COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS for Security Personnel

Security personnel Training Objective(s):

Upon completion, the student will be able to:
Identify standard procedures as they apply to the following communication mediums, where
appropriate.
 Telephone etiquette
 Radio operating procedures and protocols 
Use of public address system
 Communications center 
Computer networks
Identify the purpose of sensitivity and interpersonal communications awareness training,
including but not limited to the following.
 Culturally diverse groups
 Religious orientation e. Sexual orientation 
Physically challenged f. Gender
 Elderly
Identify procedures on the use and dissemination of information as it relates to the public and
the media.

Communication: The exchange of information from one person to another person.

 The idea or message to be conveyed.
 The person and method transmitting the message. 
The person accepting or receiving the message.

Three components of the communication process: Sender, Receiver, Feedback.

Sender
The person delivering the message.
Communication Skills: Formulate ideas into a clear message; Organize ideas sensibly; and
Deliver messages understandably.
A formula for effective communication:
 Tell them that you have something to tell them. 
Tell them what you have to tell them.
 Tell them what you told them.
Receiver
The person to whom the message is being delivered.
To be effectively communicated, every message must be received and comprehended
accurately. There’s sometimes a difference between the message sent and what the receiver
believes the message to be. This is ineffective communication, and can be avoided by
effective use of feedback.

Feedback
Affirmation from the receiver that the message was received and understood properly. Any
response from a receiver is positive, even if the message was not understood or is objected to,
since it provides a basis for additional information or clarification.

THREE METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

Verbal (Oral) Communication: Messages delivered and received by talking and
listening.
Non-verbal communication: Actions other than talking which communicate
information.
Eye contact: Is the person looking at you?
Body language: Is the person’s posture “open” or “closed”
Physiological changes: Is the person perspiring? Is their voice raised? Do they cover their
mouth with their hand when then talk?
Do not confuse discomfort with apprehension.
Written Communication-Report writing, other internal memoranda, post orders, security
Guard manuals, incident log books, etc.

OBSTACLES TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Attitude
Communication is most effective when done calmly, with neutral language, and in a
controlled way. Alternative methods risk adverse responses and failure to understand the
message because emotionalism gets in the way. It also undermines the authority of a security
Guard.

Prejudice
Prejudices, conscious or unconscious, hinder communication and effective security. Security
Guards must be aware of their own prejudices to minimize them adversely influencing the
performance of their duties.

20
Knowledge of Duties
Failure to know current duties, post orders, company policies, rules and regulations, and
applicable laws prevents a security Guard from making informed and proper decisions, or
giving simple, effective directions.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Proper attitude; Understanding of duties and environment; Sensitivity and compassion;
Listening skills; Interpreting the message.
In many industries, the initial contact person for the public is a security Guard. This contact
will affect the person’s perception of the business. A good impression enhances the value of
the employer’s property, which a security Guard is hired to protect and enhance.
Security Guards are often a high profile position, dealing with the public, staff and visitors on
a continuing basis. There is a high expectation of good interpersonal and communication
skills for security Guards.

TELEPHONE AND RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

Rapid, efficient, and effective communications are vital to the security function. Quality job
performance, and sometimes the lives and safety of individuals, depends on effective
communications. Every security department will require some form of input to receive
information, and outputs to relay the data for proper disposition. Electronic communications
are done by computer, telephone and radio.

COMMUNICATIONS CENTER(S)
All work areas within the center should be kept free of unnecessary paper, cigarettes, coats,
and debris.
 Ash trays should be emptied regularly, as should waste baskets. 
There should be provision for hanging up garments.
 Background noise should be kept to a minimum.
 No commercial radio or television should be monitored unless emergency or other
needs so dictate.
 No music to be broadcast over department frequencies.
 Avoid the use of profanity or loud language near microphones or telephones.
 No unauthorized reading materials such as books or newspapers should be carried into
the dispatch area.

Demeanor
Personnel should at all times display professional conduct and attitudes toward the
department, fellow Guards and the public. One of the most common complaints about
security operations is that its personnel are not courteous on the telephone. Confidentiality of
communications must always be protected.

Telephone Call Processing

The telephone operator is responsible for initially speaking with the public on most incoming
department communications.
The telephone operator is expected to ascertain the status of the call (emergency, non -
emergency, administrative, etc.). Ascertain the purpose of the call (whether the call is for
assistance, information or other purposes). If the call is for assistance, the operator must note
all pertinent information, and then advise the Guards in the field to respond. In many
operations, the operator must log all incoming and outgoing telephone calls.
The operator should concentrate on the following procedures when answering the
telephones.
Have paper and pencil near the telephone.
Answer the call promptly.
Often calls require quick action on the part of the communications office.
“Treat every call as an emergency.”
Identify yourself by a) department, b) rank, name or operator number.
Speak slowly and distinctly so the caller can understand you.
Remember that callers may be under severe emotional strain caused by pain,fear,panic,
anxiety or injury.
Patience is important.
Speak directly and distinctly into the phone.
Speak at a normal level, not too loud or soft.
Do not speak in a monotone as it may be equated with a lack of interest.
Operators should always be courteous and tactful
Remember the department is judged in part by how you answer the phone.
Take command
Maintain control over the call courteously, but firmly.
Do not let the caller ramble on.
Obtain and record all data from the caller which seems even remotely relevant.
Caller’s name, where calling from, address and telephone number.
If it is necessary to put the caller on hold, explain the reason.
If delays are anticipated in units responding to the call, the complainant should be so
advised.
Also, callers should be told if it is necessary that they be transferred to another office.
Conclude calls politely, after all needed information is obtained.

Personal Use of Telephones

Security personnel should restrict their use of departmental lines to official business only. A
phone line should be designated for personal use when necessary.

Long Distance Telephone Calls

Long distance calls by personnel on departmental phones should be logged for proper record
keeping. Procedures should be adopted on the types of situations in which long distance calls
can be authorized.
Telephone Security Procedures
Definite procedures should be established relating to requests for assistance from the
telephone company business or security offices. All questionable or suspicious
communications occurrences should be reported to supervisory personnel promptly.
Equipment malfunctions
Telephone line disorders
Transmission difficulties
Interference on radio channels
Unidentified radio traffic
Threats into the communications center

Food and Beverages

Food and beverages should not be allowed in any operating area within the communications
or records centers.
 Policies regarding coffee, food, and lavatory breaks should be specified. 
Lounge and canteen facilities should be provided.
 Breaks should be staggered, so that consoles or phones are not left unattended.

Equipment Maintenance and Repairs

Only authorized personnel should attempt to or effect any type of technical repair to or
modification of equipment, absent exigent circumstances. Definite procedures should be
established for contacting radio maintenance, computer, or alarm repair people on a 24-hour
basis.

Forms
Except for all but the smallest of operations, good information form design is a necessity to
guarantee ease and speed in processing. Forms are used to note information received over the
telephone and by radio, so that the dispatcher may intelligently take action and to record
communications activities.

Priority of Calls
Calls fall into one of three general categories: Emergency, Non-emergency and “Gray
area.”
When a call comes in, even on an emergency line, it is not known whether the call is, in fact,
for emergency assistance. Therefore, until otherwise determined, all calls should be treated as
emergencies. Once the operator talks with the caller, he/she must determine what priority to
assign.
High priority calls will involve emergencies and in-progress activity which poses a direct and
immediate threat to life and property.
Often supervisors can be used to determine the priority of a call and the appropriate
response.
 Cars may be dispatched on several levels of priority, depending upon how critical the
dispatcher feels response time to be. A high priority call will require immediate
dispatching of field units.
 The dispatcher must know the status of all the units in his area.
 If units are out of service on a call, the dispatcher should know if the Guards can be
taken off the call and put on another.
 Definite procedures should be established regarding such occurrences.
A list of calls in descending order or priority is set forth below:
 Emergency (medical, accident, criminal) 
Crime in-progress
 Accident, personal injury, property damage 
Wanted person
 Missing person
 Routine criminal reports 
Attempt to locate
 Cancellations of events
 Routine administrative or other traffic

Follow-up Checks
On certain designated types of calls, the dispatcher should routinely check on the status of
Guards to insure their safety.
Ten minutes may be considered a reasonable period before checking on units, in most cases.
Cover (back up) units should be dispatched as a matter of course when no response is
received after a certain period.

RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
Logging
The company requires all radio traffic to be logged. Logs must indicate the date, station call,
and signature of operator from sign-on to sign-off, all transmission, and station
identification. Logs should be changed at 24 hour intervals.
 Recording equipment must be constantly maintained to insure proper performance. 
Responsibility must be assigned for changing and storing tapes.
 Equipment must be secured against any tampering, theft, and alteration.
 All radio channels should be recorded on one tape, together with a time track. 
All calls dispatched should be followed by the time.
 Each channel should be identified every half hour.

Vehicle Assignments
Dispatchers should be familiar with different classes and types vehicles, and the calls
appropriate to each.
 Motorcycle
 Solo automobile
 Two person automobile 
Bicycle patrol
 Special vehicles
Calls should generally be assigned to the appropriate district car or unit. The dispatcher is
usually responsible for determining who gets a call. If the proper district car is not in service,
and the call is of a priority nature, usually the next closest district will be sent.
 Before issuing an assignment, the unit chosen should be called and response obtained. 
If there is detailed information to copy, the unit should be alerted and then called back
when it is prepared to copy.
 This will prevent waste of air time from having to repeat missed information.

Air Codes
Some departments use “air codes” to identify particular activities. The use of air codes can:
 Reduce the time needed to communicate format messages.
 Require and promote universally (within departments) understood single meanings to
certain codes.
 Promote brevity in messages.
Increase message reliability, especially in situations where messages must be repeated or
relayed between originator and final recipient.
 Messages are easily recognized, comprehended, and understood. 
Greater communication can occur using less air time.
 Inflection does not change meaning of messages.
 There is increased assurance that the message will be understood in poor signal
coverage areas.

A typical series of air codes is called the “ten code” system.

When spelling messages on the radio (or telephone), it is sometimes useful to use “code
words” to reduce the chance of the recipient misunderstanding a letter. Typical code words
might be the following:
A-Adam B-Bravo C-Charles D-David E-Edward F-Frank
G-George H-Henry I-Ida J-John K-King L-Lincoln
M-Mary N-Nora O-Ocean P-Paul Q-Queen R-Robert
S-Sam T-Tom U-Union V-Victor W-William X-X-ray
Y-Young Z-Zebra
ORGANIZATION AT CONSOLE
Proper work organization allows for efficient and expeditious handling of field units for
field assignment. The following, when practical, can help avoid confusion and pitfalls:
 Before taking over the radio, question the operator you are about to relieve as to
conditions in the field.
 Check the daily bulletin before making relief.
 You may have occasion to make reference to it, or may alert a field unit he who is
involved with a suspect listed in the daily bulletin.
 Organize the work areas so that it suits your ability to work comfortably and
efficiently.
 Check status board against patrol, traffic, and special squads.
 Identify which units are two-person cars.
 Note any changes in detail, such as switching units in districts, changes in pool car
numbers after detail is received, etc.
 Arrange your waiting assignments in order of beats, time received, and/or priority of
assignments.
 Keep work areas clean. Remove any superfluous, non-relevant matter.

Status of Units
To deploy personnel effectively, dispatchers must be constantly alert to the status of
units under their control. The dispatcher must stay advised about:
 Whether units are in service or out of service
 What units are available for which types of call?
 What units are available for back up or cover
 What units are subject to call for priority needs?
 The status of units responding to calls
 Rechecking units periodically
 What types of units are in the field (bicycles, automobiles, etc?)
 Which units are “on break,” and when used by different departments there will be a
different method for keeping track of units.

 Log sheets
 Status boards
 Automatic vehicle location
 Etc.

Command Notification
Dispatch personnel should be clearly apprised of the situations which require
command notification. Staff should also know the proper command Guard to contact,
how, and where. Typically, command should be notified immediately of the following
occurrences:
 Guard in trouble
 Fire
 Major crime in progress
 Situations requiring concerted action cutting across district boundaries
 Communication center overload
 Equipment malfunction
 Interference on communications channels or links
 Serious personal injury accident
 Any death, shooting, stabbing
 Any major disturbance
 Severe weather warning
 Guard involved in motor vehicle or other type of accident

DISPATCH PROCEDURE
Acknowledging Calls
Dispatchers and field personnel should acknowledge all calls quickly. Even when
the dispatcher is handling more than one radio channel or there is a great deal of
telephone traffic, the calling party should at least be given a standby.
If the dispatcher does not come back on the air within 30 seconds, the call should
be repeated. If the call is urgent, then the field unit should so preface the transmission
(e.g., “car 104, urgent”). Field Guards should acknowledge both receipt of the initial
call, and receipt of the dispatched information.
For example, the unit should acknowledge receipt of the initial call: (Dispatch):
“Car 104”. (Car): “201, go ahead.”
After the call is given to the unit, the unit should respond with “clear” or whatever sign
off language is prescribed by the department. In no event should the unit signify
receipt by clicking the microphone. Field units failing to respond after three calls
should be put on a special cue, to be called again. In addition, if no explanation from the
unit is obtained, or the unit cannot be contacted, command should be notified.

Attend to Duty
Dispatchers must cover the console at all times. Communications consoles should never
be left unattended. A field Guard may only get one brief chance to call for help. If a
dispatcher must temporarily leave the position, s/he should so notify the units relying on
the dispatcher for communications, or preferably, have another dispatcher handle the calls
temporarily.

Calling Unresponsive Units

When attempting to contact a field unit which does not immediately respond, a
dispatcher should call the unit two or three times.
 If no response is received, check the assignment cards to determine if the unit has
been given a call to handle.
 If not, the last time the radio had contact with the unit should be ascertained.
 If the Guard was last assigned to a hazardous call, it may be prudent to send cover or
backup.
 In the alternative, the dispatcher may wait a period of time and recall the unit.
 If a response is still not received, notify command and send backup.

Channels
Radio signals travel on channels (or frequencies). To communicate, both the sender
and receiver must be tuned to the same channel. Radio transmissions are typically
“one way” only. You cannot usually talk and hear at the same time. Dispatchers must
know which units are using which channels.
 Further, the dispatcher should be advised when a field unit is switching to another
frequency.
 If, for any reason, cars must be switched to another channel (i.e. for stuck mike,
or equipment breakdown) the instruction to switch over should be aired several
times, unless field units have been previously been appraised of the fact.

Channel Status
The dispatcher must be constantly aware of the status of channels available for use.
 Is the channel clear, or in use? Is the base station of the channel operational?
 Is any interference being received?
 Is the channel being used for special operations during the shift?
 Will any special codes be employed?

Courtesy and Demeanor

A dispatcher must not only be concerned with what information is communicated to
field personnel, but how the information is conveyed.
 The person behind the microphone must remain neutral, impartial and unemotional
 The dispatcher is the voice of security, and should so act.
 There is no place for comedy, personal conflict, or reprimanding over radio channels.
 Dispatchers should speak in third person, avoiding the use of “I.”
 Familiarity over the air is not recommended, thus the use of car numbers and rank is
preferable to first names.
 Dispatchers must never act like prima donnas; they are not indispensable.
 Patience must be practiced.
 Thought before speech must be the rule.
 The dispatcher must act and sound authoritative and
confident.  Their voice must convey their alertness and
readiness to serve.  Courtesy to fellow dispatchers and field
units is essential.
Words such as “thank you,” “please,” “you are welcome,” etc., are polite phrases,
but their use is unnecessary and may take up valuable air time.

Late Night Check-Ins

In many departments, after midnight, units and foot patrols are required to check in every
half hour by identification and location.
This practice serves three major functions: security of the Guard, administration
and command control, and provides a psychological boost to field personnel.
This last reason is very important, for a Guard may be patrolling a very quiet area, and
hence, not come into contact with anyone for long periods of time. If the radio is also
quiet, s/he can become very bored, lonely, and fatigued. Occasional radio traffic partially
fills the void.

Messages and Formats

Message transmission formats must be outlined and followed by all, to insure
uniformity, accuracy, and efficiency in processing.
When dispatchers are trained to use the same format and obtain the same information for
each class of call, they will tend to perform more effectively under stress. When
formulating usage broadcasts relevant questions which should be asked include:
 Will the message be clear to the recipient?
 Has all data been included which was given or requested?
 Has the proper format been observed?
 Can this message be acted upon from the information given?
If messages are to be relayed, relay exactly as given, while conforming to
departmental procedures.

Pursuits
The moment a unit comes on the air with a pursuit call, all other traffic should be
cleared from the channel.
 The unit’s location, direction of travel, and speed should be ascertained.
 A description of the fleeing vehicle, license number, number of occupants, should be
aired.
 Dispatch should ascertain and broadcast what the vehicle is being pursued for.
 Frequent locations should be given.
 The dispatcher must remain calm and unemotional.
 If possible, the license number of the run car should be ascertained for stolen.
 Often, the local police should be notified of the incident in progress.

Special Alerts
The use of special tone alerts will immediately catch the attention of field units for special
broadcasts. Solid tones or siren type signals may be used to denote urgent situations, such
as fire, ambulance runs, or other emergency situations, etc. Procedures should be
developed to govern when alerts should be used.