What Does a Facility Security Officer Do?

The duties of a facility security officer can range from controlling access to the facility to making routine security checks of certain critical areas of the property. The facility security officer usually has contact to a central command center via a radio or telephone. In the event of a security breach, the facility security officer is commonly required to contact a supervisor prior to taking any action. In many cases, the local authorities are also contacted upon a breach of any security measure.

There are several types of facility security officers, including armed, unarmed and mobile. In many facilities, the security officers are required to perform routine and random checks of the area on an hourly basis. Another type of facility security officer may be required to reside in an office and watch monitors directed at different areas of the facility. In either case, one of the duties of the typical security officer is to maintain a shift log. In addition to listing routine duties and checks, the log also should contain any out-of-the-ordinary incidents, including a description of the incident, the time it occurred and the officer's reaction to the incident.

In some facilities, the security officer is responsible for signing in visitors, workers and other people who are entering the facility. Checking the proper identification, assigning an access badge and documenting the visitor's destination are included in the shift log. Phone calls and deliveries are also left for the security officer to log, document and deliver in some facilities. Parking passes are another area that a facility security officer is commonly assigned to oversee.

Walking patrols of the facility grounds are performed by most officers on a routine basis throughout a shift. This is done to eliminate the opportunity for a potential intruder to time the officer's habits and devise a plan to gain unauthorized entrance into the property. Some facilities are so large that a dedicated officer is assigned to patrol the many buildings and gates by automobile, golf cart or bicycle in an effort to save not only time, but some of the wear on the security officer as well. In the event of an actual emergency, the facility security officer is commonly required to check in with a supervisor and inform the individual of the occurrence prior to taking any action to correct the occurrence. After an incident, the facility security officer is often required to make out a report detailing the entire event, the reaction to it and the ultimate outcome.