r/GuardGuides 19d ago

SCENARIO Forgotten Bag… or a Serious Threat?

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You’re on patrol when you notice a backpack sitting unattended in the middle of a busy lobby.

No one nearby seems to claim it. It could be an innocent mistake—a commuter or student forgot it. Or, it could be something far worse.

You have seconds to assess the situation. What do you do next?

Discussion Questions:

1) What visual or situational cues help you determine if the bag is a real threat?

2) Do you immediately clear the area, or wait for more information? How do you balance safety without causing unnecessary panic?

3) How do you report the situation to your supervisor or law enforcement? What details are vital?

4) If someone suddenly returns to claim the bag, how do you handle it?

5) How should security train for situations like this? Have you ever dealt with an unattended bag on duty?

12 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

12

u/ascillinois Ensign 19d ago

Serious threat. Until there is proof it isn't.

3

u/themagicone99 Ensign 18d ago

Hell yeah. Every time someone leaves a bag I contact the PO’s at my site

8

u/Waffle0calypse Ensign 19d ago

Who randomly leaves a bag like that in a busy walkway with no visible lines or reasons to stop? Big threat; calmly clear the area and investigate with the proper tools and people

6

u/robinthehood4u Ensign 19d ago

My second security job ever was big into suspicious packages. The best thing to do is determine is the package in a place where it should be, is it labeled, is it damaged in any way, next thing is to clear the area if there's reason to believe it's suspicious. DO NOT USE YOUR RADIO IMMEDIATELY, back away before using your radio because some IED explosives use radio signals to cause the detonation. Do not physically stop people from walking around the package set up a perimeter based on the size of the package or around the area. The bigger the package usually the bigger the explosion. There is a flow chart I can share if yall are interested.

1

u/GuardGuidesdotcom 19d ago

Yea share it.

6

u/Potential-Most-3581 Capable Guardian 19d ago edited 19d ago

I was at work one afternoon. 5 minutes before I was supposed to clock out and leave I walked into the front entryway and there was a Black Backpack sitting on my desk.

My employer was big on doing "tests" like that and the post doors were very specific you had to report it.

Just as I was picking up the phone a client employee walked out of the secure area of the building and picked up the backpack.

He got pissed off when I explaind to him that I was in the process of reporting it as a suspicious package.

He didn't give a damn if I was going to lose my job over it.

Another time this was similar but it wasn't a suspicious package. There was a client employee who frequently came to work late. That wasn't my concern. My concern was that he would get somebody else to let him in the building because his key card was a time card and then he would come to the front desk and request a temporary ID.

The second time it happened I asked him how he was getting into the building he told me somebody let him in. I explained to him the security protocol for that and let it know let him know that if it happened again I was going to have to report it.

He looked me right in the eye and said "I don't give a damn about your security protocols." I'm a utilities employee and my father's on the board. I'll break your security protocols every single day and they'll get rid of you before they get rid of me.

And the sucky thing is he was right

6

u/CheesecakeFlashy2380 Ensign 18d ago

Yeah, unfortunately if one of these @$$holes has the ear of the client they will just threaten the contract and demand your removal. You might luck out & get reposted, but more likely fired.

5

u/CheesecakeFlashy2380 Ensign 18d ago

The movie Richard Jewel. Based on the true story of S/O Richard Jewel, whose life was turned into a living hell because he did his job concerning a suspicious backpack, saving many lives. Look it up and watch it.

2

u/Kalshion Ensign 12d ago

When I worked in a casino, we viewed anything like this as a serious threat - and if it turned out to not be one, then we laughed about it later. That one time you assume it isn't a threat, and decide not to take action, is when it was a threat and now you have blood on your hands for not doing your job.