How to Write a Security Officer Daily Action Report

Write your Daily Action Report accurately.

As a security officer, your observations show your client what you are doing during your shift and protect your client should an incident occur. For these reasons, your Daily Action Report (DAR) must be accurate and detailed. The DAR is also referred to as the Shift Report or the Patrol Log.

Things You'll Need

• Daily Action Report sheet
• Field notebook
• Watch
• Black ink pen
• Flashlight

Instructions

1. Write legibly in printing, not in cursive. Your client needs to be able to read your handwriting, and if there is an incident on your shift your log may be used as evidence in a police report or in court.

2. Include your name and the date of your shift. Also include the start and end times of your shift.

3. Take notes in your field notebook while you do your rounds. Do not use your memory to complete your DAR. Note the time regularly. Make note of the weather. Write down detailed descriptions of people. Your client does not want to see "All quiet" written in your report every two hours. Even if everything is quiet, make note of what is going on. Details like weather, the time and who was in the area can be important should an incident occur.

4. Avoid shorthand. Avoid any types of abbreviations not commonly known outside of the security business, as someone else may need to refer to your notes later.

5. Make note of everything you do on your rounds. This includes making note of any potential fire hazards, any insecure areas and any areas that are not well-lit. Part of your job is to protect your client from liability cases, so make sure to make note of anything that could cause someone harm.

6. Be detailed, objective and specific when writing your report. Use the notes you made in your field notebook. Write down your observations, not your opinions. Keep your notes brief. Bear in mind that the person reading your report is looking for informative detail, not overly descriptive or opinionated passages that go on for pages.

7. Sign and date your report.

Tips & Warnings

• If you make a mistake, make a single line through the error, and initial it.

• You may want to write out your report on practice paper first, and then read it through before you write your report. Make sure your report makes sense to you as you read it, and that you can determine what actually happened.

• No one reading your reports should be able to determine any real pattern in how you do your rounds.

• If an incident does occur, make sure you make detailed notes about who was involved, what happened and when it happened. Also make note of where the incident happened and why or how it happened. If the people involved left the scene, add notes about the direction or directions they or the cars they were in went.

• Avoid scratching mistakes out completely in both your field notebook and your DAR.

References

• Guard Training Online: Incident Reports
• Condor Security: The Importance of Reports
• Security Officer Training HQ; Great Example of an "A" Rated Security Officer Report; July 2011
• Security Officer Training HQ; Good Example of a Bad Security Officer Report; January 2011