Since my old guide is obsolete on account of the various rules and mechanics changes here’s the updated version.
Why you should listen to this guide:
I’m currently the highest playtime Security Officer as far as I’m aware.
This guide is aimed at teaching you the fundamentals of Security work. Other guides may go into more depth in certain areas, or are more comprehensive, etc., but this guide will detail the core information you should know before taking on higher responsibility roles such as Warden.
More on what this guide is not:
- How to deal with every antag type
- How to be a good HOS, Warden, Detective, Deputy or Brig Physician
- How to deal with each type of crime
If you’ve never played any job in the department then this guide might not be the best starting point. Brig Physician, Deputy and Detective all don’t require arresting or managing criminals and are instead easier roles that don’t require the same understanding of Space Law or combat skill. Play those for a few shifts if they appeal to you to get used to the Brig environment, the mentality of being a member of Security, interactions with colleagues and crewmembers, etc.
If the Security Officer job appeals to you, or Warden/Head of Security/Captain then read on.
1) Gearing Up
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Gas mask on, epipen in boots, emergency oxygen tank in right pocket, flash in left pocket, handcuffs in bag (optionally in internals box), turn on the stun baton in your backpack.
Go to the gear room and find a full security locker, grab the secbelt, put the seclite on your disabler and turn it on, and wear the secHUD sunglasses. Move the spare flash in the belt to your bag (optionally your internals box), then turn on your second stun baton and put them both in your belt where they take up less bag space. Close your damn locker and alt-click it to lock it.
Security Vendor
Grab another seclite from the vendor to put on your helmet and turn that on too (unless you prefer berets).
Also grab at least one extra pair of cuffs, one energy bola and two donuts. You’re probably a bit hungry now so have one, save the rest for mid-patrol when you feel peckish from the constant running around and you’re on the other side of the station from the kitchen.
2) Consider A Promotion (optional)
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Whilst this is not part of your written SOP you should also consider getting a promotion to Warden or Head of Security if these positions are absent and you have the inclination or experience.
This is because ultimately Security’s IC reason for existence is to keep the crew safe and healthy in order for them to do their jobs. Aligned with that is these two jobs have a greater ability to keep the crew safe thanks to increased access and they also have responsibility over items which if left unguarded can be very hazardous to the crew.
For example you may reasonably feel irresponsible that the HoS’ nuke disk pinpointer is not held by anyone, endangering the entire station if the Captain were to be abducted. Likewise it may feel like odd prioritisation patrolling small sections of the station instead of utilising the Warden’s camera console to quickly check large portions of the station, whilst keeping an eye on the crews’ health via sensors too and the Armory in walking distance.
Again, getting a promotion is not strictly part of your SOP but it is a common reasonable IC motivation in order to keep the crew as safe as possible, and the station always needs more people willing to take on higher responsibility roles.
3) Patrolling
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Patrolling Basics
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Once that’s done proceed to your department if you’re assigned one and scout it out as well as the nearby maint tunnels. Leave any lockers and crates you spot open, they’re common places to stash corpses and contraband.
If there’s maint rooms which are missing an airlock when they shouldn’t be then tap on the walls with your bare hand to ascertain if there’s a false wall. You can use the map link in the sidebar or visit the webmap site directly to find out the current station’s floor plan. If you can’t locate it then have yourself or another deconstruct the wall so you can properly inspect it.
If you’re assigned to a department you should aim to spend the majority of the time there and nearby maint, assuming there’s a full roster of the security team including ~7 Officers. Other Security can patrol public areas, maint, other departments etc but only you have full access to your department. Keep a close eye on it. Depending on the station and department you may have access to a camera console and additional department-specific ones, utilise them regularly if they exist.
NEVER WALK WITH YOUR WEAPONS OUT. Drill this into your brain. It’s the number 1 biggest mistake newb seccies make. All it takes is a single shove or slip then your weapon is gone. Keep your shit holstered until the very nanosecond you need to use it, and holster it again if your chase ends up longer than a few seconds until you can get in good range/angle to attack again.
Keep your belt open at all times so you can quick-draw your weapons if needed. Patrol with a partner if possible, as they can help if you get ambushed or at the very least escape and call for backup.
Identifying Criminals
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Unlike many other servers, following Space Law is a server rule without much leeway unless it’s justifiable IC, so you need to familiarise yourself with it well as egregious violations could get you role banned from Security or even server banned.
Familiarise yourself with it. Live it. Breathe it. Act on it. As long as you follow it you’ll never be shitsec. The wiki page covers comprehensively what is a crime and what isn’t, so you’ll know what and how to act.
A good tip for identifying criminals is to examine people regularly (shift + left-click) and inspect at what they’re wearing. Are they wearing any gear that is incongruent with their job? Are they blood-stained or smelly? Are they wearing a gas mask or face-concealing helmet? Are they wearing an ID that doesn’t belong to them, or no ID at all, or an ID which shouldn’t have access to this area?
All these things may point to a criminal. If it’s code green you may only search only when there’s reasonable evidence/suspicion that they have done a crime, on code blue feel free to do random searches whenever you feel like it (however you must first give them a chance to comply), and on code red you should be regularly doing random searches if the threat may be a disguised crewmember.
If they’re stationary then use the arresting method detailed in the next section. If they’re fleeing then use shift + middle-click to repeatedly point at them and use the HALT action button of your sec mask to signal them to stop, then you can proceed to arrest them.
4) Arresting
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The procedure for arresting will depend on what the station alert level is, which can be code green, blue, red or delta. You can check the colour of the lights on fire alarm buttons to quickly identify the current alert level, or ask the AI.
Detaining
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If they're stationary then examine them and set their criminal status to Arrest (on secHUDs gives them a red W symbol for Wanted). This way if they flee then a silicon or Security member can quickly identify them again so they can be re-arrested. If you're chasing them you'll only be able to examine them, and have to later scroll back up the chat log to the [Set Arrest Status] link and set their status if you've lost them or once they're finally stationary.If they are fleeing you can only incapacitate them if they pose an immediate threat, on code blue you may use lethal force if they are suspects of a Major crime or greater, and on code red you may use lethal force as long as you can justify it to your superior after the crisis ends.
At the time of arrest you must provide them with the reason why they’re being detained. You can just say the name of the crime and give a full explanation for it back at the Brig, which is usually recommended in cases where there are bystanders you feel may attack you. Tell them you need to detain them as they’re suspected of committing [crime name], handcuff them and pull them so you can be sure that they’re not going to flee.
If you’re forced to incapacitate them then generally speaking you should use the stun baton as it’s quick and accurate - three hits to the head or chest, then handcuff them. But if you’re more experienced then use a flash if you’re certain they’re not wearing sunglasses, because it saves the charge on your baton and you still have just enough time to handcuff them. Or use just two hits of your baton if you’re quick, or a few shots of your disabler. Disabler should also be favoured if you have reason to suspect that they are deadly in close range e.g. sleepy pen, double-edged energy sword, checking if they have the Sleeping Carp martial art, etc.
Keep in mind that stamina damage is constantly healing from the moment they take damage, so it’s better to be safe than sorry and deal out maximum damage so you have enough time to handcuff. A common combo is also flash for the initial short stun, then follow-up with a baton.
Set them to Arrest status now if they couldn’t do it earlier due to chasing them. Next, take them to the appropriate place. If this is just a random search, then handcuffs are not necessary and you can take them to the nearest sec post or you may have to take them to the Brig Holding Cell if you don’t have access to any nearby departments to use their sec post.
If you’re more experienced then conducting a search to the side of more public areas is fine, if you’re sure you can quickly enough check their belongings and nobody is likely to steal them. If they’re wanted for a crime then they’re instead handcuffed and you take them to a Brig cell.
Searching
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Before entering the Brig cell set the cell timer for crime committed. This can be later adjusted depending on what you found during your search. In a Brig cell or sec post open the prisoner locker, maneuvre stand ontop of it and strip them of everything except their uniform. The Space Law wiki page describes thoroughly the rest of the Brig procedure steps.
Notably make sure to thoroughly search their belongings if you have reason to. On Bee exosuits and boots can hold two small items each, so use alt-click on them to check for any hidden items. Search their internals box. Examine their headset to check they have the appropriate radio encryption key for their department. Inspect their PDA for messages and illicit cartridges. Hold their ID and try to use it on the cell door to see if it has Brig cell access on it when it shouldn’t have. Inspect any other items if you have reason to suspect that they’re not what they seem.
If they’re clean of contraband and the search proves any other accusations were wrong then update their criminal status to Discharged and add a comment on their record with some more info e.g. “Randomly searched because they were hanging around Science maint, they were clean”, then uncuff them. If your search does implicate them in a crime however or they’re already implicated, then proceed to Brigging section.
Brigging
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Examine them then click [View Record] and see if the Warden has already noted their crime. Update their record if there’s insufficient info, or your search changed the circumstances or discovered additional crimes. Click [Add Record], for the name of the crime use the Space Law title e.g. Major Trespass, Vandalism, etc. Then for the description write out a fuller description of what actually happened.
If there’s any contraband, items they shouldn’t have (e.g. weapons, department-specific items etc) or items which were used in the crime (e.g. tools and insulated gloves for breaking and entering, sunglasses for resisting arrest, etc) then confiscate those. If there’s many items to confiscate then whilst they’re buckled to the bed fetch an evidence locker, drag it over to the cell then pick up the items and dropping them into the evidence locker below you. Make sure to flash the criminal to interrupt any unbuckling attempt, drag back the evidence locker and return to the cell.
Note if you find any traitor items, weaponry or high value items like Command IDs then give these to the Warden instead so they can put it in the Armory contraband locker. This is partially because Lawyers and Detectives also have access to evidence lockers, and they’re not mindshielded so it’s unsafe to keep these risky items in easy reach of civilians.
Follow the rest of the wiki Brig procedures for finalising the arrest.
Conclusion
There’s a fair amount to know even for the fundamentals but this should cover most of the basics you need to know to be an effective Security Officer. Virtually all other Security guides are outdated in terms of respecting SOP and Space Law, but if you know them well then there is much to be learnt from Security veterans who wrote older guides such as Pretzel, WindowsErrors, etc.
. A decent, albeit small introduction to security. I will say it’s fine for you to set the timer after you process them as long as you reduce the sentence time by about ~1-2 minutes depending on your search time.