Learning About Home Security

Most people see museums as places at which they can learn, but there are others who see such locations as potential targets. Unfortunately for those who have unscrupulous reasons for visiting museums, many museums have security officers on staff whose mandate is to protect the exhibits and those enjoying them. If you're a security guard who is interested in finding a new place to work, there may be job openings at museums in your community. Here are some duties that you'll perform in this position.

Protecting High-Value Pieces 

Although every museum has pieces on display that are of value, there are usually a handful of items that are of particularly high value. While sensors, security cameras, and even cases will provide barriers to theft, museums also commonly station security officers around these pieces for added protection. You may find that you spend part of each shift performing this role. You won't necessarily be standing immediately beside the item, but you may be a handful of yards away and keeping a watchful eye on the piece in question.

Prevention Of Off-Limit Access

Museums have areas that are open to the public and other areas that aren't. While many of the latter areas are protected by access codes, this isn't always the case. Part of your job as a museum security guard may be to patrol the premises and ensure that no unauthorized people have entered off-limit areas. Sometimes, someone will have wandered into a closed-off area by accident and will simply need to be informed of the mistake and pointed in the right direction. In other cases, people who might be looking for unsecured artifacts could be where they're not supposed to be. You'll need to handle such scenarios on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, you may need to detain someone and call the police.

Enforcing Rules And Regulations

There are generally a handful of rules and regulations that museum visitors must follow. Some areas of museums have no-photography areas, for example, because the brightness of a camera flash can potentially be detrimental to certain artifacts. But, signs explaining this rule aren't always enough to keep people from breaking it. You may also need to enforce rules such as the no-photography rule by patrolling these areas and watching for people with their smartphones or cameras. If you see someone preparing to take a photo, you'll need to intervene quickly to explain the rule.