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What your security post orders should cover.
Every guard post runs on a set of written instructions. Check yours against this list: the post, the hours, rounds, visitors, logs, emergencies and the change of shift.
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Printable checklist
What post orders are for
Post orders are the playbook for one post at one property. They take everything learned on the walkthrough and turn it into instructions an officer can follow at two in the morning without phoning anyone for guidance. Which door stays watched, how often the lot gets walked, what happens when a driver shows up early: it all belongs in writing.
Clear orders mean the post runs the same way on a Tuesday night as on a holiday weekend. Vague ones leave decisions to whoever happens to be on shift, and that is where gaps start.
We write post orders after a free walkthrough of your property, and they are part of the written quote you receive. Use the checklist below to review ours, or to tighten up a set you already have. A printable copy is a plain download at the bottom of the page.
The post: where it is and when it runs
Start with the basics. If an officer new to your site couldn’t find the post or tell when the shift ends, the rest of the orders won’t help.
- The exact post location, such as the main gate, the lobby desk or the dock office
- Start and end times for every shift, with weekend and holiday hours spelled out
- Whether the post is armed or unarmed
- The ground the post is responsible for: buildings, lots, yards and fence lines
- What the officer is issued: keys, gate codes, a radio or a site phone
- Where the officer parks and which entrance they use to arrive
Every officer on your post holds a BSIS guard card, and armed officers also hold an exposed-firearm permit. The orders then handle everything specific to your property.
Duties for each shift
A day post and a night post at the same building do different jobs. Orders that lump them together leave the overnight officer guessing about what matters after the last car leaves.
- Daytime: greeting visitors, signing in vendors and drivers, keeping an eye on the lobby
- Closing: watching for stragglers and confirming doors lock behind the last staff member
- Overnight: rounds, gate watch, dock doors and the trailer row
- Opening: the unlock order, who arrives first and what to check before staff come in
- Seasonal or one-off tasks, such as extra gate traffic during harvest or a vacant suite
Rounds, access and visitors
This is the part officers lean on most. Spell out the route, what each stop checks, and who gets through the door after hours.
- The route for each round, with every checkpoint named
- How often rounds run, and whether the timing should change from night to night
- What to check at each stop: locks, lights, fence, gates and alarm panels
- Who may enter after hours, and what ID they show
- How the visitor log works and where it lives
- Delivery rules: which door, which hours and who signs for the load
- What to do on finding a door open or a gate unlatched
Logs and reports
Orders should say what gets written down and when. How to read those records afterward is a separate topic, covered in our guide on what your security reports should tell you.
- Every round logged with its time
- What counts as an incident and needs its own report
- Photos taken of anything damaged, open or out of place
- Who receives the morning shift report by email
- Who is told right away instead of waiting for the morning report
Emergency contacts and escalation
When something goes wrong at night, the officer shouldn’t have to decide who to wake up. The orders make that decision ahead of time.
- A call list in order, with day and night numbers for each person
- Which events go straight to 911 before anyone else is called
- Which events go to the property contact first
- The alarm company’s phone number and the panel location
- Where the fire alarm panel, sprinkler riser and utility shutoffs are
- What the officer does while waiting for police or fire to arrive
If your fire alarm or sprinklers go out of service, add fire watch instructions to the orders until the system is back.
The handoff between shifts
Shift change is where small things slip. A gate found open at 4 a.m. is easy to forget by 7 if nobody passes it on. Good orders make the handover a set routine rather than a quick wave in the parking lot.
- Outgoing and incoming officers meet in person at the post
- Open items passed along: anything found, reported or still waiting on a call back
- Keys, the radio and any issued gear checked and handed across
- The log closed out by the outgoing officer
Review the orders whenever something on the property changes: a new tenant, new gate codes, different hours or a recent incident. With month-to-month terms, the post can be adjusted as quickly as the property changes. Request a quote to set up a walkthrough.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Who writes the post orders?
We draft them after the free walkthrough, using what you tell us about the property, and they come with the written quote for you to review before the first shift.
When is it time to revise our post orders?
Any time the property changes: new hours, new codes, a new tenant or a recent incident. A short review every few months catches the rest.
What is the difference between post orders and a shift report?
Post orders say what the officer should do. The shift report records what the officer actually did, so comparing the two shows whether the post ran as planned.
Can we change the orders after service starts?
Yes. Terms are month to month, and duties, hours or rounds can be updated whenever your needs shift.
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