Can I hire a security guard for one day?

What a one-day post looks like

A one-day post is a post like any other, only shorter. Dispatch takes the address, the date, the hours, what is happening and who the officer reports to on the day. A supervisor writes post orders that fit on a page: where the officer stands, who is expected, what to do about the people who are not, who to call and when to release the post. The officer arrives before the start time, in the dress the client chose, works the hours, and writes an incident report the same day if anything happened and a short activity report either way. The client is invoiced for the hours.

The days people book

A termination or a difficult meeting, where HR wants an officer in the lobby. An estate sale or an auction, where a house fills with strangers and cash. A wedding, a quinceañera, a corporate party or a church event. A delivery of equipment or materials to a site that has no fence yet. A film shoot, a store opening, a product launch, a protest expected outside an office. A funeral where the family expects a disruption. A building reopening after a flood while the alarm is still out, which is a fire watch as well as a security post.

Armed or unarmed for a day

Most one-day posts are unarmed. Where a specific threat exists, a Level III commissioned officer can be assigned, and the post orders say how the officer is positioned and when police are called. Armed coverage benefits from more notice than unarmed.

What it costs and what it includes

Single-day posts are priced by the hour with a minimum number of hours, stated in the proposal, and the rate depends on armed or unarmed and on any special requirement such as a vehicle. The price includes the post orders, the supervisor’s briefing, the officer’s hours and the report. There is no separate charge for the planning call.

From one day to more

Many standing posts began as a single day: the termination that showed the lobby had nobody at it after five, the sale that turned into a vacant-house patrol, the event that became a season. The same officer who worked the day can work the post, and the post orders are already half written. The temporary security guards page explains how a short post becomes a longer one.