Post Orders: How to Write Effective Ones

Post orders are the rulebook for a site. What they are, what to include, how to write them so officers actually follow them, and how to keep them current.

Post orders are the instruction manual for a security post — the document that tells an officer exactly what to do, what not to do, and what to do when something goes wrong. Good post orders are the difference between consistent, professional coverage and an officer guessing. This guide covers what to include and how to write them so they actually get followed.

Short answer

Post orders should let any officer — including one brand new to the site — run the post correctly: the duties, the patrol schedule, who to call, how to escalate, and what to report. Be specific, keep them current, and make them easy to pull up on shift.

What post orders are

Post orders are site-specific written instructions for the officers working a particular location. They translate the contract and the client's expectations into concrete, do-this instructions. A new officer should be able to read the post orders and run the post correctly — that's the test of whether they're any good.

What to include

Site information — address, layout, access points, key areas.
Officer duties — exactly what the officer is responsible for on this post.
Patrol schedule — what to check, how often, and the checkpoints (see guard tours).
Access control rules — who's allowed in, visitor procedures, deliveries.
Emergency procedures — fire, medical, intrusion, evacuation.
Escalation and contacts — who to call for what, in what order.
Reporting requirements — what to log, when, and how.
Do's and don'ts — the specific behaviors expected and prohibited at this site.

Write them so they get followed

The best post orders are specific and unambiguous. “Patrol regularly” is useless; “walk the perimeter checkpoints every hour between 2200 and 0600” is an instruction. Write in plain language, put the most important and time-sensitive items where they're easy to find, and avoid vague words that leave an officer to interpret. Assume the reader is competent but new to this site.

Keep them current

Post orders go stale — contacts change, procedures change, the site changes. Out-of-date post orders are worse than none, because officers follow the wrong instructions confidently. Review them on a schedule and whenever something at the site changes, and make sure the version officers are using is the current one.

Make them accessible on shift

A binder in a guard shack only helps if the officer is standing next to it. Increasingly, post orders live in the officer's app, so the current version is in their pocket on every round — and updates reach every officer instantly instead of depending on someone swapping a printed page. That accessibility is part of what makes them actually get used.

Common mistakes

Too vague — instructions an officer has to interpret.
Out of date — old contacts and procedures.
Generic — copied between sites instead of written for this one.
Inaccessible — stuck in a binder nobody reads.

Frequently asked questions

What are security post orders? Site-specific written instructions that tell officers exactly how to run a particular post — duties, patrol schedule, emergency procedures, escalation, and reporting.

What should post orders include? Site information, officer duties, the patrol schedule, access rules, emergency procedures, escalation contacts, reporting requirements, and clear do's and don'ts.

How often should post orders be updated? On a regular review schedule and whenever anything at the site changes. Stale post orders lead officers to follow the wrong instructions confidently.