officers are required to attend, at a minimum, SecurAmerica’s two-day orientation and basic security officer skills development course. This program is designed to provide our security officers with a well-rounded foundation of the technical and communicative skills required to succeed as service-oriented security professionals. Curriculum is based on the latest asset protection source material available. The program is taught by a SecurAmerica-accredited training instructor and extensively uses scenarios and class participation to gauge understanding of subject and concept.

While other security providers rely on e-learning and videos as a primary method of instruction, SecurAmerica believes that instructor-led training, particularly in a pre-assignment setting, is essential in delivering the maximum learning experience for participants. Officers are required to complete a minimum of 16 hours of pre-employment training. This method of instruction also plays a critical role in assessing the communication skills, attitude, reliability and overall demeanor of the new officer and, as such, serves as a final element of our selection process.

At the completion of the course, a certification examination is administered. All attendees must achieve a passing score of 80% prior to being deployed at a customer site.

SecurAmerica’s Security Officer Skills Development Course includes the following modules:

• Welcome to SecurAmerica – An overview of our company’s history, mission, values, guiding principles and future growth plans.
• Client Overview – A presentation of the culture, values and key expectations associated with the client to which the officer will be assigned. Included in this module will be a discussion of providing security in a hi-tech, customer-focused culture with an emphasis on trade secret protection and proprietary information protection.
• The Private Security Industry - A brief overview of the history of the security industry and the role and duties of a private security officer.
• Security Professionalism – An outline of the standards that an officer will be expected to meet as a SecurAmerica security professional with an emphasis on ethics, honesty and integrity.
• Legal Authority – Participants are given a detailed review of their authority and limitations as a private security officer within the state they will be assigned. Specific topics of discussion include general legal authority, citizen’s arrest, search and seizure, use of force and liability avoidance.
• Customer Service – This section discusses the essential elements of meeting a customer’s needs while exceeding their expectations.
• Bloodborne Pathogens – A discussion of bloodborne pathogens and the precautions required to avoid exposure.
• Effective Report Writing – An intensive module focused on helping an officer understand the key requirements in preparing, writing and submitting clear, accurate, concise, legible and professionally written reports, logs and other documents.
• Communications – The principles of verbal, non-verbal, written and symbolic communications, including common barriers to effective communications.
• Emergency Procedures – A general discussion of the typical emergency situations an officer may face at a client site and general guidelines on how to successfully respond to them (i.e., bomb threats, searches, fires, demonstrations, hazmat response).
• Workplace Violence – This course defines workplace violence and educates participants on how to effectively deal with a situation at a client site.
• Maintaining a Harassment-Free Workplace – SecurAmerica’s employment practices, policies and procedures are introduced. Participants are provided with behavioral guidelines to maintain a harassment-free work environment. Specific emphasis is placed on sexual harassment and drug/alcohol usage and abuse.
• Risk Avoidance – SecurAmerica’s risk management program is discussed with specific emphasis on an officer’s expected accountability to remain injury-free. Topics include safe work practices, liability avoidance, vehicle safety and client safety policy.

In addition to the above offerings, all SecurAmerica officers assigned to drive a patrol or other vehicle will attend the National Safety Council’s on-line defensive driving program. In this way, SecurAmerica can help reduce the liability for both our company and client stemming from an at-fault motor vehicle accident. SecurAmerica’s pre-assignment training program will be supplemented and augmented to meet or exceed local and state security officer licensure statutory requirements and mandated training standards.