Free tool
Security post orders template
This security post orders template turns one site, one post, and one shift into a document an officer can hold. Duties, tour times, access rules, contacts, and the do and don’t list stay in your browser until you download a PDF or a Word file.
Written by the Strong Securing America operations team. Last updated: November 2026.
This is a planning aid. It is not a quote, a formal security assessment, or legal advice. Results depend on the site, the duties, and the contract. Confirm licensing questions with the Texas Department of Public Safety Private Security Program. Texas DPS Private Security Program.
How to use this security post orders template
Name the site the way it appears on the work order, then the address, the post, and the shift hours. Check only the duties this post actually performs. A lobby officer who does not hold keys should not inherit a key-control paragraph from another site. Add tour times as clock times, not "every so often." Write access rules as who gets in, who does not, and what the officer does when the answer is unclear.
Emergency contacts need a name and a number that works at 2 a.m., not a general mailbox. Escalation is the order of calls: officer, supervisor, client, then police or EMS when the post orders say to call. Reporting is when the daily note is due and what belongs in an incident report instead. Download the PDF to hand out, or the Word file if the client wants to edit a line. Neither file is uploaded.
What post orders are
Post orders are the written job for one chair or one patrol route. They are not the company handbook and they are not a sales brochure. A new officer should be able to stand the first shift from this document plus a short walk with the supervisor. If the document needs a speech to make sense, it is not finished.
What good ones include
- The post name and the hours, so a relief officer knows they are in the right place.
- The duties that are in scope, and a don’t list for the ones that cause arguments.
- Tour times and what "checked" means at each stop.
- Access rules for vendors, residents, and people who say they forgot a badge.
- Who to call, in order, and which events skip the client and go to police or EMS.
- How the shift is reported, including when a short daily note is not enough.
How often to update them
Update post orders when the client contact changes, when the doors or the hours change, or after an incident shows that a rule was vague. A quarterly read with the property manager is enough for a stable site. A construction site or a venue that changes floor plans needs a new version whenever the laydown changes. Put the date in the file name when you download it so the clipboard copy is not last year’s.
A short example
This example is fictional. South lobby, 11630 sample address, 07:00 to 19:00. Duties: access control and a visitor log. Tours at 10:00, 14:00, and 18:00, lobby to the dock and back. Vendors with a same-day work order may enter. Everyone else waits for the office manager. After 19:00 the door is locked and the overnight patrol, not this post, takes the exterior. Don’t hold keys to tenant suites. Don’t let a tailgater "just grab a laptop." Call the manager, then the supervisor. If someone is hurt, call EMS first and write the time.
That is one post. The dock on the same building needs its own page. Mixing them is how an officer at the front door gets blamed for a trailer in the back.
If you are still deciding whether this site needs a standing officer or a patrol, run the risk questions first. If the post is an event that will not repeat, the staffing calculator is the better starting point. Standing coverage is described on our unarmed and armed service pages.
Questions we hear
What is a security guard post orders example I can copy?
Use the fictional lobby example as the shape: hours, duties, tour times, who gets in, who to call, and what not to do. Replace every line with this site. Do not hand an officer another building’s orders.
Are post orders for security guards the same as a handbook?
No. The handbook covers employment. Post orders cover this door, this shift, and this client. An officer can follow the handbook and still fail the post if the site rules are missing.
How site-specific do they need to be?
Specific enough that a relief officer who has never seen the building can find the tour stops and the night number. "Use good judgment" is not a rule for access.
Who should sign off?
The property or facility manager who lives with the rules, and the supervisor who will answer the phone. If those two people disagree, the document is not ready.
Can I edit the Word file?
Yes. The Word download is for edits. Keep the PDF as the copy you hand to the officer so the clipboard version matches what you approved.
Do you write these for clients?
Yes, as part of standing up a post. Request a quote or contact the Austin office with the address and the hours. We will walk the site before we treat a draft as the orders.