Guard Tour Systems

On this one again. The site I am currently sitting at has removed our orders stating that we must patrol and hit buttons. This is why I am sitting in front of a computer typing away on this forum. Well...that and I have no authority at all to do anything out here anyway, so...yea...

Our patrol guys finally got it through our company's head that these systems are a waste of money and don't work. We simply cannot be forced to work within a system that does not allow for variety in our routes or things like traffic and weather. Now, we went back to paper reports, but our phones are mapped by GPS so we can be babysat all night long...

[ConnectSecuritySolutions]

Ref the above, we supply/use these systems, I can offer a low down on pros & cons of all the systems we've had/used/supplied & tested if anybody is interested!

[Arrowslinger]

We had denso wands when I first came to my property, we (the client I should say) purchased the Videx Laser Lite Pros:
Information is downloaded each morning into tiscor software, bringing me about ten different ways to review my officers’ patrols.

I myself am not a big fan of electronic baby sitters, I think in certain posts they can get in the way, malls, hospitals for example. These places need officer’s full attention to public safety, property safety and yes customer service. My client/facility is made up of office buildings and research labs; main goal here is property safety, fire watch, property damage. 90% of being in touch with clients employees are simply customer service type duties, ID badges, visitors and deliveries.

My officers log into the device at the start of each shift and log out at the end, pretty good program. Barcodes list each place in detail, only thing I do not like is the fact I cannot program questions. The old denso wand could have questions; "door locked?" "Valve closed?" etc.

Many times with certain situations I have been glad we use these, if the officer was there at the time the pipe burst, or simply on proper patrol all is good. If he/she is propped up in an office or chit chatting with someone when an incident occurs, they have a bad day.

Now I simply do not rely on this system, I have CCTV and a great DVR system plus card key that I can double check.

[N. A. Corbier]

I can't say that I have ever heard of this system whatsoever. What is it's purpose?

Be safe,

Hank

Detex Clock. Sounds familiar now? The things we hate.

[Hank1]

I can't say that I have ever heard of this system whatsoever. What is it's purpose?

Be safe,

Hank

[Maelstrom]

I haven't yet worked at a site that uses a GTS, though I have noticed (on my travels) many of the larger shopping centres have them installed...

well...

The only time I have seen the guard tours work is one night on duty. A car was broken into and the owner reported it. I could have gotten into trouble because the owner said "I parked it here just 10 minutes ago at XX:15, where was the guard patrolling at?" Well, guard tour showed me on the other side of the property,where I belonged and out of visual range of the vehicle, at that tme. Only useful ting it has ever done. Luckily, we are allowed to hit ours in a random pattern.

[S Messina]

I have only been in private security for 4 years now but I think that guard tour systems are a great management tool.

Are they perfect? No, there is always the "human" factor.

GTS's can be abused and misused but they do serve a purpose, and that purpose is provide management / clients with an additional source of information.

There are many different GTS"s out there and it is management's job to pick the system that meets their needs and to implement the system they way that they want it.

If it is decided that the officer is to hit each button at specific times or order, then that is what is "wanted" and that is what is considered "correct" for that particular situation. Does it go against "good security practices"? Doesn't matter, as long as management / client is getting what they want / pay for.

Like I said before, it is my opinion that guard tour systems are a great management tool.

[junkyarddog]

I think GTS can be an effective tool if implemented properly into the overall operation. We use the detex guard tour system. In our operation there 40+ large outdoor sites that are often many miles away from each other. The Mobile Patrol tours all of them. The system is used mainly to make sure that newer S/O's are actually making it to all of the sites and also to log incidents/required repairs at the same sites.

Experienced Mobile Patrol Officers are given a huge amount of freedom in the order they hit the sites and the chips within the sites themselves. In fact, we are expected to prioritize so that if it is necessary to spend allot of time in one area or site, and to spend less time in other areas or sites (or skip them), that is perfectly fine. We are also expected to mix up our patrols and tours so as to limit predictability. The chips serve the purpose of confirming that is done.

The Guard Tour System in our case is great because on one hand it ensures that new Mobile Patrol Officers are learning their routes, and on the other hand it helps weed out non-thinking drones who hit the sites and the chips in perfectly consistent order every single day. In either case, it shows someone not doing their job, or at least someone in need of re-training.

[CorpSec]

We require our officers to use the PIPE. It is the same thing as the ToCo system. When I train new officers in, I let them know that if they just hit the tour buttons while on location, they have done a poor tour. They are expected to enter areas where there aren't buttons and to observe and report issues.

However, I don't require them to hit them in any certain order or strict timeframe. The officers rotate between posts and while they are patrol they are responsible to complete tours or certain areas. The order in which they do the tours is up to them as long as they complete them within their patrol time.

[FireEMSPolice]

The Pipe is the best. Worth every penny.

http://www.guard1.com/en/thepipe.htm

Morse Watchman sucks

http://www.morsewatchman.com

At work, we currently use Morse Watchman. The Tour Recorder (or wand) has been dropped many times. Well, one of my Security Officers dropped it for the last time 1.5 months ago and broke it. It took approx $300.00 to fix it. It needed a new LCD screen, case, battery. I think they took us for a ride. We get it back 2 weeks later, it worked for 3 days and quit. We sent it back and they sent us a "loaner." The loaner worked for a week and it was done. I called them up and they said they will put ours on a bench to be worked on ASAP. So we get ours back, lasts 1 days it stopped again. Today, I sent it and the Interface/Charger in for an examination. Seriously, stay away from Morse Watchman.

[craig333]

That'd sure make it tough to do my real job (customer service). Sorry Mr. wheelchair patient, can't hold the door for you, gotta find my buttons. Sorry elderly person, can't help you find your doctors office, gotta find that button. Sorry, can't help you find which floor you parked on, gotta find that button. I find that doing that customer service, besides being helpful to people, it adds a real randomness to my patrol too.

[N. A. Corbier]

I've read most of the comments regarding guard tour systems. My organization contracted two different security companies to conduct walking and mobile patrols of various large outside controlled access sites. We installed a guard tour system because in the past we have found too many occasions where the Security Officer was found asleep or wouldn't leave the gatehouse because it was too cold outside. As soon as the guard tour system was installed these problems were eliminated. Yes I understand the need to vary patrol routes - our patrol schedule allows generous time for this, however, the client (me) needs some assurance that that there's an alert person walking or driving around the subject site.

There appears to be some consensus (from this forum) that these systems are not welcomed by front line security forces but what's your answer to apparent laziness and complacency? I don't think I should have to use staff resources to physically check that a contracted security force is doing their job... do you?

Its actually not the client's job to check that the security guard is performing their job. Its the security company's, as outlined in the contract, to provide supervisory and operational control of their employees.

Quite frankly, take a look at how much you're paying the guard firm, then how much the guard firm is paying the employees. It sounds like you have a provider who cannot actually provide needed services.

If it's to the point that you need to have devices installed on your site to tell you that the company is doing what they promised, then its time to either figure out another security strategy (remove physical guards), or find a company that pays the guards enough to do their jobs.

[alamedaad]

My mall just purchased the Pipe back in April and it has been working fairly well so far. Our officers are not required to hit the buttons in any sort of pattern or route, they just hit them as they go along with the guideline of one at least every 10 minutes, to prove they're out there. (They also do handwritten DARs with specifics about their activities.) As far as the fear of guards removing the buttons and then replacing them at the end of their shift, I used marine grade silicone adhesive and stuck them all to the metal window frames and door jambs. The material takes about 24 hours to cure, but after that, it won't budge without a special solvent.

[burley]

guard tour systems

I've read most of the comments regarding guard tour systems. My organization contracted two different security companies to conduct walking and mobile patrols of various large outside controlled access sites. We installed a guard tour system because in the past we have found too many occasions where the Security Officer was found asleep or wouldn't leave the gatehouse because it was too cold outside. As soon as the guard tour system was installed these problems were eliminated. Yes I understand the need to vary patrol routes - our patrol schedule allows generous time for this, however, the client (me) needs some assurance that that there's an alert person walking or driving around the subject site.

There appears to be some consensus (from this forum) that these systems are not welcomed by front line security forces but what's your answer to apparent laziness and complacency? I don't think I should have to use staff resources to physically check that a contracted security force is doing their job... do you?