Mobile Patrol Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: What mobile patrol is

A mobile patrol guard drives a route and checks several client sites during one shift. Like any guard, your job is to observe, deter and report. You are not a police officer, and your vehicle is not an emergency vehicle.

Guards protect mainly by watching, being seen and reporting to the right people.

Observe: watch people, places and activity carefully
Deter: a visible, alert guard discourages crime
Report: pass on what you see by radio, phone or written report

Typical tasks include locking and unlocking buildings, checking doors and fences, answering alarm calls, checking vacant properties and helping on-site staff.

Vehicle markings

Provinces set rules so a security vehicle never looks like a police car. Two examples:

Ontario: a vehicle used for guard work must show the word SECURITY (or SÉCURITÉ) as the regulation requires. It may not have red, blue, gold or yellow stripes outside a crest or logo, or use certain banned terms.
Alberta: the Registrar at Security Programs must approve vehicle markings and any changes to them. Guards on a training licence may not drive a company vehicle.

Lesson 2: Start-of-shift checks

A good shift starts before you drive. First read the pass-down log and your post orders. They tell you about open issues, special instructions and any sites that need extra attention.

Vehicle walk-around

Walk around the car and look for new damage. Record and report damage before you drive, so no one thinks it happened on your shift.
Check tires, lights, wipers, fuel or charge level and warning lights on the dashboard.
Make sure the vehicle is clean inside and nothing loose can roll under the pedals.

Equipment checklist

Item	Why you need it
Radio and charged phone	To check in and call for help
Notebook and pen	To record each visit and incident
Flashlight	For night checks of doors and fences
Client keys and access cards	Signed out, secure, never labelled with addresses
High-visibility vest	To be seen near traffic and in parking lots
First aid kit and seasonal gear	For injuries, cold or bad weather

Lesson 3: Driving on patrol

Driving is the most dangerous part of most patrol shifts. You must obey every traffic law, including speed limits, like any other driver. An alarm call does not let you speed or run red lights.

Distracted driving

Every province limits phone and device use while driving. Alberta is one example:

Hand-held phone use, texting and typing into a GPS are banned, even while stopped at a red light.
Hands-free use that is voice-activated or needs one touch is allowed.
Calling 911 on a hand-held phone is allowed.
Two-way radios are allowed only in some listed work situations, such as escorting oversized loads or search and rescue.

The safest habit anywhere in Canada: when dispatch needs a long update, find a safe place to pull over first.

Parking at a site

Park where you can see the area and leave easily.
Never block a fire lane, hydrant or entrance.
Lock the vehicle and take the keys every time you step out.

Lesson 4: Site checks

Change the order and timing of your visits. A route that runs the same way every night is easy for someone to watch and avoid.

Compare a predictable patrol with an irregular one.

A predictable patrol: the same loop every time, which is easy for someone to watch and avoid.
An irregular patrol: a changing route and order, which is much harder to predict.

On your first visit, take careful note of how the site looks. This baseline helps you notice changes later, such as a door that was closed but is now open.

What to check

Doors, windows, gates and fences: closed, locked and not damaged.
Lights and signs: working and not broken.
People and vehicles that do not belong.
Hazards: smoke, water leaks, smells of gas, ice or fallen wires.

Use all your senses. If you smell gas or smoke, move to a safe distance and call 911 and dispatch from there.

Record every visit with the site, what you checked and the time in the 24-hour clock (for example, 9:40 p.m. is 21:40).

Lesson 5: Alarm response

Get details from dispatch: the alarm type and the zone or door that set it off.
Drive there safely and legally.
Stop a short distance away and watch the building before you get close.
Look for signs of entry: broken glass, open doors, pry marks, people or vehicles.
If you see signs of a break-in, do not go in. Stay in a safe spot, call police and dispatch, and keep watching and reporting.
If there are no signs of entry, follow your post orders, which may include calling a keyholder.
Record the times, what you saw and who you called.

Lesson 6: Working alone safely

Under BC and Alberta safety rules, you are working alone when help would not be readily available if you were hurt or in an emergency. Most mobile patrol guards work alone.

BC: the employer needs a written procedure for checking on lone workers. Someone is assigned to check at set intervals, results are recorded, and there is a check at the end of the shift. Higher-risk work needs shorter intervals.
Alberta: the employer must provide an effective way to call for help, with regular contact at intervals that suit the hazard.

Good habits

Tell dispatch when you arrive at and leave each site, so they know where to send help.
Never skip a check-in. A missed check-in should start the emergency plan.
Agree on a code word that means “I need help” without alerting someone nearby.
If something feels wrong, back off, get to your vehicle and call for help.