South Dakota Security Guard Practice Exam 2025 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Success

In South Dakota, security guards do not possess the authority to make arrests unless they are licensed law enforcement officers. This is grounded in the legal framework that differentiates between the powers granted to law enforcement and those available to private security personnel.

While security guards have a role in maintaining order and ensuring safety within a specific premises or property, their powers are limited primarily to detaining individuals until law enforcement arrives. Arrests typically entail a more formal legal process that includes specific protocols, rights, and responsibilities, which are reserved for those trained and sanctioned to perform those actions, namely police officers.

Options suggesting that security guards can make arrests with training or police certification misunderstand the legal distinctions in the authority granted to security personnel versus law enforcement. Although training can enhance a security guard's ability to handle various situations and may include topics related to crisis intervention and conflict resolution, it does not grant them the same legal authority possessed by a police officer.