Security Patrol Checklist: Free Printable Template for Guards

When to use a patrol checklist

Use a checklist when the same areas get the same checks every round: a warehouse at night, an apartment complex's amenities, an office after hours, a church after the last service. Writing the checks down means a new officer or a relief guard walks the round the same way the regular does, and a supervisor can see what was checked, not just that someone walked past.

A checklist and a patrol log do different jobs. The log records each stop as it happens, with what was seen there. The checklist says what to look at in each place, and records the answer. On a bigger site, use both.

How to set up the sheet

1. 01

   List the areas in walking order

   Write each stop on its own line, in the order the round walks them, using the names on the doors or signs.

2. 02

   Add two or three checks per area

   Pick what matters at that spot: "Door locked and latched", "Exit clear", "Extinguisher present". Past three, they stop getting read.

3. 03

   Copy it for every round

   Fill in the first two columns once, then print or copy that version, so every round starts from the same list.

4. 04

   Mark every line

   Tick OK or Problem for each area, with the time and your initials. A Problem gets a note and the action you took.

What to write in each column

What to check, by area

Use this as a starting list, and cut it down to what matters at your site.

A filled-in example

Here's part of one round at a made-up distribution warehouse.

How to fill it in well

• Check, then tick. Try the handle on every door you mark as locked. A column of ticks made in one pen stroke is a sign nobody looked.
• Mark every line, every round. A blank line means it wasn't checked. If you couldn't check an area, say why in the notes.
• Write the time at each area, not once for the whole round.
• Don't tick OK on a partial pass. If one of three checks failed, it's a Problem.
• Report it, don't just note it. A Problem that needs follow-up should reach a supervisor or the owner the same shift, the way your post orders say.
• Review the list every few months, and after any incident, so it covers what actually goes wrong at your site.

Common mistakes

• Lists so long nobody reads them. Ten areas with three checks each is already a lot for one round.
• Checks that can't be answered yes or no, like "inspect area".
• Ticking the whole sheet at the start or the end of the round.
• Problems with no note, or notes with no action.
• A checklist that never changes, even after the site does.

How long to keep patrol checklists

Keep completed checklists with the patrol logs for the same site and dates. A sensible default is at least a year, and longer for any round that found a problem tied to an incident, a claim or an inspection. Check your contract, your insurer and local rules, and keep them for the longest period any of them requires.

Checklists at each checkpoint, on a phone

PatrolBadges puts the checklist at the checkpoint itself. Each area gets a QR sticker or an NFC tag, and each checkpoint can have its own short list of OK/Problem checks, like "Door locked?" or "Exit clear?". The officer scans with their phone's camera, with no app or account, and answers the checks right there. A Problem needs a note and opens an incident, so it reaches you instead of waiting in a binder. Any checkpoint can also require a photo.

Each scan is stamped with the officer, the time and the location, and routes have schedules, so you're emailed when a round ends with a checkpoint missed. See how it works for warehouse rounds and facility rounds. It's free for 5 checkpoints, and a site with 20 is $19 a month, with unlimited officers.