Like any business in today’s competitive corporate environment, security agencies need to utilize technology to stay ahead of the competition. Because of this, more and more companies are providing their officers with mobile devices such as smartphones to help them be not only more efficient on the job, but also safer. To accomplish this, agencies are now using a variety of apps that allow their officers to perform a variety of duties online. Whether it’s completing different types of reports, learning new skills, or becoming certified as a security guard, today’s apps for security guards are able to do this and much more. If you’re ready to discover the possibilities smartphone apps can offer your agency and its officers, here are some of the best apps on the market today.
Best Apps for Security Guards
- Evernote – A free app that’s available for Apple, Android, and Windows users, Evernote is used extensively by security agency supervisors and other management staff. Among its most popular features are note-taking and the ability to take pictures during a walk-through of a facility, which can prove crucial in spotting potential trouble areas or in the event an emergency occurs. In addition to this, the app organizes everything and makes it easily searchable, and also links the information to other mobile devices and computers.
- OfficerReports – If your agency is wanting to eliminate the endless chain of paper reports, this app is for you. Through using the Security Guard Reporting feature, this app lets guards complete virtually any of their reports online. These include Daily Activity Reports, Incident Reports, Post Orders, and more. Available for Apple and Android phones, the app offers potential users a free 30-day trial.
- CPR and Choking– Since security guards need to be prepared not only for criminal activity but also medical emergencies, this app could literally help save someone’s life. The CPR and Choking app, available free for Apple phones, was developed by medical professionals and teachers. Used primarily as a refresher for those guards who are already certified in CPR and first aid, the app features videos showing the proper ways to administer CPR as well as ways to assist a person who is choking.
- iTrack– Very useful for tracking guard’s phones using GPS, iTrack offers a variety of features. Not only can it track multiple guards simultaneously, but it can also track the speed at which they are traveling and provide a street-level picture of their location. In addition, it can also let supervisors see the last six hours of a guard’s location history, which can be useful for auditing procedures. Available for free for use on Apple and Android phones, this app has become one of the most popular apps used in the private security industry.
- Life360– With this app, guards can use GPS to track their location as well as the location of others, send panic alerts to supervisors and law enforcement if a dangerous situation arises, and get maps of sex offenders living near their location. Free for Apple, Android, and Blackberry, this app is expected to add even more features within the next year.
- Nixie – One of the biggest advantages of this app is that it links security guards with law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and rescue squads in their immediate area. By doing so, guards can not only be in direct contact with police and other first responders very quickly during emergencies, but they can also receive real-time advisories and alerts about missing children, road closures, or other types of emergencies. A free app, it’s available for Windows, Apple, and Android phones.
- Guardly – Designed to transform a smartphone into a personal emergency communication system, the Guardly app instantly transmits a guard’s real-time GPS location to other guards, supervisory personnel, law enforcement, and rescue personnel all at once if needed. By doing so, it can prove very useful in the event of a fire or other situation where a guard is required to enter a building to help evacuate others, since the app will be able to track their location step-by-step. Another free app, it’s compatible with Windows 7, Blackberry, Android, and Apple phones.
- Video Armor – A free app for Android phones, this one is able to turn a smartphone into a body-worn video camera. Providing high-quality POV videos, all data is tagged with time, date, and GPS location data. Proven very useful in situations where questions of excessive force or other allegations arise, it’s becoming one of the must-have apps for security guards.
While there are numerous other apps for security guards on the market, these apps offer many features that are needed in today’s dangerous world of security. Whether helping to track an officer’s location during an evacuation or letting them save a person’s life by using CPR, there’s little doubt these apps will prove to be very useful in day-to-day security operations.
