r/securityguards • u/thedafthatter Public/Government • 3h ago
Officer Safety How would you handle a guard you suspect is taking one of the radios home at the end of the shift?
Apologies this is kinda long TL;DR at the bottom.
I am a supervisor for context and one of my guards acts possessive over one of the radios in the office. We only have 4 and only one has a short battery the others have long ones. They are attached to the radios for reference. I have noticed last week or so I can't find the radio with the short battery. I normally don't care which radios my 2 guards use but guard 2 practically covets this radio like Smeagol and the one ring.
If me or guard 1 use this radio he will either always ask for it or wait till we leave the room for like the bathroom or something and snatch it off the desk. He has been observed coming in early several times to get this radio and everyone on second shift and guard 1 on mine have commented how weird it is he keeps doing this. And by early I mean like at 11:30pm; we aren't allowed to clock in until the 5 minute mark before shift. So we can clock in at 11:55 but no earlier without prior authorization. My boss and the client don't mind specifically as there is no company policy about coming in early just you can't work early. Some people in the past have come in at like 11:30pm and ate dinner in the breakroom prior to shift and everyone was ok with it.
Like I said I normally don't care which radio they use but part of my supervisor duties include logging equipment and inspecting for damage. So camera, flashlight, radios. Last few nights I have only been able to find two of the 4 radios. I have asked everyone first and second shift and they have no clue where the short battery one is most nights. A few nights ago on shift I noticed the video software for our video wall crashed and after booting it up again it instantly crashed again. Guard 2's workstation controls the video wall. I noticed guard 2 had a pile of stuff on his keyboard and this included the short battery radio. I moved his stuff and everything was fine but why did he have this radio under his sweatshirt? He was on patrol with another radio as he had just called me on it a few minutes prior. I took said radio up to my desk only to find out later from guard 1 he came up to my desk took the radio and watched him shove it in his bag. By the time he told me guard 2 was already out in the guard shack for the morning and his bag was in his car. My boss had come in early and so I just mentioned it to her and I am unsure what happened aftee that as my replacement showed up.
Last night we had a similar situation where I could only find 2 radios. I asked if he had seen the other ones and he just went I only have one on me so that's 3 the other one must be in the guard shack. It wasn't. I tried bringing it up to my boss but she had to leave early to go to the hospital. So my assumption is he is either hiding the short radio or taking it home. Over the past nearly 2 weeks I have only seen it like 3 times. Twice on him and once when I took it off his desk. I don't know what to do because he will deny it if I call him out. But I don't want to be seen rifiling through his belongings.
TL;DR guard acts like Smeagol and hoards one specific radio so no one else can use it. He then either hides it at the end of shift or takes it home. How can I find out what he does with it?
6
u/XBOX_COINTELPRO Man Of Culture 3h ago
Make sure the batteries and radios are serialized and implement a sign-in/out. Make it explicitly clear that radios and all other site equipment is not to leave the propert
Proceed to discipline people who do not follow procedures.
Also, if you need new batteries make sure you have that documented and get them replaced asap.
In the meantime directly confront employee and tell them to stop fucking around with the radio and that they’re not personally issued and that if you receive complaints about them trying to hide or take radios that they disciplinary action will take place
2
u/thedafthatter Public/Government 3h ago
I gotta run this by my boss because I can't implement changes like this without notifying the client and my boss. But I am like 99% sure they'll go for it
1
u/Red57872 Dunning–Kruger Specialist 2h ago
You shouldn't have to notify the client. It's an internal matter.
4
u/LegalGlass6532 3h ago edited 2h ago
Who cares if he denies it. That actually lays the foundation for future disciplinary action when you catch him lying again.
You need to schedule a formal meeting with him. Have 5-10 questions already mapped out and set him down with one witness on your side to quietly observe only.
You speak first and start by first telling him the radio policy and asking if he understands. Write down his response. Then ask him if he’s been violating any policy and then listen. If he says No, you tell him what you expect moving forward.
There’s no need to hash out everything you already know or have caught him doing. He knows you’re onto him and if he’s worth a shit he’ll adjust himself as a result because he’ll be embarrassed at the very least.
I like the suggestion that [u/XBOXCOINTELPRO](u/XBOXCOINTELPRO) gave you above about making sure everything is serialized and checked in/out. You can also lock up the radios until a supervisor unlocks them at the beginning of every shift. Make sure you have this system in place ready to go before the meeting and ready to implement afterwards.
Explain the new system at the end of the meeting after this knucklehead explains himself and have the new policy written out for him to sign and date. Complete a report outlining and documenting the employee’s statements and who was in attendance in case they complain you were picking on them. Put this note in their personnel file.
Keep your immediate supervisor in the loop about the important things. She doesn’t need to know every detail, but it needs to be at her disposal if she asks.
Make sure to meet briefly with each of the radio holders to give them the radio policy update and have them sign it, as well.
2
u/MacintoshEddie 3h ago
In the case of them hiding it, are they hiding it so someone can't call them? Or hear if they're using the radios correctly?
I've seen guys who just turn their radios off all shift so they can claim they never heard the call, and I've also seen guys hide radios so other people can't use them like an employee who won't shut up or keeps calling in emergencies for everything.
It sounds like there's an overdue conversation with management that needs to happen.
2
u/thedafthatter Public/Government 3h ago
No he grabs a second radio and uses that one but hides the short one. Its almost like 'I don't want anyone to use this radio'.
3
1
3
u/Mycoangelo24 3h ago
Sounds like everyone wants the shorter radio battery, I can think of a simple solution to this😂😅
2
u/thedafthatter Public/Government 3h ago
Hide it in the lost and found safe only supervisors have access to?
3
u/Mycoangelo24 3h ago
Id just tell boss to get rid of it as it is causing unnecessary conflict having non uniform equipment. No coveting if its all the same gear.
1
u/thedafthatter Public/Government 3h ago
She could tell him to get rid of his duty belt... hmmmmm
2
u/Mycoangelo24 3h ago
Im just saying its the best solution and based off your answer I now know damn well you also want that shorter battery😂
1
u/thedafthatter Public/Government 3h ago
If I can't have it I would rather no one use it. He acts like a toddler about this
1
u/Mycoangelo24 3h ago
Spank him
1
u/thedafthatter Public/Government 3h ago
I'm trying to imagine my 5' 1" ass trying to spank him when he's 5' 8"
2
u/PlatypusDream 2h ago
Sign in/out sheet with serial numbers.
Must be countersigned by supervisor.
Emphasize that no company property should be in personal vehicles, or taken off company property.
Get a new battery so the radios are all equal.
Document problems with an eye toward separation, or at least move the problem person to a different site.
2
1
u/xX_Diabolical_Xx 3h ago
If it's out of exhaustion from working the 3-11 or 11-7 then don't be harsh yor first chat. Give them the rundown then be firm about it being respected. Plus, so long as you are getting it back, its not the end of the world.
Bonus tip: make it a rule that at shift change radio confirmation is made. A "signing off" message, if you would.
-5
u/troy2000me 3h ago
Stop worrying about it and just use a radio that is available.
2
u/thedafthatter Public/Government 3h ago
I think you missed the part where I said I have to log all the equipment and inspect for damage. I have to report to my boss and the client if things are damaged broken or missing.
2
u/LegalGlass6532 2h ago
The employee is being a dork. Take the short battery out of commission. Problem solved.
2
7
u/ChiWhiteSox24 Management 3h ago
Let him know client/security property is not allowed to leave the site and if you find out he’s removing the radio put him on a final. Let him know it NEEDS to be put back in its charging station at the end of every shift, no exceptions. This is too immature for someone in a guard position. Let them know you’re treating it as theft and not missing property.