Security Officer
A Security Officer is an agent employed by Nanotransen to act as law enforcement aboard its stations. While many restrictions, laws, and customs surrounding due process may be relaxed in space, Security is still expected to maintain the base minimum of Space Law, act within the boundaries of their authority, answer to the station's chain of command, and generally avoid being poo. To that end, they are equipped with bright-red suits to make it easier for the crew to spot them and defer to their authority, as well as a variety of Security Gear and Weapons to subdue troublemakers or antagonists. Notably, a person who starts the round as a Security Officer cannot be a traitor.
Security is issued with a red-striped Security Headset capable of normal communications activity as well as a special channel, and the Security channel is definitely the most commonly used of the headsets. It can be used, like all special comms channels, with :h before the message to be sent. Note that somebody within a few tiles of a person using a headset can hear the channel through it. Command officers can coordinate Security activity and conduct oversight, and in general, having a special channel that doesn't broadcast to every person on the station can be quite helpful.
The Basics
This profession has a rather sour and ignoble history in most respects, and without a doubt, this particular job is by far the most scrutinized in the game. Even the Heads don't get nearly so much pressure. By deciding to go into Security you must understand what is expected of you and what is forbidden. Be ready to defend yourself and your actions calmly and rationally at all times.
An effective Officer should personally...
- Be skilled enough with SS13's robust combat engine to be able to consistently hit a moving, resisting human target with ranged weaponry as well as the trusty stun baton.
- Be experienced enough to know that keeping your weapons out is both rude and incredibly dangerous, since you can be disarmed and robbed in the space of a second.
- Be diligent enough to respond to calls from across the station and work with the Heads and AI to get access to dangerous areas if necessary.
- Be measured, reasonable, and tolerant, even with confirmed criminals. A beating and warning is often enough for small crimes. Throw somebody in the brig for something relatively serious. Never kill anybody but obvious antagonists unless they have at least committed an act of murder.
- Be knowledgeable enough about the different jobs to understand the difference between common work and social behavior and suspicious activity worth checking out.
- Be cautious enough to prepare for the unexpected, and ready for danger to strike. Do not assume any area is safe; sometimes even the crew is out to get you.
- Be respectful of normal crew and not hold an attitude of smug or aggressive superiority over them. This is unproductive and can be dangerous if the crew retaliates.
An effective Officer can improve Security as a whole by...
- Staying in the loop and maintaining radio contact with fellow officers and superiors. Keep informed and keep others informed as well. You're a team.
- Assist fellow Officers with dangerous situations. Even two people is so much better than a lone Sec officer going into a situation.
- Properly locking up and stowing Security gear and equipment and trying to maintain secured areas and not allow unauthorized entry.
- Checking up on prisoners and suspects and listening to their complaints legitimately. Avoid harsh treatment if possible.
- Check fellow Security if they're going over the line, carrying a grudge, abusing prisoners, or otherwise getting into terrible Security habits. Change is often most effective from within and a single good Security officer can sometimes be enough to turn his fellows around.
Due to how tough this job is and how reviled it is in some quarters, sometimes you will find your department badly understaffed, and may even end up as the only Security officer on the shift when the round starts. Try not to let this intimidate you too badly; maintain normal patrols, use the radio to stay in contact, call in the Heads to help you if necessary, and try not to let on that Security is weaker than usual to the general population to help keep things under control.
If somebody is griefing you, then for the most part, adminhelp it. Low-level grief is basically a matter for Security to handle instead of the Admins, so yes, chase around that shithead and stun him a time or two for breaking into the Cargo Bay or Security, but if somebody is making it their mission in life to fuck you over, assault you repeatedly, and stop you from doing your job, then you need to get help from the admins, plain and simple. If other Security won't stop being shitty, adminhelp that too, and promptly. Don't try to cover for them or help them be shit; just simply be a good Security officer and keep things from boiling over if possible.