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October 4, 2023

Top Seven Businesses Where Security Uses Lethal Force

Charlotte, NC October 4, 2023 Private Officer International recently used twenty-four months of news reports and other statistical information from our in-house databases, national news reports, law enforcement data, and other sources to compile the seven types of businesses where private security officers use lethal force the most.

These incidents occurred between October 1, 2021, through October 1, 2023.

These six types of businesses were also the sites where most security officer workplace injuries and deaths occurred during the same period.

We have ranked them from 1-6, with 1, being the business type that saw the most lethal use of force by security officers and against security officers.

  1. Nightclubs, including local bars, hookah lounges, gentlemen's clubs, and restaurants.
  2. Retail, including shopping centers and malls, big box, specialty, convenience stores, and gasoline stations with retail.
  3. Residential, including apartments, condominiums, gated communities, long-term hotels, motels, and single-family homes located in a subdivision.
  4. Armored Trucks including ATM repair technicians.
  5. Casinos, electronic game rooms, poker, and other card rooms.
  6. City, county, and state contracts patrolling public buildings, business/tourist areas, parking garages, parks, public lands, and assignments.
  7. General patrols, foot, and mobile roving patrol services.

Of the use of force by security officers, 27% were deemed unjustified force, often leading to the arrest of the security officer.

183 security officers were murdered on duty.

Although we can not say definitively how many security officers were armed or unarmed at the time of their deaths, we can say that nationally, less than thirty percent of security officers work in armed positions.

Security officers are being targeted daily, and assaults and shooting of security have been on the rise for several years.

Our full-time news staff currently monitors more than 3000 news sources, receives dozens of daily media releases, industry, and police reports, and collects informational and statistical data daily.

Please feel free to report any workplace violence incidents, employee injury or deaths, use of force incidents, or relative security/law enforcement news to helpdesk@privateofficer.com.


Security Training Center® is a professional security guard training company. Our purpose to educate security personnel and organizations in the latest protocols and techniques to keep staff, property and other valuables safe. A proactive approach to security awareness prevents many problems from ever occurring, reducing risk to staff and liability. We teach early identification of potential problems and how to defuse conflicts before reaching crisis. Our staff and advisory board have decades of experience in military, law enforcement, executive protection, private security, defensive weapons and martial arts. Our training programs span the globe and are used on five (5) continents.

Original article posted by Private Officer International. Used with permission.


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