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Writing post orders: a checklist
Every officer on your post starts the shift by reading the orders. Use this checklist to draft yours or to check the set written for your site, line by line.
Printable checklist
What a good set of orders does
A post order answers the questions an officer would otherwise have to call you about at midnight. Which door locks at 7? Who gets let in after hours? What happens when a driver shows up with no paperwork? Who hears about a broken window tonight, and who reads about it tomorrow?
When those answers live on paper, every officer who takes the post works it the same way, whether it’s their first night on your site or their fortieth. The orders also give you something concrete to check the shift logs against.
We draft orders with you after the walkthrough, as part of security guard services. Use the list below to think your site through beforehand, or to read our draft with a critical eye. The printable version works well as a markup sheet.
The post: where and when
Start with the basics. Vague locations and loose hours are where posts drift.
- Station pinned down: the lobby desk, the booth by the truck gate, the dock office
- Hours for each shift, including how weekends and holidays differ
- Officer parking, a break spot and a place to keep gear
- Keys, radios and badges assigned to the post, and how each is signed for
- A site map attached, marking the post, the doors and the round route
Duties by shift, and the rounds
A day post and an overnight post on the same property do different work. Write each shift’s duties on its own list so nothing gets assumed.
- Day, swing and overnight duties listed separately
- Doors and gates to lock or open, each with a time
- Round route with named checkpoints, and how many rounds per shift
- Start times varied so the rounds don’t settle into a pattern
- What each round looks at: doors, gates, lights, docks, the lot
- Standing tasks, such as opening the gate at shift change or escorting staff to their cars on request
Be specific about checkpoints. “Walk the building” leaves too much to chance. “Check the east stairwell door, the dock roll-ups and the far row of the lot” gives a round a shape you can verify later.
Who gets in, and how
Access rules cause more calls to a property manager than anything else on a post. Settle them in writing.
- People allowed in after hours without a phone call, by name or role
- How visitors sign in and whom the officer calls up to
- Driver and delivery check-in at the gate or dock, and what paperwork to see
- Badge or ID required for staff and vendors
- Steps for someone who isn’t on the list
- Deliveries taken or turned away after hours
On a lab or tech campus, add badge exceptions: the researcher who forgot a badge, the courier with a time-sensitive package, the early crew from a vendor. Each one gets a line so the officer isn’t making it up at the door.
Logs, reports and what goes in them
- What each log entry records: time, place, what was found
- When an incident report gets written, and that photos go with it
- Who receives the emailed shift report
- Maintenance items to note: lights out, doors that stick, leaks
- Where lost items and found property go
Every round our officers walk is time-stamped, and each shift closes with a report by email. The orders decide who reads it. Pick one person to own the report so the action items at the top don’t sit unread.
Emergency contacts and escalation
Escalation is a ladder, not a single phone number. Write it so the officer knows which rung to start on.
- An ordered call list with a backup for each contact, and current numbers
- Situations that go straight to 911
- Who takes the call for a fire alarm, a water leak or a power failure
- Locations of the alarm panel, fire panel and utility shutoffs
- Which events wake the property manager and which wait for the morning report
The handoff between shifts
Most gaps on a post show up at shift change. A short, written handoff closes them.
- Outgoing officer briefs the incoming one on anything still open
- Keys, radios and logbook counted and signed over
- Open items written down: a door that won’t lock, a car parked overnight
- The post stays covered until relief is in place
Treat the orders as a living document. Update them when tenants move in or out, when hours change, when a code changes and after any incident. Supervisors run quality inspections on live posts, checking the logs against the orders, so an outdated line gets caught. For short-term coverage, temporary security guards get a briefing built from the same checklist.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Who writes the post orders for our site?
Our team writes the first draft alongside you once the free walkthrough is done, shaped by what the walk turned up. You read the draft, ask for changes, and the final version is in place before the first shift.
Can one set of orders cover several posts?
No. A lobby desk and a dock gate run on different rules, so each post gets its own set. Shared pieces such as the call list repeat across them.
How often should post orders be updated?
Any time a tenant moves, operating hours shift, a gate code is reset or someone on the call list leaves. A review after every incident keeps them honest.
What happens when the officer faces a situation the orders never mention?
The officer works the escalation list, reaching your contact first or emergency services when the situation demands it, and writes it up with photos. That event usually becomes a new line in the orders.
Do armed posts need different post orders?
Yes. An armed post gets its own orders, written for that post’s duties and escalation steps. Our armed security guards page covers when that kind of post makes sense.
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