Legal Compliance & Ethical Standards Flashcards

A security supervisor discovers that a colleague is falsifying patrol logs. Under ethical standards, what is the FIRST action the supervisor should take?

Answer: Report the misconduct to management or through the proper reporting chain

Ethical standards require security supervisors to report misconduct through proper channels immediately rather than handling it informally.

Which federal law governs the interception of electronic communications and sets limits on surveillance activities by security personnel?

Answer: Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)

The ECPA prohibits the unauthorized interception of wire, oral, and electronic communications, directly affecting how security personnel may conduct surveillance.

A client instructs a security supervisor to detain all individuals of a specific ethnicity for additional screening. The legally and ethically correct response is to:

Answer: Refuse and explain that race-based targeting violates civil rights law

Race-based profiling violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and constitutional equal protection principles, and security personnel must refuse unlawful directives.

Under the concept of 'vicarious liability,' a security company can be held liable for an officer's wrongful actions when:

Answer: The officer acted within the scope of employment during authorized duties

Vicarious liability holds employers responsible for employee actions performed within the scope of their employment.

Which document typically defines the legal authority, limitations, and responsibilities of a contracted security supervisor on a client site?

Answer: Post orders

Post orders are the site-specific directives that outline a security officer's legal authority, duties, and operational limits at a given assignment.

A security supervisor observes an officer using excessive force while making a citizen's arrest. The supervisor's ethical obligation is to:

Answer: Intervene to stop the excessive force and report the incident

Supervisors have both an ethical and legal duty to intervene when witnessing excessive force to prevent further harm and civil liability.

The legal doctrine of 'negligent retention' applies when a security company:

Answer: Continues to employ a known dangerous or unfit employee who later causes harm

Negligent retention occurs when an employer keeps an employee they knew or should have known posed a risk, and that employee subsequently causes harm.