What is the role of the Security Officer during an incident?

• A. Provide command and control, coordinate security efforts, protect personnel, and supervise responders.
• B. Act as the sole decision-maker and ignore input from others.
• C. Focus only on arresting suspects.
• D. Delegate all decisions to outside agencies.

Answer: (D)

In an incident, the Security Officer serves as the security lead within the incident command framework. Their role is to establish and maintain command and control over all security operations, coordinate security efforts across teams, protect people and critical assets, and supervise responders to keep the response unified and safe. This means setting up perimeter and access controls, directing security personnel and resources, and ensuring clear communications between security, law enforcement, and other responders while enforcing safety protocols. It isn’t about being the sole decision-maker or focusing only on arrests, and it isn’t about delegating every decision to outside agencies; effective security requires active, integrated management under the incident command to support the overall response.