Security guard incident report: free template and 3 filled-in examples

At 22:33 a guard on patrol at a retail plaza finds the exit gate arm snapped in half. Nobody is around. Six weeks later the client's insurer asks three questions: when was it found, what did it look like, and who was told? The guard now works at another site and does not remember. The only answer anyone has is what was written that night.

That is the job of a security incident report: to answer questions that will be asked later by people who were not there. The client, an insurer, the police, sometimes a lawyer. This guide gives you an incident report template written for guard companies, three filled-in examples, and the writing habits that make a report useful months later. It also covers what the rules in the US and Canada say about reports, with links to the official sources.

What an incident report is, and when to write one

An incident report is the written record of one event that was outside the routine of the shift, written by the guard who dealt with it, as soon as it is safe to write. It is not the shift log. The daily activity report covers the whole shift in a line or two per entry; the incident report covers one event in full, and the daily activity report points to it by its report number.

Write an incident report for:

• Any injury or medical call, to anyone, including your own guard.
• Any crime or suspected crime: theft, break-in, vandalism, a fight.
• Anyone asked to leave who refuses, argues or comes back.
• Any use of force or physical contact, however small.
• Any time police, fire or an ambulance comes to the site.
• Fire alarms, evacuations and alarm activations that are not a known false alarm.
• Hazards and damage: a spill, a broken lock, a light out over a stairwell, a damaged vehicle.
• Suspicious people, vehicles or packages.
• Complaints about the guard or the security service.

The short rule for guards: if someone was hurt, if force was used, if police, fire or an ambulance came, or if the client might ask about it later, write a report. Write it before you leave the site. Notes taken during the event are the raw material; the report is written from them while the details are fresh.

What every incident report needs

Reports from different companies look different, but the ones that hold up have the same parts. The table is the checklist; the template below puts it in order.

The incident report template

Copy the template below, put your company name on it and replace everything in [brackets] when you fill it in. Keep every part, even when it does not apply: a guard who writes "Police: not called" has told the reader something, a blank line has not.

Filling it in

Number every report and never reuse a number, so a missing report is noticed. Keep the report number on the daily activity report entry for the same event. If your client's contract sets its own report form or deadline, use theirs and copy the missing parts of this one into it.

How to write the narrative

The rest of the form is boxes; the narrative is the part a lawyer, an adjuster or a police officer will read line by line. These habits make it hold up.

1. Time orderNorth Carolina's guard training says: "Write what happened in chronological order." Start at the moment you became involved and go forward. One time stamp per line or short paragraph. If you learn something later about what happened earlier, write when you learned it.
2. 24-hour clock"21:05", not "around 9". 21:05 cannot be read as morning, and a reader can line it up with camera footage and phone records.
3. Plain words"Asked him to leave", not "requested that the subject vacate the premises". Keep to one voice. North Carolina's guard training recommends the first person ("I asked him to leave"); Ontario's training syllabus teaches the third person ("the guard asked him to leave"). Follow the training your guards took. The examples below use the first person.
4. What you sawSeparate what you saw and heard from what you were told. "The cashier, Ana Lopez, told me she saw him take two bottles" is a fact you can stand behind. "He took two bottles" is not, unless you saw it.
5. Exact wordsPut what people said in quotation marks, swear words included. "I'm not leaving, call whoever you want" tells the reader more than "he was uncooperative".
6. Describe, don't labelWrite what you observed that made you think someone was drunk, angry or lost. See the table below.
7. Your actionsWrite what you did, in order, and why. If you chose not to do something (approach, follow, call police), say so and say why.
8. Who was toldEvery call and message: who, when, how. "Told the client" is not enough; "phoned the property manager, Lee Grant, at 22:40 and left a voicemail" is.
9. No guessesIf you do not know, write "unknown". Do not estimate a repair cost, a person's intent or who was at fault. Do not promise anything to anyone, and do not write that the client or your company was to blame.
10. Before you leaveFinish the report before the end of the shift, as North Carolina's training says, "always before ending your shift". A report written two days later is weaker, and it reads that way.

Describe, don't label

Three filled-in examples

These show the template filled in for three of the most common incidents: a person who will not leave, an injury, and damage found on patrol. Every name, place, license number, phone number and case number in them is made up; the phone numbers use the 555-01 range, which is reserved for fiction.

Reviewing, correcting and keeping reports

A supervisor reads every report before it goes to the client. The check is short: every part filled in or marked "none"; times in order and matching the patrol and clock-in records; facts, not labels; photos attached; client and office told; follow-up items assigned to someone. Send it back to the guard to fix anything missing, and send the client the reviewed version within the time your contract sets.

Never rewrite a report once it is approved. If the guard remembers something later, or a fact turns out to be wrong, add a supplementary report that refers to the original by number, says what is added or corrected and when, and is signed and dated. On paper, a mistake is crossed out with a single line and initialed, never erased or covered with correction fluid, and pages are never torn out; Metro Vancouver Transit Police sets the same rule for its officers' notebooks (notebook policy OD040). The original stays as it was, so anyone reading it later can see what was written on the night and what was added afterwards.

Get the camera footage saved the same day. Recorders overwrite old video after a set time, so ask the client to save the footage while the guard is still writing the report, and put the request in Part 4. The FBI's guidance on video evidence from security camera systems says to export the footage in the recorder's own format together with its playback software, to write down any difference between the recorder's clock and the real time instead of changing the clock, and to start a chain of custody record for the copy.

Keep reports as long as you may need them. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta all set a minimum of two years for the records they cover (see the next section). Ontario adds that records tied to an open investigation, inspection, complaint or legal case are kept until it is resolved, and Alberta says longer if they are needed for court or administrative proceedings. Incident reports can come back in an insurance claim or a lawsuit years after the shift, so set your own retention period with your insurer and your lawyer, and follow any longer period in your client contracts. Reports name people and describe injuries, so limit who can open them and give copies only to people with a reason to have them.

What the rules in the US and Canada say

No law we found sets the layout of a guard company's everyday incident report, although some regulators have their own forms for the reports they collect. What the rules do decide is what guards are trained to write, which reports must be kept or sent to the regulator, and how long they are kept. Here is what we found in the official sources.

Guard training teaches report writing

• California. "Observation & Documentation", which covers report writing, is one of the four mandatory four-hour courses on the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services training list. New guards take two of the four within 30 days and the rest within six months.
• Florida. The Class D security officer curriculum gives four hours to "Observation and Incident Reporting": physical descriptions of people, vehicles and property, note taking, report writing and incident reports.
• North Carolina. The state's guard lesson on note taking and report writing lists six elements of a report (who, what, when, where, how and why), says to leave out opinion, and warns that "field notes can become a form of evidence".
• Ontario. Section 4 of the ministry's training syllabus for security guards covers notebooks, the who, what, where, when, why and how, taking a statement, and the legal use of reports, which it says can be needed "for audits or evidence in court".
• British Columbia. Basic Security Training, the 40-hour course needed for a license, includes "report writing" and documenting incidents.

Reports you must keep or send to the regulator

• California: use of force goes to the state within seven business days. A private patrol operator must send the Bureau a written report on form 311-9 within seven business days of any physical use of force or violence by a guard on duty, and of any physical altercation with a member of the public that leads to the guard's arrest, a police report filed by the member of the public, the member of the public needing first aid or medical attention, or the guard being fired, suspended or reprimanded (Business and Professions Code section 7583.2(f)). The same form covers firearm discharges, and a guard who fires a weapon has a separate reporting duty under section 7583.4. The fine for not reporting is $5,000.
• Ontario: keep notes, reports and use-of-force reports. Under the record-keeping regulation for licensed agencies (O. Reg. 434/07), an agency must keep the notes and reports its guards prepare, and a use-of-force report whenever a guard uses force, handcuffs or a weapon, or a security dog attacks someone; each failure carries a $250 set fine (Ontario Court of Justice set fines). The ministry's requirements page says to keep the records for two years, or longer, until resolved, if they are part of an ongoing investigation, inspection, complaint or legal case.
• British Columbia: record every use of force. The province's rules for security workers say: "If you use force, you must keep a record of it", on form SPD 0513 or an equivalent, given to your manager. Force includes blocking someone's way. The Security Services Regulation makes the business keep use-of-force reports for at least two years (section 7).
• Alberta: some incidents go to the Registrar within 24 hours. The province's Security Services and Investigators Act policy manual (version 4.0, amended 2015, the latest we found) has the business report within 24 hours, on form PS3750, a guard's use of a weapon, serious injury to or the death of a guard, serious injury or death alleged to result from a guard's actions, allegations of a criminal offense or a code of conduct breach, and a criminal charge or conviction against the business. Every use of force is recorded; baton or weapon use, serious injuries and dog bites are also reported to the Registrar. Records are kept at least two years, longer if they are needed for court or administrative proceedings.

When the injured person is your guard

• United States. Every employer must report to OSHA a work-related death within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours (OSHA, report a severe injury). Security services (NAICS 5616) are on OSHA's list of industries partially exempt from keeping injury logs, but not from those reports.
• Ontario. Once you learn that a guard hurt at work needs health care, is off regular work, earns less than regular pay, or needs modified work at less than regular pay (or at regular pay for more than seven calendar days), the WSIB must receive your Form 7 within three business days. A late report draws a $250 penalty, and an accident reported after more than 30 calendar days draws $1,000 (WSIB policy 15-01-02). Other provinces have their own workers' compensation boards and deadlines.

Privacy, and reports as evidence

Incident reports carry personal information: names, phone numbers, descriptions, injuries. In Canada, PIPEDA covers private businesses' commercial activity, except where a province has its own substantially similar private-sector law. Ontario has none, so PIPEDA applies there. Its principles say an organization should set minimum and maximum retention periods, destroy or anonymize information it no longer needs, protect it against loss and theft, and let people see the information it holds about them. British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec have their own laws with similar rules.

A report written the same way after every incident is also more useful in court. The US federal rule on business records looks at whether a record was made "at or near the time" by someone with knowledge, and whether making it was "a regular practice" of the activity (Federal Rule of Evidence 803(6)). Under Canada's federal evidence law (Canada Evidence Act, section 30), a record made in the usual and ordinary course of business is admissible where oral evidence of the same matter would be. A report written by the guard who was there, before the end of the shift, on the same form every time, fits those descriptions better than one pieced together days later.

Incident reports in GuardChek

In GuardChek, guards write incident reports in the GuardChek app on their own iPhone or Android, on guided report templates (arrest reports follow a police-form style), with time-stamped photos taken from the phone. Reports save as the guard types. Each report reaches the office as pending, a supervisor reviews and approves it, and it is then ready to send to the client. On the Growth plan and above, clients can also see reports in their own client portal.

The report also sits next to the rest of the shift record: the guard's GPS clock-in, the NFC checkpoint scans on the patrol (guard tours are on Growth and above), and the daily activity report, which is how a supervisor checks that the times in a narrative line up. Incident reports with photos are included on every plan; see our published pricing.

Frequently asked questions

What should a security guard incident report include?

The type of incident, the date and exact times on the 24-hour clock, the exact location, everyone involved with their role and contact details or a description, a narrative in time order of what the guard saw, heard and did, any police, fire or ambulance response with officer names and case numbers, who at the client and the office was told and when, injuries and first aid, damage, photos and camera footage, follow-up items, and signatures.

When should a security guard write an incident report?

As soon as the scene is safe, and before the end of the shift. Write one whenever someone is hurt, force is used, police, fire or an ambulance comes, a crime or suspected crime happens, someone refuses to leave, or the client might ask about the event later.

What is the difference between an incident report and a daily activity report?

The daily activity report is the log of the whole shift, a line or two per entry. The incident report covers one event in full. When an incident happens, the daily activity report gets a short entry with the incident report number.

Can a guard change an incident report after it is submitted?

Before a supervisor approves it, the guard can fill in missing parts. Once it is approved or sent to the client, the original should never be rewritten. Corrections and things remembered later go in a supplementary report that refers to the original by number and is signed and dated. On paper, mistakes are crossed out with a single line and initialed, never erased.

How long should a security company keep incident reports?

At least as long as the law where you operate requires, and long enough to cover insurance claims and lawsuits, which can come years after the event. Ontario has agencies keep guards' notes and reports for two years; British Columbia has businesses keep use-of-force reports for at least two years; Alberta's policy manual says at least two years. Ontario and Alberta also expect longer while an investigation, complaint or court case is open. Set your own period with your insurer and lawyer.

Do security guards have to report use of force?

In several places, yes. California patrol operators must report any physical use of force by a guard to the state within seven business days. Ontario agencies must keep a use-of-force report whenever a guard uses force, handcuffs or a weapon. British Columbia requires a record of every use of force. Alberta has the business report weapon use and serious injuries to the Registrar within 24 hours. Check the rules where your guards work.

Should a guard write opinions in an incident report?

No. Write what you saw and heard, and describe the behavior that made you think something. "He smelled of alcohol and slurred his words" belongs in a report; "he was drunk" does not. Do not guess at causes, costs or who was at fault.

Is there a free security incident report template I can download?

Yes. The template on this page is free to copy, and the same wording is in the Word file linked above it, ready to edit. The three filled-in examples show it completed for a trespass, an injury and damage found on patrol.

Sources

Checked on October 26, 2026. Rules change, so check the current rules where your guards work.

• California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, security guard training courses: "Observation & Documentation" (report writing), mandatory, four hours.
• California BSIS, incident report form 311-9 (rev. 06/25): Business and Professions Code 7583.2(f), seven business days, $5,000 fine.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Security Officer Training Curriculum Guide (FDACS-P-01878, rev. 11/18): subject 5, Observation and Incident Reporting, four hours.
• North Carolina Private Protective Services, Field Note Taking and Report Writing lesson (rev. August 2019).
• OSHA, reporting fatalities and severe injuries and OSHA, partially exempt industries (NAICS 5616).
• US Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 803(6), records of a regularly conducted activity.
• FBI, Best Practices for the Retrieval of Video Evidence from Digital CCTV Systems (2006).
• Ontario, training syllabus for security guards, section 4: report writing.
• Ontario, requirements for security guard and private investigator agencies: record keeping and use-of-force reports.
• Ontario Court of Justice, set fines under O. Reg. 434/07: notes, reports and use-of-force reports.
• WSIB Ontario, policy 15-01-02, accident reporting by employers.
• British Columbia, rules for security workers: use-of-force records, form SPD 0513.
• British Columbia, Security Services Regulation (B.C. Reg. 207/2008), section 7: records.
• Justice Institute of British Columbia, Basic Security Training.
• Alberta, Security Services and Investigators Act policy manual, version 4.0 (amended 2015): sections 6.2, 6.3.2 and 6.3.4.
• Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, PIPEDA in brief, and PIPEDA, Schedule 1 (principles 4.5, 4.7 and 4.9).
• Canada Evidence Act, section 30, business records.
• Metro Vancouver Transit Police, notebook policy OD040: corrections with a single line and initials, no erasing, no removed pages.