Everything You Need to Know About Modern Guard Tour Patrol Systems

In correctional facilities and detention centers, maintaining security, safety, and compliance requires rigorous monitoring and documentation of your daily operations. Guard patrol systems provide a reliable, cost-effective solution for these challenges. They enable COs to efficiently conduct patrols and cell checks, log inmate observations, and ensure adherence to protocols.

But with many guard tour control systems on the market today, learning about the options can feel overwhelming. We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to assist you in determining if a guard tour patrol software is right for your facility.

What is a guard patrol tour system?

Correctional facilities use different terms for guard tours; they are commonly called “rounds,” “cell checks,” “inmate checks,” or “security walks.” No matter the term used, a guard tour is simply a required patrol by a correctional officer to check on the well-being of inmates.

During a guard tour, officers typically check cell blocks, common areas and perimeters, and document their observations to establish compliance. They confirm that inmates are where they should be and not in distress. Guard tours also verify that doors, windows and other high-security areas are secure and working properly. Patrol activities may also include sweeping areas for contraband, maintenance issues, and any unusual activity.

Modern guard touring systems no longer use pen and paper, removing the need for paper logs. Advanced software and simple devices for logging observations ensure better adherence to guard tour protocol.

For security personnel at most correctional facilities, the primary goals of a guard tour tracking system are safety, accountability, improved compliance, and reduced liability.

What are the benefits of a guard tour system?

An electronic guard tour system for corrections helps officers effectively and efficiently complete patrols and log required observations, like medical and suicide watches. Supervisors and administrators can monitor activity and confirm compliance with regulations. Consider the benefits over a traditional pen-and-paper system:

• Increase accountability – Officers must physically scan a tag at each checkpoint, so you know they were physically present. Automated alarms remind officers to complete observations on schedule.
• Improve compliance and reduce liability – Features like voice-to-text and photo and video uploads make documentation quicker. Digital reports prove compliance and eliminate the need for cumbersome paper logs.
• Improve officer and inmate safety – A well-run, compliant facility is a safe facility.

How does a guard tour app increase accountability?

Most modern guard tour systems have built-in automation and settings designed to facilitate greater officer accountability.

Alarms remind officers about required observations.

A system may employ alarms or notifications to remind officers about scheduled observations. It can require that observations are documented fully before they can be marked complete.

With a smartphone guard tour system, a tap of the device logs the check automatically. Data — like photos, videos and text — can be logged with every observation. Administrators can adjust the settings to customize what data is required with every observation.

Officers must be physically present to log observations.

With pen-and-paper systems, it’s possible to log observations that never actually happened. Comparing security camera footage to logs makes it easy to spot discrepancies.

Guard tour systems prove compliance by using a technology solution, like NFC tags, QR codes or RFID tags. They are placed at key checkpoints that need to be monitored. Officers must physically tap or scan each checkpoint, ensuring that officers physically visit every location.

Supervisors receive alerts before missed watches.

A full-featured guard tour system will alert supervisors before a compliance failure occurs. Then they can intervene and ensure adherence to your policies.

How does a guard tour system improve compliance and reduce your liability?

An automated guard tour system virtually eliminates “pencil whipping,” as automated digital records are not able to be falsified. The system provides thorough records that make it easy to prove your compliance if there is an incident or lawsuit.

Logs cannot be falsified.

With paper forms, checkpoints are often missed, and officers may falsify logs. When a critical event occurs, falsified logs are easily revealed when compared with security camera footage, making defending a lawsuit virtually impossible.

Correctional officer documentation is rapid and streamlined.

A strong guard tour system allows officers to log relevant information when conducting watches and completing incident reporting requirements. The documentation is logged for follow-up action and compliance reports. Some systems include automatic location tagging and the ability to add notes and embed photos and videos in automated reports. Additionally, voice-to-text entry and one-click prompts can speed up correctional officer documentation.

Automatically upload and save logs.

With automatic digital log entries, all checkpoint visits for all patrols are automatically uploaded to a central guard tour online dashboard. With a cloud-based guard tour system, data is automatically uploaded, so supervisors can access real-time data on or off site.

Detailed reports provide proof of compliance.

Supervisors can generate detailed reports with photos and videos, providing a verifiable log of patrols for audit, compliance, insurance and legal defense purposes.

How does a guard tour system improve safety at your jail, prison or detention center?

Officers do not miss security checks or live counts.

With a good guard tour system management software, supervisors and administrators are notified of missed or delayed rounds that could lead to security lapses and incidents that put officers and inmates at risk.

Officers can prove their compliance.

A verifiable system for logging guard tours validates that observations were performed on schedule, reducing officer liability, should an incident occur. Your officers can be confident in their work to maintain order and safety.

Inmates are observed on schedule.

A guard tour control system ensures that inmates who are being observed for medical, mental health or safety reasons are consistently monitored.

What are the types of guard tour systems?

A variety of guard tour systems are in use by jails and prisons today. To identify checkpoints, some systems use RFID tags, others use NFC tags, and still others use QR codes. All systems use a guard tour device, such as a wand or smartphone, that an officer carries and uses to interact with the checkpoint tags.

What are the differences between using RFID, NFC and QR codes for guard patrol tour systems?

RFID Guard Tour Systems – RFID tags are highly durable and enable fast scanning, but they are the most expensive of the options and generally require more specialized equipment. Also, some can be scanned from a distance, so a corrections officer could “short cut” some checkpoints and not fully or closely inspect the area.

NFC Guard Tour Systems – NFC tags are less expensive than RFID tags and are easy to use with smartphones. They do not require an internal power source and are therefore long-lasting and have low maintenance requirements. They work only in the short range under four inches, so officers cannot scan them from far away, nor accidentally scan them.

Life Check is an NFC guard tour system. NFC tags are placed at checkpoints and tapped by officers using the smartphone device.

QR Patrol Guard Tour Systems – QR codes are the least expensive tagging method, but also the least secure. Anyone can take a photograph of the QR tag, and then scan the photo from anywhere, defeating the purpose. They are also vulnerable to tampering and damage from wear and tear, vandalism and weather. They also do not scan as quickly as RFID or NFC tags, adding minutes to every round.

What are the differences between guard tour wands and guard tour smartphones?

Wand-Based Security Tour Guard System – Wands were introduced in the 1980s among the first electronic guard tour solutions. Wands are handheld batons used to scan buttons at checkpoints. The wand stores all the patrol data, which officers later dock to download to a centralized management system. These wand devices are quite durable, but they do not offer real-time tracking or alerts, and have limited reporting features. And while they were advanced for their time, modern smart phones offer greater benefits.

Smartphone-Based Guard Tour Security Systems – Smartphones are the latest generation of guard tour scanning devices. Data is transmitted instantly to the cloud for supervisor monitoring and review. This connectivity allows for the immediate notification of missed checkpoints, emergency alerts and other real-time information. A smartphone-based system allows for additional features, like body cameras and the ability to capture photos for reports. Some systems include rugged smartphone devices that are just as durable as wands.

How does guard tour patrol system software work?

Personal officer devices and tags at every critical checkpoint are just one part of a strong guard tour monitoring system. The other equally important part is the administrative function — a centralized guard tour management software where security managers can customize and monitor the system.

Most systems offer a secure, password-protected dashboard where administrators can monitor activity, access information and run reports in real time. Many offer customizable settings to support your facility’s specific policies.

Data transfer and storage are critical components of the guard tour application. A reliable system ensures patrol data is immediately and automatically stored on the cloud.

Life Check Systems has a robust guard tour management system for real-time monitoring from any computer or smartphone, on or off campus. It functions as a centralized admin dashboard for customizing settings and security policies, and generating reports.

How complex is guard tour system installation?

Guard tour systems typically include checkpoint tags, mobile devices and central management software. The complexity of setup, installation and training will vary from system to system.

For reference, with Life Check, which uses a mobile app, smartphones and NFC tags, it typically takes less than a day for initial setup at a 500-bed facility. Officers training takes an hour or less because the mobile device interface is user-friendly and simple.

How much does a guard tour system cost?

Guard tour prices for correctional facilities are typically based on bed capacity. Fees usually include an upfront cost that covers setup and hardware, and a monthly or annual fee to cover data storage and technical support.

With Life Check, the guard tour system price is based on bed capacity. The average total startup cost for a 200-bed facility is $16,000. The ongoing monthly service fee is a flat rate of $750 per month. Life Check does not charge additional fees for data storage, users or devices.

What additional functionality can a guard tour system provide?

A top-tier guard tour system can also incorporate additional features and functionality to streamline security operations at your correctional facility.

Inmate Tracking – Regulations mandate that jails document inmate counts and log inmate activities. Some guard tour systems may include functionality for documenting live inmate counts. Guard tour systems may enable inmate tracking through ID cards or wristbands. Officers scan the wristband or ID during counts and watches. Inmate location information is stored in the guard tour system software dashboard.

Jail Management System Integration – Often, guard tour systems can integrate with your jail management system (JMS) to simplify and optimize your operations.

Body Cameras – Body cameras can significantly improve officer safety and reduce your risk. A smartphone guard tour system may include bodycam functionality.

Learn More About Guard Tour Systems for Corrections

There are many factors to consider when selecting the best guard tour system for your correctional facility. Our team is happy to answer any questions you have about guard tour systems or how to implement one in your jail or prison. Feel free to reach out with your questions.