Hospitality Security ─ Managing Security in Today's Hotel, Lodging, Entertainment, and Tourism Environment

A security director must have knowledge of criminal and civil law, risk and personnel management, budgeting and finance, and a host of other areas in order to be effective. Hospitality Security: Managing Security in Today’s Hotel, Lodging, Entertainment, and Tourism Environment provides experience-based, proven methods for preventing and resolving the challenges faced by today’s hospitality practitioner.Designed for both novice security professionals and industry veterans in need of a reference, the book covers:

Risk assessment, where threats and vulnerabilities are calculated with probabilities to determine risk
The security plan, where you decide how to apply various layers of control to mitigate the risks
Budgeting: the amount of money available to implement the plan determines the next step
Policies: how to document policies into a security manual, training manual, emergency procedures manual, and incident action plan
Staffing: scheduling, wages, deployment, and contract security
Training, including specialized topics such as use of force and bike patrol
Physical security and patrol procedures
Alarm and camera systems and various software programs
Emergency procedures and response
Investigations, interviews, and crime analysis
Executive skills: learning from proven leadership styles


Ideal for novices and veterans alike, this accessible, reader-friendly primer enables security directors to evaluate what risks are inherent to hospitality environments, analyze those risks through threat and vulnerability assessments, and develop methods to mitigate or eliminate them—all the while keeping customers and personnel safe and improving the bottom line.

Darrell Clifton, CPP, is Director of Security at Circus Circus Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada. During his 25 years in Security Management, he has spearheaded the creation, writing, and implementation of new policies and programs on such topics as Workplace Violence Prevention, Hotel Security, Casino Security and Surveillance, Crime Prevention, Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity, Drug Recognition, and many others. Clifton chairs several community and national organizations, including the Downtown Police Tax District, Alcohol Advisory Board, Washoe County Business Preparedness Committee, and the Northern Nevada Chapter of American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS). He also sits on the board of directors for Secret Witness, AlertID, and is the vice chairman of the Hospitality, Entertainment and Tourism Council. He is a frequent contributor to Security Magazine, Casino Journal, and a speaker at ASIS; Reed Exhibitions; University of Nevada, Reno; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Gamepath. Clifton is also a FEMA-certified Continuity of Operations Manager and participates in several state task forces to plan, write, and implement Continuity of Operations (COOP), Continuity of Government (COG), and other emergency plans. He was named by Security Magazine as one of the most influential people in the security industry.

PLANNINGRisk Assessment External Risk Assessment Internal Risk Assessment Gathering Local Crime Data Compiling Local Crime Data Gathering Proprietary Incident Data Gathering Market Incident Data Determining Likelihood Determining Risk Foreseeability Managing Foreseeability Security PlanSecurity Plan Outlining the Plan Specialized Patrol Medical Program Antiterrorism Domestic Terrorism Data Security Data Investigations Budgeting Budgeting Basics The Paperwork Your Budget Capital Expenses Security Revenue Justifying Security in a Down Market Making Those Cuts POLICIESSecurity Manuals Hierarchy of Rules Types of Manuals Creating the Outline Writing the Manual Emergency Manual Incident Action Plan Staffing Hiring Background Drug Testing Before Hiring Orientation Deployment Schedules Wage Structure Officer Development Program (ODP) Proprietary versus Contract Management Training Funding Training Training Program Use of Force Policy Special Training Documentation Safety Program Accidents Risk Management Security Awareness Workplace Violence Domestic Violence Bed Bugs PHYSICAL SECURITY Patrol Procedures Posts Post Orders Hotel Policies and Procedures Restrooms Lost and Found Restaurants Retail Policies Flash Mobs Spas and Pools Valet Conventions Parking Casino Security Nightclubs and Bars Security Measures Systems and Equipment Fire Alarms Panic Alarms Intrusion Alarms Other Monitoring Systems Access Control Key Control CCT V Reporting Software Tracking Systems Lost and Found Employee Lockers Key Dispensers Emergency Procedures Planning National Incident Management System Business Continuity Emergency Response Investigations Preliminary Investigations Report Writing Investigations Analysis Special Operations Drug Testing Prostitution Abandoned Luggage Internal Crime Background Checks THE SECURITY EXECUTIVEExecutive Skills Executive Growth Finding Your Place Cooperation and Collaboration Executive Meetings Communicating with the Boss Communicating with Your Staff Personal Growth Personal Habits Networking Collaborating with Other Properties Regional Disaster Planning Summary INDEX