What could I/ should I have done?

[Flguy]

Okay,

I work armed security, in a low income apartment complex, tonight, I was at the front gate checking cars as usual, when a women pulled in and told me the vehicle that had entered about 10 cars before her, was her car, that was stolen from her....

I went with her, over to where the car was parked.... and there was no one around, she asked me to contact the SO, because she didn't not have a phone, she said the car had already been reported stolen.

While I was waiting with her, and another one of my guys.... I started wondering, what could I / should I have done, say someone came out of an apt, and tried to get into the vehicle while we were waiting.... either by the odd chance it wasn't her car, or the person was that stupid.....

[TC2404]

Depends on what sort of things your job will allow you to do. If you're armed, I assume you have cuffs, and all the other bat gear. If somebody would have came out...I would have detained with the necessary force it takes for that, and hold them until the responding agency got there. But I guess it all depends on what/how much authority you have. There are a lot of "what ifs" in every situation. You had another guy there with you, which is probably about the best you can get with the info you gave. Sounded like it went without incident.

[Sheepdog110]

Depends on what sort of things your job will allow you to do. If you're armed, I assume you have cuffs, and all the other bat gear. If somebody would have came out...I would have detained with the necessary force it takes for that, and hold them until the responding agency got there. But I guess it all depends on what/how much authority you have. There are a lot of "what ifs" in every situation. You had another guy there with you, which is probably about the best you can get with the info you gave. Sounded like it went without incident.

Sounds about right to me.

[PhilipCal]

How much,or how well is your company going to back you, if you were to take action? What would they do if the situation escalated to the use of any force? It's concievable that you'd be very much on your own. You know your company better than anyone of us. Should you be in doubt as to what the firm's reaction would be, simply remember the basic standby for Contract Security folks. "Observe and report".

[Michigan]

Securitys job is to OBSERVE AND REPORT. If it were me in your position, that is exactly what I would do.

[Delta_V]

I wouldn't do anything other than to call the police. If someone is following their "stolen" car, in my experience it's not really stolen. We have a lot of people who try to report their cars "stolen," only to later find out that they loaned it to their boyfriend and he hasn't brought it back or that the car legally doesn't belong to them in the first place.

If it turned out that was the case and you detained the occupants or used force, your company (and you) could be facing a lawsuit. That's not something I'd want to risk if I was working in security.

[Flguy]

Thanks guys, your responses were kind of what I figured they would be, but I figured I'd ask...

I figured if someone came out, I'd just try to get them to talk to me, and keep them talking until the locals arrived.

The car ended up really being stolen, and they found the suspects rent receipt in the car, leading the locals to his apt.

[mikeymedic]

I wouldn't do anything other than to call the police. If someone is following their "stolen" car, in my experience it's not really stolen. We have a lot of people who try to report their cars "stolen," only to later find out that they loaned it to their boyfriend and he hasn't brought it back or that the car legally doesn't belong to them in the first place.

If it turned out that was the case and you detained the occupants or used force, your company (and you) could be facing a lawsuit. That's not something I'd want to risk if I was working in security.

+1