Chapter 42: Public Relations

No matter what the security offi cer’s primary

duties and responsibilities are, and no

matter who the security offi cer’s primary

constituency is, which of the following people

groups have a legitimate interest in how those

duties and responsibilities are carried out?

• The local public law enforcement

  department

• The general public

• The licensing board that licenses security

  officers

• All of the above

There is more to department of the security

offi cer than looking professional, and

performing in a reasonable and necessary

manner. The security offi cer must have all the

following characteristics but one. Which one

of the following is not mentioned in the text?

• The security officer must appear to have

  real concern for others

• The security officer must also keep the

  patrol vehicle clean to make a good

  impression

• The security officer must speak with

  pleasant and polite voice inflection

• The security officer must show respect

  for anyone he or she comes in contact

  with

To accomplish the goal of projecting a

positive image, the security department

must fi rst have a quality program in place.

Once this is done, the Ten Rules of Public

Relations in Private Security can be applied.

Which of the following is not one of these

rules?

• The Security Officer must select the

  persons he or she will serve

• The Security Officer must be attentive to

  the other person’s needs

• The Security Officer must believe that

  image is a valuable asset

• The Security Officer must have a “ Can-Do ”

  attitude

In addition, the Ten Rules of Public Relations

in Private Security instruct the security

offi cers in the following ways. Which one of

the following rules is incorrect?

• When you see someone looking around

  like they are lost, approach them and ask if

  you can help them

• Realize that public relations is not about

  being right all the time; the customer is

  sometimes wrong. However, being right or

  wrong is not what is important. Service is.

• When the person you are serving only wants

  to be argumentative, you must cut them off

  cold and take over the conversation

• When approached by someone for help,

  say “ yes ” even before they tell you

  what they want. You work in the “ Yes ”

  department. YOU have a “ Go-to attitude. ”

There are many actions that a security

supervisor can take to motivate their

subordinates to do a better job at public

relations. Which of the following is not one of

those actions?

• Brief each security officer on current events

  within the work site daily

• Give each officer extended smoke breaks as

  a reward for a job well done

• Conduct a personal inspection of each

  officer before the shift starts

• Assure that security officers are not

  “ shafted ” out of vacations and days off

In addition to daily refresher training,

supervisors should make certain that the

security offi cers in his or her command adopt

favorable work behaviors. Of the following

work behaviors, which is not included in the

text?

• The security offi cer should be schooled in

  money management so they will be able

  to live very comfortably on the wages they

  receive from being a guard

• The security offi cer should be encouraged

  to belong to professional organizations that

  serve safety and security practitioners

• The security officer should wear the

  picture ID in a conspicuous location on the

  front of the uniform

• The security officer should be instructed

  to watch his or her breath, excluding garlic

  or onions before work to prevent offensive

  smelling breath when talking to those

  being served on the job

Handling customer complaints is not always

fun. In some cases, the security offi cer

may wind up acting like a referee. Of the

following, which is a good recommendation

for how to handle complaints?

• Treat all complainants with respect, and

  never allow yourself to be dragged into an

  argument

• Allow the complainant an opportunity to

  save face. Do not embarrass them in front

  of others

• Give the complainant credit for their

  contribution, with a compliment like, “ You

  have a good point there. I can see how

  others have made this same mistake. ”

• All of the above

Security departments are service

departments. The personnel in security

departments can be found doing all kinds of

jobs to help their companies. Of the following

activities that security officers might be asked to do, which is not likely a task they will

follow?

• Lining up catering services for the CEO’s

  annual vice presidents ’ meeting and golf

  outing

• Administering of a central operator/voicemail

  system

• Employee transport within the confines of

  the facility

• Training new recruits and providing

  orientations for new hires

By performing a risk analysis, the security

department is placing itself in a security

consulting relationship with the company.

Risk analysis can also help with loss control

efforts. Which of the following is not a

setting where a risk analysis would be very

helpful?

• New construction/renovation

• Executive/employee homes

• Work site offices

• None of the above

Whenever a facility has a critical fi re, explosion,

or other cataclysmic event, the media is sure to

be there. When they arrive, they will attempt to

interview the fi rst person they see so they can

get the story on the evening news. Many times,

that person is the security offi cer. Which of the

following is a good idea of how the security

officer should respond?

• Be very, very polite and direct the media

  to the designated media liaison person

• If media presses you for a statement,

  contact your supervisor, and let the

  supervisor deal with the media in that case

• Just put your hand over the camera lens

  and say: “ No comment; you have to

  leave now. ”

• Never, never, never, under any

  circumstances, give an interview.