security officer CJThere is not one specific and clear-cut way of the future in physical private security services. However, what private security guard companies are discovering is that college students studying criminal justice are becoming outstanding private security officers. With criminal justice being one of the most popular career paths and fields of study, there is a plethora of determined young college students looking to gain valuable work experience as private security officers.

Competitive Edge

Students who study criminal justice at a college or university understand the competition within the job market. Law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels are flooded with an abundance of applications for every job that is posted. The students who are motivated and want to get ahead of the competition will do more than simply complete an internship or two. The best students will find a way to gain long-term real world work experience. Becoming a private security officer is an excellent starting point for determined criminal justice students interested in a career in law enforcement.

Knowledge of the Legal System

Criminal justice students take courses in the three components of the criminal justice system: policing; courts; and corrections. Complete knowledge of the legal system will lead to greater performing private security officers as they will better understand the overall impact of the role of security in our society. As private security officers, there are several different legal responsibilities and rights than public law enforcement professionals. Criminal justice students are knowledgeable of such legal differences and are better equipped to act appropriately while on the job. This knowledge makes the student easier to train as well as an individual who greater understands his or her role in safety and security.

Staying Up to Date with Current Events and Research

Criminal justice college students are learning every day, even when the textbook is never opened. There are events which unfold every day involving criminal justice personnel from the public sector and the private sector. These students are constantly discussing such events in a participative classroom setting, allowing for different perspectives to be shared regarding every situation. Current day criminal justice students have the opportunity to understand modern security issues to a great extent.

There are thousands upon thousands of peer-reviewed research journal articles which are available. Criminal justice students at colleges and universities will most likely have access to the most up to date research. Staying up to date on security issues of any size, small or large, will help these students succeed as private security officers.

Writing Formal Reports

In any professional position in criminal justice, the ability to construct well-written and detailed reports is a requirement. With the court system reviewing all actions which are taken, it is important to provide an optimum report. The same is true for private security officers.  Both duty reports and incident reports must be properly written in the correct legal format with correct spelling and grammar. Attention to detail in the reports is critical. Criminal justice college students are constantly writing formal documents, such as research reports and analyses, making them great candidates for drafting detailed reports.