What is the job of night watchmen?

Answer 1

The primary purpose of a night watchman, or any type of private security is to observe and report the events that occured at whatever post s/he is designated to. This post may be camera and alarm observation, monitoring a gate or building door, or roving a building and the surrounding grounds. It could also be a combination of the above given the type of security that is required, and what a company is willing to pay for it. Night Watchmen are either hired directly by the company who requires the security, or through a a Private Security Company. A night watchman is not a police officer with police authority, but a private citizen with the rights an obligations of a private citizen. They are expected to act in a professional manner, but have the same limited rights as any citizen. They must be licesed in most states to carry a license to perform their duties with certain exceptions, and they must also be licesed to carry certain weapons including firearms. They do have the same authority as a normal citizen to perform arrests, however most companies only allow an arrest to be made in extrodinary circumstances because of all of the liability that comes with it. A citizen or security officer incorrectly arresting a suspect can be liable for false imprisonment if the arrest is not properly carried out. A security officer for the same reason cannot legally detain someone, unless they are legally placed under citizen's arrest. A private security officer cannot legally search anyone, unless they believe that not doing so will threaten them in a serious way. A security officer also cannot use force unless they believe there is life threatening danger to himself or client.

The primary duty of any security officer is to observe what happens on his/her post during his shift. s/he doccuments normal activities that the client or company needs to know happened during the shift, as well as document things that are out of the ordinary that the client needs to know about. These aren't just criminal activities, but building and personell safety observations, visitors passing through the post, violations of company policy that watchmen are required to observe, etc. These observations are passed on to the supervisor, client contact, and if necessary the police.