OIP 1: The Foundation of Every Diligence Security Officer

Program Structure

OIP 1 spans five 8-hour days: three days of classroom instruction, one day of onboarding, and one day of field training. Training is fully paid, and a written exam is administered across the four classroom days — an Officer must score 80% or higher to pass, with reasonable accommodations for students whose primary language is not English. Missing any portion of the course means attending the next offered session, because the standard is not negotiable.

Company Culture, Mission, and Values

Every Officer begins by learning who we are. Diligence Security was founded on 05MAY2020 and is committed to redefining the security services industry by operating to the highest ethical and environmental standards while protecting our Clients, Employees, and Communities with pride and professionalism — under a simple purpose: Lead. Serve. Protect. Our core values shape every hire: Adaptive, Ethical, Dependable, and Diligent.

The Basic Role of the Security Officer

Officers learn that their fundamental role is to deter, detect, and report crime, fire, unusual events, emergencies, and suspicious activity. We emphasize situational awareness, careful information sharing (proprietary versus confidential), Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and maintaining a professional image for the entire industry. Above all, we protect people — never property or loss prevention through force.

The Task Priority Continuum

A defining part of the Diligence Security approach is our Task Priority Continuum, which orders every Officer's duties: Service with Compassion first, then being a Strong Communicator, then Safety & Security, and finally Rules Enforcement. This ordering keeps our Officers approachable and people-focused rather than heavy-handed, and it is the reason our Clients trust our Team on sensitive sites.

Washington State Licensing Law

A significant block of OIP 1 is devoted to the law. Officers study licensing requirements and age minimums (18 for unarmed, 21 for armed), guard-card rules and expirations, armed-work restrictions, disclosure of criminal history, and the difference between felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors. They learn arrest authority under RCW 10.31.100, citizen detainment versus arrest, and the crucial fact that Security Officers hold the same legal authority as private citizens — we are not law enforcement.

Post Orders and Professional Conduct

Officers commit to core post orders: secure everything within the limits of the post and leave only when properly relieved; report violations, emergencies, and serious crimes up the chain of command; and use force only when reasonable and necessary to prevent injury to a person, never to protect property. We also train our marketing and communication standards — capitalization of official titles, military date and time formatting (e.g. 21MAR2024 @ 1530), radio and phone protocol, and professional, gender-neutral language.

Observation, Awareness, and Information Security

Observation is an Officer's single most powerful skill, and situational awareness degrades without deliberate practice — complacency kills. Officers learn to investigate and report what they observe, protect confidential and proprietary information (including alarm codes and Site Instructions), and keep sensitive material digital and secured rather than printed. The curriculum also covers cardinal directions, hand gestures and their global meanings, service-animal law, and insurance types and scenarios.

Safety, Hazards, and Drug Awareness

Because vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury in the security industry, safety is treated seriously. Officers study accident prevention, hazardous materials, faulty mechanical equipment response, and drug awareness — including recognizing paraphernalia, the growing risk of fentanyl exposure, proper use of nitrile gloves and KN95 masks, and exposure response.

Emergency Response

OIP 1 builds a structured response for every major emergency an Officer may face: incidents and lockdowns, fire preparedness and survival, medical emergencies and the Good Samaritan framework, bomb threats and suspicious packages, and faulty mechanical equipment. These skills directly support our 24/7 Emergency Response and Emergency Fire Watch services.

Medical Training

Officers receive practical medical training built around securing the scene, determining the four levels of consciousness, and rallying bystanders while 911 is called. Hands-on skills include the ABCs, LifeVac and abdominal thrusts, chest compressions and CPR, CAT tourniquet application and bleeding control, body scans for injury, and recovery positioning — always delivered with warmth and reassurance to the patient.

Fire Watch Officer Training

The newest and most substantial addition to OIP 1 is a full Fire Watch Officer curriculum, the training behind our dedicated Emergency Fire Watch Officer Team. It meets or exceeds WISHA and OSHA standards and is grounded in NFPA and International Fire Code requirements. Officers learn why a fire marshal mandates a manual fire watch — compromised alarms, sprinklers, or suppression loops, and hazardous hot work such as welding, grinding, or cutting — and their role as a human firewall until systems are restored.

The module is genuinely technical. Officers study the fire tetrahedron (fuel, heat, oxygen, and the chemical chain reaction) and fuel classifications; how to read smoke by color, velocity, volume, and density; the 35-foot hot-work danger zone and post-work reflash watch; and continuous documentation in a digital fire watch log updated every 15 to 30 minutes and shared with the Fire Marshal or Chief. They learn the P.A.S.S. method for incipient-stage fires (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep) and the correct use and limits of AFFF, CO₂, Purple-K/PKP, and Halon suppression systems, fire alarm control panel signals (alarm, trouble, supervisory), advanced fire behavior such as flashover and backdraft, and strict evacuation and accountability SOPs when a fire cannot be stopped safely.

Use of Force and the Escalation of Force Continuum

Officers study when force is legally permitted — Means, Opportunity, and Threat (MOT) — and then learn our five-level Escalation of Force Continuum: Level 1 physical presence, Level 2 verbal and non-verbal communication, Level 3 physical contact, and higher levels of body control, reserving deadly force only for immediate fear of death or serious bodily injury. De-escalation is woven through every level, with heavy emphasis on gaining rapport before compliance and the discipline of "Ask, Tell, Make."

Logs, Reports, and Avoiding Liability

Finally, Officers are trained to document to a customer-facing standard: unique, complete Security Log entries with no gaps, concise Incident Logs, and clear Incident Reports written in active voice using who, what, when, where, why, and how. Detailed, accurate documentation is the single most effective way to minimize liability for both the Officer and Diligence Security.

End of Probation: Duty Belt and Certification

At the end of a Diligence Security Officer's probationary period — after OIP 1 and successful field performance — Officers are formally issued their duty belt along with handcuff and pepper spray training. This is a milestone: the Officer has proven they represent our core values of Adaptive, Ethical, Dependable, and Diligent on post, and they are trusted with the tools that come with the standard.

Patrol Officers additionally complete four hours of extensive drivers training before gaining access to the Company fleet, and Supervisors complete eight hours of supervisory training that also includes TASER training and issuance.

What Comes After OIP 1

Officers who complete OIP 1 and pass probation become eligible for advanced OIP 2 training and structured promotion. Learn more on our Officer Training overview, explore Careers, or read Frequently asked questions.