Security Officer

University of Maryland Medical System•La Plata, MD

20d

About The Position

Ensures a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for patients, visitors, and staff. Provides core security functions such as patrolling facilities, providing customer service, responding to emergencies, controlling access, and documenting incidents. Maintain a visible presence, supports clinical teams during challenging situations, and follows established protocols, escalating complex or high-risk incidents as needed. Promotes a safe and healing environment through professionalism, service excellence, and adherence to organizational values and policies.

Requirements

High School Diploma or equivalent (GED)
Completion of an approved de-escalation course on crisis intervention required within 90 days from starting in position.
Valid driver’s license is required for all individuals hired into this role on or after April 1, 2026.

Nice To Haves

Heart Saver, CPR, Stop the Bleed and/or Narcan training
Hospital or healthcare experience

Responsibilities

Maintains a visible security presence and conducts continuous interior and exterior patrols to identify safety hazards, suspicious activity, security breaches, and environmental risks, promptly reporting or correcting deficiencies.
Responds rapidly to emergency and crisis situations, including combative individuals, elopements, medical emergencies, behavioral health crises, trauma activations, and helicopter/ambulance arrivals, following direction from senior personnel and using approved de-escalation techniques.
Supports clinical teams during high-risk patient encounters, assisting with safe patient restraint or control only when directed, ensuring all actions preserve patient dignity, safety, and regulatory compliance.
Enforces safety and security policies, ensuring safe and appropriate behavior by patients, visitors, and staff, documenting violations, and escalating concerns to Security leadership as needed.
Operates access control points and screening equipment, including weapon detection systems, ensuring secure ingress/egress, monitoring restricted or high-risk areas, and identifying unauthorized access attempts.
Provides exceptional customer service and guest relations, offering directions, escorting patients, visitors, and staff, resolving routine service challenges, and representing the Security Department with professionalism and compassion.
Use two-way radios and communication systems effectively, providing clear status updates, coordinating assistance, and maintaining adherence to radio etiquette and chain-of-command protocols.
Conducts basic fact-finding for incidents, interviewing involved parties professionally and documenting accurate, objective, and timely information for reports, shift logs, safety violations, and morgue-related entries.
Assists with morgue handling responsibilities, including respectful and policy-compliant transport of deceased patients and proper logging of placements and releases.
Ensures security technology, alarms, and access points are functioning, immediately reporting malfunctions, damage, or hazards that impact safety.
Adheres to post orders with consistent situational awareness, remaining at assigned posts unless properly relieved and maintaining a high standard of professional conduct.
Escalate complex, unsafe, or high-risk situations to supervisors, exercising only limited independent decision-making appropriate for an entry-level role.
Comply with all departmental policies, regulatory requirements, safety expectations, and values, ensuring ethical conduct and adherence to organizational standards.
Perform all other duties as assigned.