Ethics

The paper attempts to formulate a policy for a security department with special attention to the training of the procedures and legal issues surrounding implications of security contraventions. The paper observes that any act and decision taken by the security personnel has a potential of risks, and if not appropriately handled within the legal avenues, may in turn end up into civil lawsuit against the individual security officer and the organization. To guarantee a fair trial process, the security officers should be adequately trained about the laws and the human rights. The paper concludes by asserting that the entire security department personnel should have the nitty gritty of their responsibilities and legal requirements as per their actions.

Introduction
Security management or security department is very essential in any organization, responsible for enforcing policies and procedures and maintaining law and order within the organization. This is in their effort to protect the organizations assets personnel, data and facilities. The department is also responsible for addressing recruitment and hiring of competent and qualified personnel and provide an effective training in order to grab the nitty gritty of the criminal laws and civil laws so as to act within their job descriptions and responsibilities without conflicting with human rights and any stint of miscarriage of justice. The training must be flexible and continual to address the everyday situations since security environment is constantly changing and the variety of solutions is growing at a phenomenal rate.

Policy for a Security Department
During hiring of the security personnel, clear job description comes in handy so as to state the border lines within which the department personnel is responsible. This is so as to maintain a high level of competency within the department and management that supervises security matters within the organization. Competeny-based recruitment of the personnel should be in a position to effectively meet the set up objectives which are later evaluated against the performance of each and every person within the department. These will only be achieved through a comprehensive training which addresses their mandate and effective workforce.

In order to meet the targets of the organization, security management need to formulate a training program that handles an elaborate and diverse security issues that may potentially plague the organization and find ways of handling such mishaps appropriately within the ethical dimensions and following the right channels of addressing the issue at hand. Therefore, in such cases, their decisions attract various risks that need to be addressed so as to avoid jeopardizing the reputation of the parties handling the case. This is because the entire facility may end up by having the matter being ruled against the act(s) of the security personnel and the withdrawal of the permit of operation of the organization by the agency responsible. Training should tackle a myriad of legal dilemmas that plagues the security department and management and explore on various legal guidelines in their duties.

It is apparent that security personnel should know whether they are commissioned or non-commissioned officers which define their powers and authority to arrest, search, use force and interrogate, which ultimately states their limitations during their duties.

In the course of their general duties and other specific duties, various interactions emerge between the security personnel and the entire workforce of the organization together with their clients. Such interactions may be friendly while others may be hostile. This requires for effective communication skills that will enable the officer be able to handle the issue at hand without contravening with peoples civil rights and evade violence in the work place (Utah Department of Human Services Utah Dept., 2001). The usual patrol and formal and informal interactions and strict monitoring of the system entries should be well taught in order to equip the security officers with sufficient categories of crime detection and the steps to be taken in such cases. This is based on their status and authority (St. Agnes, 1997). During arrest episodes, commissioned security officers may do so by either a warrant, or based on a probable cause that a felony has been or is being committed in their presence or in their absence.

Health care facilities face different challenges in the administration of their services. Internal theft and external theft of any asset and products like conversion of the controlled products such as morphine for personal use puts security department to task. The regulatory agencies such as the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency require every health care facility to document inventory, use and wastage of these items on a daily basis (St. Agnes Healthcare System, 1997). It is also a requirement for pharmacy departments to administer drugs by dosage, name of the physician, patient name and age. Along this line, the correct dosage should be prescribed to avoid an overdose or under-dose that may result to adverse effects on the patient. Such negligence may cost the facility a lot in terms of lawsuits and even closure of the entire health care facility.

Inappropriate hiring of the security personnel may cost the Great Healthcare Medical Centre (GHMC) in the case of the oversight of the appropriate qualifications for the job. In any case, stringent screening of any criminal records prior to the applications becomes of importance (Locke, 2009). This calls for a fair process of vetting without favour of any potential candidate. Failure to obtain a diligent workforce becomes more of a liability than an asset in failing to meet the set up objectives and performance in line with the professional ethics and the core values of the Great Healthcare Medical Centre. Therefore security personnel should be aware and competent enough to articulate the vision and mission of GHMC in order to create a team of well informed men and women to steer GHMC to the next level of success. However this will never be realized if the right procedures of relating with other colleagues and stakeholders are not well defined and availed to every security personnel during training and refresher trainings.  

However, security management is faced with the dilemma of retaining the security personnel who may have been implicated with the network of misdemeanour, or effecting a do over (Utah Dept. 2001). In such cases of tarnishing the reputation of GHMC may render the public trust to nose dive. Then, what steps would the security management take, if they are convinced that suspect was liable for the crime, and that the laws of the land overlooked justice out of external forces. Would the security management retain him

Training should entail awareness against any trace of discrimination (be it racial, religious or gender) amongst the entire workforce of GHMC. Administration of medication should be handled with dignity and in recognition of human rights to life and property.

In case of any physician implicated with sexual inducement ( Utah Dept., 2001) to the patient in the line of duty, and the available evidence pertaining the same exists, a stern action should be taken within the legal avenues to seek redress. Proper ways of handling any kind of violence, verbal or physical should be embedded within the professional ethics that stipulates the conduct of every worker of GHMC and punishment or penalty effected within the laws without intimidation.    

Detection should be based on substantial evidence or the probable cause that makes it clear that a crime has been, or is being committed by the suspect. This accumulates a reasonable suspicion that is based on the clear objectives and facts that lead the officer believe that the alleged suspect iswas engaged in a criminal activity or may be armed and dangerous. However, the organization must be strict on any kind of smear politics or intimidation.

Reasonable suspicion warrants stop and search within the laws of the land. Although the commissioned security officers has the right to issue citations for violations, the mandate of  a peace officers authority, and powers to arrest is limited to the employers jurisdiction and the organizations property line.  On the other hand, non-commissioned officers conduct of searches and seizures is not bound by constitutional restrains, but regulated by the civil law. Therefore, when performing searches, they are bound by the U.Ss constitutions fourth amendment that requires them to avoid any unreasonable searches that may plunge the whole issue into a deal gone sour scenario. They are allowed to conduct the said reasonable searches following a warrant, or in case of an incidental to an arrest. In the event of searches, the law stipulates the places to be searched upon a reasonable probable cause, supported by an affirmation, to avoid an incidence of invasion of privacy. It should be understood that during frisking, it may emerge inappropriate for a male colleague to conduct a bodily search on a female suspect. This may explode as sexual harassment that may eventually result into a lawsuit.  

Officers are met by adverse resistance during searches and seizures which compel them to apply a reasonable force to defend themselves and others from bodily injuries. The reasonable force can be used to effect a legal arrest, within a certain limit. Security officers should understand to exercise of and what constitutes a reasonable force within their authority, failure to which a civil lawsuit may prevail against the security officer and the organization, which at times may escalate to a criminal prosecution of the security officer. Other than observing the legal constraints, the organizations policies and procedures must be strictly observed.

To train a workforce that is well versed with the civil laws and criminal laws creates a just and fair department that addresses pertinent issues with careful observance of any infringement of the fundamental human rights and freedoms. Therefore, when such cases of felony with reasonable grounds emerge, a fair process of handling the suspects should be followed.

Any evidence collected against the suspect should be treated with care to avoid any interference that may distort the whole spectrum of the issue at hand. The security department should act as impartial body within the entire organization without any bias against anybody, without fear or favour to this cause. Such evidence should be stored in written (both hard disk and soft copies) and recorded as voice.

The suspect should be grilled before any action s taken, so as to assess the circumstances behind his actions. This should entail a whole trail of any colleague inflicted with the scandal or any liaison with the suspect that will enable full fledged and comprehensive evidence that can sustain a trial. When substantive evidence is availed, then the security officer is summoned for an interview and interrogation before an impartial committee in order to ascertain the authenticity f the claims.

The suspect is entitled to a fair and speedy trial process so as to defend himself against the allegations put forward, as provided by the sixth amendment of the U.S constitution. The amendment also allows the suspect to obtain a witness in his favour and to have Assistance of Counsel for his defence.   In the cause of indictment of the suspect, the U.S. constitution five amendment rules against any deprivation of life, liberty and property, without due process of law, or property taken for public use without compensation.

Conclusion
In conclusion, security management personnel should understand and act within the legal limits of their decisions in order to avoid conflicting with their legal mandate. This would in turn assist them evade misinformed acts that may plunge them into the lawsuits as well as their respective organizations. They should restrain themselves from any abuse of their authority and powers vested on them.

It is imperative that security management formulate and avail a more appropriate training and annual refresher trainings to the security personnel that will equip them job functions and responsibilities as stipulated in their professional ethics and act within the organizations policies and the legal prescription and proscriptions.