Security Guard

Job title: Security Guard

Reports to: Operations Coordinator/Director of Security Services

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt (Hourly) / Full Time/Part Time

Date Issued: May 2020

POSITION SUMMARY:

The role of the Security Guard is to provide HPCDC with professional protective services of clients, employees, guests and property. Security Guards execute proactive and reactive measures to optimize safety and minimize property loss. Their primary functions are to detect, observe, deter and report security incidents, illegal activities, and infractions of various HPCDC policies. Security Guards are able to meet and maintain any applicable state/city licensing requirements for Security Officers in New York state and Fire Guard for Shelters (F02) requirements.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Through the employee's own efforts, the employee accomplishes the following essential functions:

1. Maintain licensing requirements for Security Officers in New York State and Fire Guard for Shelters FO2.
   1. Ensure that all behavior and authority is exercised in accordance with New York Penal Law, New York State Criminal Procedure Law, and polices of HPCDC.
   2. Abstain from behaviors that expose the Security Guard to civil liability, associated with and not limited to negligence, recklessness, failure to properly supervise, civil rights violations (age, sex, religion, etc.), invasion of privacy and failure to address health and safety concerns.
   3. Adhere to the NYS Security Guard and HPCDC Code of Ethics, including but not limited to the need to exercise duties with honesty, respect for confidential information, and abstain from conflicts of interest.
   4. Role model appropriate preventive and reactive responses to security and safety issues by consistently applying best practices.

1. Provide quality services and excellent customer service to employees, guests and clients of HPCDC.
   1. Use excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to interact effectively with people of various social economic levels, demographics and cultures.
   2. Consistently respond to client and employee grievances in a positive way, role-modeling effective problem resolution skills while helping them to resolve concerns in a non-judgmental, non-condescending manner.
   3. Prevent and diffuse conflict by employing non-defensive communication skills. Ie.)Avoid making judgments without having all of the facts, ask open ended questions, keep an opened posture and neutral facial expressions when communicating).

1. Represent HPCDC in a professional manner when communicating via phone, walkie talkie, email, and other means, through respectful etiquette, a positive attitude and a positive "tone of voice".
2. Abstain from the use of profanity or loud language near the public, employees, and clients.
3. Maintain the confidentiality of clients and employees, only disclosing information learned through the course of the job to those who need to know. Ie) Don't talk openly and in public about clients.
4. Employ effective interpersonal and communication skills (verbal, non-verbal, listening, and writing skills) that optimize safety, diffuse or mitigate conflict, and maintains the integrity of the clients, coworkers and employees.

1. Deter occurrences and circumstances which do or could affect the security and safety of the property and people on the premises.
   1. Maintain knowledge of security policies and behavioral conduct expectations for clients, employees and guests of HPCDC.
   2. Enforce security policies and behavioral conduct expectations for clients, employees and guests of HPCDC.

1. Educate clients, staff and guests on security protocols and procedures, and rules proactively and as needed.
2. Stay visibly alert and employ effective observation skills throughout the shift in order to detect and respond to suspicious behavior and other safety / security related incidents. Ie) No sleeping, avoid distractions such as personal cell phone usage, etc.
3. Implement and enforce procedures that limit access by unauthorized people to the building and property.
   1. Follow protocols for signing clients and guests in and out of the building.
   2. Patrol all areas as assigned and as needed, consistently using technology (ie. Lighthouse IO) to document compliance.
   3. Ensure that locks and exits are secured and respond to breaches by investigating, intervening and reporting.
   4. Escort guests to areas as needed and in accordance with procedures.
4. Optimize visibility of security services to clients, employees and guests by wearing prescribed uniforms.
5. Be accessible to clients and employees, developing positive relationships and responding in a timely manner to their safety and security needs.
6. Facilitate fire drills and provide assistance as needed during evacuation.
7. As needed, employ best practices for crowd control.
8. Identify potential threats, security breaches, and safety issues, and take steps to contain and neutralize them.
9. Identify and remove fire hazards including but not limited to keeping hallways and exits clear of obstruction and educating employees and clients as needed.

1. Respond to, observe and investigate incidents pertaining to safety, security and other non-routine incidents.
   1. Know and implement protocols for emergency response to medical situations, outsider threats and intruders, natural disasters, leaks and exposure to hazardous materials, civil disturbances and other non-routine emergency situations. bomb threats or natural disasters, leaks and exposure to hazardous materials, civil disturbances and other non-routine emergency situations.
   2. Facilitate evacuations calmly and efficiently to avoid panic and fulfill the function of protecting people (and property) from potential harm.
   3. Maintain knowledge of incident reporting guidelines and report incidents as needed.
   4. Close off crime scenes and prevent the contamination of evidence.
   5. Provide truthful witness testimony as needed during legal proceedings.
   6. Promptly notify appropriate emergency service providers as needed.
   7. Be prepared with proper equipment (ie. walkie talkies, tablets, etc.) at all times to ensure timely emergency response and contemporaneous note taking.
   8. Optimize safe responses by requesting assistance from coworkers as needed.
   9. Optimize safe responses by providing assistance to coworkers as needed.
   10. Actively take steps to prevent physical altercations that can cause harm to self and others. Ie) run into another room to call law enforcement, request assistance from coworkers, employ effective communication skills, follow access control procedures.
   11. Gather information through the use of effective interviewing and observation skills.

1. Security Guards report incidents pertaining to security and other non-routine incidents.
   1. Complete thorough, timely, accurate and grammatically correct reports pertaining to incidents by documenting who, what, when, where, why and how.
   2. Document statements, remarks, and admissions immediately and contemporaneously in order to prepare for writing a report.
   3. Communicate verbally and in writing relevant facts to law enforcement agencies.
   4. Report relevant issues pertaining to safety, security and the property to coworkers and supervisors, using various written and spoken means of communication and in a timely manner.
   5. Begin each shift by learning about any safety and security incidents that occurred in the prior shift.
      1. Begin each shift by reading emails and correspondence pertaining to incident reports, reading logs, and participating in debriefs. Check emails at the beginning of each shift for incident reports and other correspondence, reading the log, and participating in debriefs.
      2. Prepare reports and communicate significant issues that the following shift needs to know about by the end of the shift.

1. Implement proactive and reactive safety procedures to prevent injuries of self and others.
   1. Maintain ability to safely navigate flights of stairs in 11 stories without relying on an elevator for the purposes of patrolling and responding to security incidents.
   2. Wear slip resistant and toe-covered shoes at all times.

1. Provide assistance to coworkers and request assistance as needed to prevent injuries. Ie) While lifting, responding to incidents, etc.
2. Adhere to and enforce infection control procedures for communicable diseases and hazard communication. Ie) Wear appropriate PPE as needed.
3. Participate in all investigations as needed and including into employee misconduct.

1. Additional job functions:

1. Adhere to all policies and procedures, including those prescribed in the Highland Park CDC Employee Handbook.
2. Accurately record time-worked in the timekeeping system and submit payroll records in a timely manner.
3. Submit requested correspondence and policy acknowledgements to your supervisor, human resources, accounting and others as needed.
4. Participates in ongoing staff training, skill development, and mandatory meetings.
5. Assist in the training and mentoring of other officers as needed.
6. Distribute client mail and packages according to procedures.

1. Perform other job duties and special projects assigned by management.

COMPETENCIES :

To perform the job successfully, an individual demonstrates the following competencies.

1. Customer Service Orientation & Conflict Resolution: Manages difficult or emotional situations with internal and external stakeholders. Responds promptly to client needs; Responds to request for service and assistance. Maintains and communicates in a positive, non-condescending manner to others. Leverages interpersonal skills such as empathy to minimize and mitigate conflict. Helps others resolve complex or sensitive disagreements and conflicts. Manages oneself and emotions to diffuse conflict

1. Dependability: Can be depended upon to consistently provide a safe environment by reporting to work as scheduled and avoiding excessive absenteeism / tardiness. Adheres to policies in the HPCDC Handbook for deviating from schedules and absences. Responds to management directions, takes responsibility for own actions and keeps commitments.

1. Enforcing Laws, Rules, & Regulations: Minimizes conflicts between clients and other security officers by consistently enforcing rules and behavior expectations. Enforces laws, rules, and regulations, and initiates enforcement actions in a way that the public perceives as fair, objective, and reasonable.

1. Safety Focus: Adheres to all workplace and trade safety laws, regulations, standards, and practices. Proactively takes steps to maximize safety.

1. Communication: Communicate effectively with co-workers, clients and employees, law enforcement, and guests during emergency situations. Effectively express oneself orally, non-verbally and in writing, tailoring the content of speech to the audience and using proper English sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar. Ability to listen, receive, understand, and carry written and verbal orders. Ability to communicate effectively when preparing reports, logs, and the use of radio communications including appropriate channels and basic radio communication codes.

1. Interviewing Others : Asks questions in ways that enhance the clarity, quality, and reliability of information. Plans the interview process in advance, identifying the key information to collect. Puts the interviewee at ease and ensures he or she understands the process and its purpose. Develops trust to obtain honest responses. Asks direct, focused, and logically ordered questions that comply with all legal or policy requirements. Tactfully broaches sensitive subjects.

1. Problem Solving: Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Uses reason when dealing with emotional topics.

1. Adaptability & Flexibility: Adapting to and working with a variety of situations, individuals, and groups. Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to modify one's preferred way of doing things.

1. Interpersonal Skills and Teamwork - Understands the needs and wants of the organization, customers, co-workers and supervisors in order to provide accurate, complete and timely service and to further the mission, values and goals of the organization. Gets along and interacts positively with co-workers and others; understands and relates to others.

1. Ethics: Treats people with respect: Inspires the trust of others; Works with integrity and ethically; Role models and upholds organizational values.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, and individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and / or ability required.

1. Minimum Required Education & Experience:
   • HS Diploma or GED required.
   • NYS Security Guard License
   • Fire Guard for Shelters (f02).

1. Preferred Education & Experience:
   • Demonstrated knowledge, experience, or capacity to work with homeless families / individuals and/ or disadvantaged populations.
   • CPR / First Aid Certification
   • French / Spanish speaking.

1. Computer Skills:
   • Basic computer skills needed for composing emails on Microsoft applications, accessing the HR information system and accessing the device, and composing correspondence.

GENERAL PHYSICAL REQUIRMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS :

1. GENERAL WORKING HOURS:
   • Shifts vary and may change to include overnight shifts, days, evenings and weekends.
2. WORKING FROM HOME:
   • All essential functions of this job cannot be completed working from home.
3. TRAVEL:
   • May be required to travel about 5% of the time to purchase items or to attend a training.

1. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. The physical activity for the Security Guard is:

1. Climbing & Ambulating Stairs: Ascending or descending stairs and ramps using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Must be able to walk up and down stairs (about 10 flights) in order to patrol stairways, respond to security incidents, and assist in the evacuation of clients during an emergency. Body agility is emphasized. The amount of climbing required exceeds that required for ordinary locomotion.

1. Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles.

1. Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.

1. Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

1. Reaching . Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

1. Walking. Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, and has an ability to navigate from one location to another.

1. Standing: Remaining upright on the feet, particularly for sustained periods of time.

1. Lifting. Must raise objects from a lower to a higher position or move objects horizontally from position to-to-position.

1. Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling. Ability to use computer tablet to write reports, notes and document compliance with patrol stops.

1. Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

1. Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; those activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

1. Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound.

1. Feeling . Must be able to perceive attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips. Assesses potential safety threats, such as by exposure to chemicals and heat from malfunctioning equipment.

1. Physical requirements for the Security Guard.
   • Heavy work: Exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally (ie. for emergency evacuations and in response to emergencies), and/or up to 50 pounds of forcefrequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

1. The visual acuity requirements for the Security Guard (including color, depth perception and field vision).

• The worker is required to have visual acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures (i.e., security guard, inspection, etc.).

1. The Security Guard will be subject to the following conditions in this position:
   • The worker is subject to inside environmental conditions, protected from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.
   • The worker is subject to hazards: Includes a variety of physical conditions, such as proximity to individuals with unpredictable mental health status's and temperament. e