How to Security Officer 202?

[The Grim Sleeper]

So you've read the rules, the guide , learned some robusting and are an 'all-round cool'n'good guy'.
So you are ready to go out to protect, serve and be 'an officer of TEH LAW!', right?

Not on SS13 you are not! The station is basically anarchy.
Asking for info has at most a 70% chance of producing accurate, but still useless information.
When you detain a miscreant for anything, whether it is from from stealing EVA gear, breaking into the AI-upload, to lethal assault or to leaving a Air-lock open for 5 seconds, you are the 'no fun asshole' with a 5% chance of provoking a grey-tide.
When responding to a cry for help, you are basically walking into a trap.
Asking assistance is the 10 second window for you to be murdered by the very problem you can't handle alone, and if help eventually does arrive, she's just as likely to fall victim.
The rule of thumb 'Sec can't be traitor' is the one that ends you knee-deep in the blood of the innocent.
And if you do nothing you might as well have played something else.

Guarding is hard, but is there a way to rise above the chaos and save the station from a real threat while still providing a basic service?
What do you do in an ambiguous situation, like when two people are fighting, but neither is an obvious traitor?



What are the pro-tips for both being a good cop, but also survive the madness that is day-to-day affairs of the station?

[Ed Venture]

Here is are some tips I learned over the years.

1. Don't get mad during the job.

This may be hard for some as begin a security officer is soul crushing. Getting mad as a Officer will cause you to make mistakes or worse abuse your power and get you into trouble.

2. Help out when you can and talk to the crew on your down time

The Crew is your friend and though some are piloting on killing you and other crew members you should always make them feel like your friend till you know otherwise. Put the crew's safety above all else even if it means saving someone means the criminal get away (You will most likely get another chance to catch him anyways) once the crew knows you are there for them you'll put a good word in for security as a whole and some crew members may rush to save you like you saved them.

3. Teamwork.

If you have other Officers with you it is essential to communicate with them at all times. Security officers are more suited for their job when you have other Officers who have your back and can share info with you and besides you are only as good as your teammates.
Also if you can take the time to come up with a plan for situations with your security team going in gun blazing does work but sometimes it just gets you killed.

4. Do not walk around with your Stun Baton or Taser out

This is for you Rookie Officers just starting out on the Job. Walking around with either of your weapons out is foolish and announcing to the crew "Hi I have no idea how to play Security" which will cause them to came at you with no fear, disarm you of your weapon and steal it. This is such a foolish thing to do that some Officers may mock you for it.

5. Take the time to learn all the tools Security officers have and how to use them

Security Officers have amazing tools at their hands. I will go though the ones I use and explain why I choose them.

Port a Brig: Sick of having a random greysuits coming up and "saving" the people you arrest? Well not anymore with the Port a Brig! This useful device allows you to put a person in it and send them back to security in a instant! Not only can you teleport it back to the security lobby but you can also teleport it to your location VIA the PDA. WARNING! As useful as it is though it has a drawback while inside the port a brig the person inside can remove his cuffs so once you teleport him to security get back there fast. If dealing with a changeling or any other deadly foe call for back up and get as many officers or heads to back you up as you take the person out of the Port a brig.

Scanner: The Scanner allows you to scan, Finger Prints and Blood and once you enter the ID in you get a Name. This is super useful for tracking criminals

6. Don't be afraid to ask for help

Be it from a HoS, a fellow officer to just asking in mentorhelp. To learn the ropes you'll need guidance, You'll need to get along with others. If you play sec and lone wolf it all the time you won't have much fun with the job that goes double if you never played it before.


7. Use your common sense

This is crucial if you arrest someone for breaking into a place and your first thought of a punishment is throwing him out a airlock then you don't have the right mindset for the job. AS a officer it's up to you to determine how long someone sits in the brig. Keep a level head and punish them how you think is fair without going over the line.



Also if you see a HoS player don't be afraid to ask if you can be their partner. Following a HoS around when you are new to Security is the fastest way to see how things should be done and most would be happy to have you tag along. Also imo Experience is the best teacher but I hope some of the things I said helps you guys out.

[TheOnlyRyan]

The rule of thumb 'Sec can't be traitor' is the one that ends you knee-deep in the blood of the innocent.

There's no place I'd rather be standing.

[Sundance]

Some security officer tips I've learned:

A) Inventory manage, get it down to a T. Have your tools ready at hand. For me it's pda/flash in my pockets, weapons/misc items in my bag, internals/cuffs/flashbangs in my utility belt, cig in mouth.

B) Use your PDA to your full advantage. Have it minimized and dragged to the side or clickdrag it to you when need. PDA message the AI to get a "drop" on someone, most antagonists skedaddle when they hear an officer ask on the radio where they are.
PDA message other players. Requesting info from someone on the radio is often lost.
Always use a port-a-brig unless it's advantageous not to.

C) Use forensics to the full extent possible. Ctrl+c, ctrl+v all analysed results into your notes to review later, particularly noting glove fibers. Note that forensics is in chronological order; the first person to touch the item will show up on the top of the list. Emaggers are hard to get a hold of seen as they're essentially not touching a door, instead look for lockers.

D) Keep good care of security HQ. A broken brig effectively stifles security movement and essentially turns security protocol more anarchy driven as there's no place to put crimers and no place to recoup. The big one to go is the APC due to lack of charge. Get the AI to unlock the interface so you can put a battery in it if there's an outage.
Make sure all security lockers are locked. Compromised frequency is a bad thing. Then make sure the brig is functional and not breached.

E) Communicate, communicate, communicate. A good sec team is just that: A team. The whole "I'm a lone wolf, awoo" is a terrible mentality. Don't join sec if you're going to be silent 24-fucking-7. Some "robust" players do this, and these players often end up dead and un-revivable because other officers aren't aware of their presence or simply do not give a fuck about them. Talk about everything:
"I've arrested X for Y, I'm brigging him for Z time"
"Neat"
The above is great conduct. It keeps other officers informed about who dun it, why they dun it, and how long they'll be in the slammer.

F) Concerning the brig; make sure guys get back their items. Confiscate any item that is a weapon, but leave tools/misc items in the parole room locker. Make sure people know how to leave the damn brig, but don't babysit them. If they break the brig, throw them in solitary, with an extended sentence because they fucked the brig.
If a certain player really REALLY wants back an item, (I'm including traitor items here), accept bribes, but use your head. Don't give them a friggin shotgun back. And make the bribe an achievable item/amount. It makes someone work for their time, and doesn't mock their round up monumentally.

G) Do not underestimate Beepsky and securitrons for dealing with minor crimes. Again, take notes of peoples names (ctrl+c, ctrl+v motherfuckers) and set the securitrons at them.
Most players who done these minor crimes think that they'll get away with it, and often don't expect securitrons chasing them down. When you get the chance, produce 2 more securitrons in robotics, and spread them out.
Also securitrons are particularly useful for A) Nuke-ops and B) Wizards, as they'll target them with a vicious lawful fury.

H) Create a good rapport with other people on the station. Remind them that you are the good guys. Work actively with medical. If genetics/robotics need a hand, help them. Robotics are normally more than happy to give robotic enhancements. Help borgs, you'll find the favour is returned. Don't beat up the clown too much.
Failing that, grow some thick skin and ignore the salt. There is always going to be that one entitled fuck who will be yelling expletives at you because you've arrested him for raiding security with his stolen captains spare. Repeat the sentence over and over to him, put your cig out on him and then chuck him in the slammer and glare at him through the windows. Label him "crimeman" then swirly him. Let those who are too fucking serious about their 2d spaceman fear your hijinks.

[Vitatroll]

I never play sec but I often watch them. The most successful secoffs tend to do three things really well: Observe, Communicate, and Prepare.

Observation includes: 'Watching' the radio; a big one here. Examining everybody and knowing odd things to look for. Listening to station soundscape and knowing what to listen for.

Communication includes: Talking to the crew; silent justice isn't as cool as it sounds. Talking to other officers; can't outrun a radio, punk. Talking to perps; if they don't enjoy rp then all the better.

Preparation includes: Knowing how your equipment works. Knowing what you're getting into and gearing for it; calomel, atropine, and epi autoinjectors are always useful. Knowing how antag items and abilities work. Teaming up where possible. Basically being batman; complete with space shark repellent.

[Megapaco]

1. Don't strip anyone into a orange jumpsuit for minor crimes. I've seen this happen way too much lately as HoS. All this causes is the asshat who did some dumb thing to get even more disgruntled and fuck with you even more not allowing you to deal with real crime.
1a. If the asshat is getting too out of hand and crossing the line to the point of stripping you and possibly murdering you, you should admin help it. It's against the rules for people to fuck with security for no good reason too!

2. In rounds where a changeling or some other antagonist is being stealthy always get fingerprints off the body using your pda forensics scanner. The last set of finger prints usually belong to the person who did the crime. And to add onto this if the person has some sort of glove material on them you can narrow down your suspects to people wearing that type of glove. (Body has insulated fibers go around and look for anyone with insulated gloves and see if you can find the match for the one on your victim.)


3. Like others said keep good communication with security. If there are no other security keep good communication up with the crew or heads of staff.

4. Cant stress this enough. Don't walk around with your weapons out.

5. This one is more of a opinion but officers tend to look more friendly and less "fresh off the boat" when they wear a different uniform than the default.

6. Make good allies and friends. By this I mean always try to get onto the good side of people who can help you out in a pinch when you need it. (Doctors, Ai, Clown, Cyborgs, ect)

7. You arrested a traitor and this is fourth time he's done crime when he got out of jail? Try to think of another punishment. Try humiliation, some super over the top execution, maybe even hand them over to a couple of scientist as a test subject. Many things can be much more entertaining than a silent spacing.

8. As a officer it's always handy to report in what you arrested a person for. There has been countless times where I walk in see someone stuck in the brig and I don't even know what they did and wont know because the officer died or something.

9. You can test a person to see if they're a changeling by extracting their blood and heating it up with something. If the game says something along the lines of "Their blood attempts to jump out and sizzles away!" that means they're a changeling.
9a. Take caution when trying to apprehend a changeling. They can instantly remove their cuffs and sting you while cuffed!

10. The HoS is HoS for a reason. It's always a good idea to listen to them. But to add onto this if you see the HoS doing questionable things such as murdering people and going on a justice rampage it's most likely they've been mindslaved!

11. A traitor has some sort of stims and your stun weapons aren't doing jack shit at all? Use a tranquilizer rifle on them to slow them down and not murder you!
11a. The traitor is too robust for you to defeat? Make a plan of some sort. Mind over matter. Setup a trap, use chems on them, ambush them, trap them in a place.

12. Try to make good judgement. A clown with a clown car going around doing some what borderline traitorous things shouldn't be your priority and doesn't need to be dealt with via murder. Maybe save the spacing for the guy who is going around murdering the whole crew with a cyalume saber.

13. Murder. If a antagonist of some sort has gone around and killed the whole crew nobody is going to get mad at you for having to take them out! But with this said keep slaying down to a minimum. If you can take the person alive then thats usually always more interesting.

14. Your job isn't just catching crime either! You're here to help the crew. See a guy who looks like he may be seriously hurt? Bring them over to medbay. Clown tripped on their shoes? Help them up. A explosion just happen and people are currently dying in the breach? Pull them/throw them out to a safe place.

15. Don't get so worked up about playing security. A lot of people these days are afraid for some reason to play mall cop on a 2d space guy game. Just relax and have fun and try not to take it so seriously. Security is what you make out of it and can be just as fun as other jobs when you find what makes it work best.

[Noah Buttes]

There are two very important rules to follow as a security officer.

1. Respect beepsky and old harner. It just might save your life.

2. Befriend the clown. Trust me on this one.

3. I lied about there being only two. Check up frequently on science department. Half the time, they're making highly illegal drugs and/or explosives.

[Superlagg]

1. Don't strip anyone into a orange jumpsuit for minor crimes. I've seen this happen way too much lately as HoS. All this causes is the asshat who did some dumb thing to get even more disgruntled and fuck with you even more not allowing you to deal with real crime.

This is very true! Earlier today I rolled a traitor and was arrested by some other leading brand of security for breaking into the bar. He stripped off all of my things, replaced them with shackles and a straitjacket, store my precious staff assistant ID and left me in the brig for two and a half minutes. Instead of enacting my plan to emag everything that moved, I tracked him down, penned him, and made sure he spent the rest of the round in space. It was petty and stupid and could've been avoided if he didn't try to get me to play bondage mummy with him! Or if I was anything other than an antag.

[Grek]

1. Inventory Management! Security has a lot of items they want to bring with Put your sec gear in the belt. My loadout is:
Backpack: Sec Box (whistle and a couple flashbangs), Baton, Taser, First Aid, fire extinguisher, hand labeller.
Belt: Forensics Scanner, 2 handcuffs, crowbar, cash, drink (usually hot chocolate).
Pockets: Oxygen tank, handcuffs.

2. The Forensics Scanner is your friend. You can click it to search security records. Put in a name to see their prints. Put in blood or prints to get a name. Use it constantly, even on things you're pretty sure are not criminal.

3. Drugs are for winners. You start with cash and the station starts with drink machines. If you see a green drink machine you've not visited yet this round, put 10$ in and order yourself a coffee. Drink the coffee. All of it. It makes you much, much more robust, and it draws the attention of medical staff who want to know why your entire body is vibrating with cafination. If you find some meth, take it. If you find some crank, take it. If you find saline or analgesic, scarf that shit down.

4. Accept all the bribes. If someone throws cash at you, accept it. If someone left cash on the floor, they clearly left it for you. If you drag someone to cloning, accept their paycheck as a well earned reward. Cash buys coffee. Cash is your friend.

5. You know what goes good with the cool, refreshing taste of Orange Aid? Flashbangs. Orange Aid cures you of audio/video damage, while the coffee lets you get up faster and feel less dizzy. Even if you set it off point blank, you recover faster than the perp. Flashbang away in emergencies.

6. The Segway is not your friend. People in cuffs can get onto a segway and then run you over. It's total bullshit. Do not let prisoners go near the segways, even for a second.

7. Public Shaming makes for an excellent punishment. Has someone been shit in a way that does not deserve being brigged over? Stun them, cuff them and put a label on their forehead saying, "Breaks Into EVA" with the hand labeller. Lecture them on this misdeed and then release them.

[Huff H Law]

When you detain a miscreant for anything, whether it is from from stealing EVA gear, breaking into the AI-upload, to lethal assault or to leaving a Air-lock open for 5 seconds, you are the 'no fun asshole' with a 5% chance of provoking a grey-tide.

I think you're missing the point. Being a no fun asshole is the main joy of playing security officer, it's the most griefey you can get without being a traitor, savor it!

I mean shit some people suicide as soon as they are arrested, expecting to be cloned because the officer is a nice guy, don't fall for this trick guys, space the corpse, no admin will give a shit and you will drive the other guy up a wall.

[Noah Buttes]

When you detain a miscreant for anything, whether it is from from stealing EVA gear, breaking into the AI-upload, to lethal assault or to leaving a Air-lock open for 5 seconds, you are the 'no fun asshole' with a 5% chance of provoking a grey-tide.

I think you're missing the point. Being a no fun asshole is the main joy of playing security officer, it's the most griefey you can get without being a traitor, savor it!

I mean shit some people suicide as soon as they are arrested, expecting to be cloned because the officer is a nice guy, don't fall for this trick guys, space the corpse, no admin will give a shit and you will drive the other guy up a wall.

At least have the decency to turn his corpse into meat rather than just tossing it into space.

[Frank_Stein]

Leave them in the brig as a warning to the others

[Noah Buttes]

Leave them in the brig as a warning to the others

Leave their head impaled on a spike in the brig.

Leaving the whole corpse in the brig poses an escape hazard.

[babayetu83]

play the superior job, the detective

[MollyMillions]

My official personal opinion is that security should be a LOT more aggressive than they currently are on Goonstation, and if I had my druthers we'd have official-ish documentation reflecting this. I can only remember one time in the last year or so when a sec officer nailed me as a traitor. Usually it's some random idiot with an egun or stolen traitor gear--which should have been confiscated by sec.

Opinions vary a little bit here, but as an admin I tend to give security officers a little bit more leeway than other crew members so long as they're acting in the spirit of keeping order on the station. That means arresting the guy who breaks into the AI upload with a fantastic idea for a gimmick law. That means confiscating guns and traitor gear and locking them up securely or destroying them. That means nosing around chem, keeping an eye on the borgs, and busting people for stealing shit or messing up the station.

Arrest guys. Use the porta brig since cog2 is fucking huge. Give them brig timers. Work with the engineers and janitor to make sure things get fixed when they're broken. Drag bodies to cloning. Ask questions. Actively look for both antags and lawbreakers. Coordinate with the sec team and try to be effective. Patrol the brig. Being an antag isn't fun when you're invincible due to crew apathy, miscreants and troublemakers need lawmen to work against, everyone hates non-sec vigilantes, and I personally think it's funny when security is a little bit uptight. As long as you're just upholding space law and not murdering non-antags, you're not breaking the rules. It's actually really hard to accidentally overdo it. If you're ever uncertain, adminhelp.

On a meta-game level, security is responsible for encouraging antags to think creatively and providing them with intelligent opponents. They also help create the oppressive corporate pseudo-cyberpunk atmosphere that the game's lore is steeped in. It's a neat role, and one a lot of people have been too scared to play for the last couple of years, which is really a shame.