NCJ Number
145529
Date Published
1993
Length
173 pages
Annotation
Detailed information for developing an effective hotel security program is provided.
Abstract
When guests check into a hotel, they assume they will be safe while in their room. Unfortunately, they may not be. Hotel managers and staff frequently are untrained in how to provide adequate security. This book is designed to assist personnel who are responsible for hotel security in developing and administering an effective security plan. Approximately two-thirds of the book deals with what the author terms "Software." This involves the staffing, training and policies utilized in the security plan. Under the heading "Standard Operating Procedures," the author provides procedures security staff should follow for preventing theft and damage to hotel property, handling of drug use by hotel employees, bomb threats, deaths on hotel grounds, disorderly persons, criminal trespassers and loiterers. A separate chapter deals with investigating room losses including tips on how to determine if the theft was committed by a dishonest employee or a burglar and how to test the honesty of a suspected employee. Keeping a hotel safe and secure cannot be done by security staff alone. The role of other hotel employees, including front desk clerks, housekeepers, telephone operators and parking attendants, and the training they should receive is also explained. The last third of the book deals with security equipment. Various lock and key systems and other in-room security items are discussed along with their advantages and disadvantages. Information useful in selecting an alarm system and safes, and for securing the hotel perimeter is also provided. The author also recommends the allocation of space in the hotel for a well equipped security office.