Security Daily Activity Report (DAR)

A Daily Activity Report — often called a DAR or a daily security log — is the chronological record of a security officer’s shift. It is not the same as an incident report. The DAR covers the whole tour of duty; an incident report covers one event in detail.

What this form is

The DAR is the officer’s primary written work product for a shift. It shows who was on post, when they started and ended, what they checked, and what they observed — including uneventful hours. Clients, supervisors, and later investigators use it to reconstruct the shift without guessing.

What security professionals use it for

Contract security companies use DARs as proof of service. In-house departments use them for shift accountability and pass-down. Supervisors review them for missed patrols, incomplete times, or patterns such as repeated lighting failures. When a claim, theft, or injury is alleged days later, the DAR is often the first document requested.

Typical information included

• Site or post name, date, and scheduled shift times
• Officer name, and badge or license number if your company uses them
• Who was relieved and who later relieved the officer
• Weather or site conditions that affect patrols or cameras
• A time-stamped activity log: patrols, lock checks, visitors, deliveries, alarms, and “all secure” confirmations
• Cross-references to incident report numbers if something unusual occurred
• Equipment or vehicle condition, if issued
• Pass-down notes for the next officer and a signature block

When it should be used

Complete a DAR for every shift on every post that requires a written log — including quiet nights. A blank or one-line DAR (“all quiet”) is usually weaker than a log that shows patrol times and what was actually checked. If the activity log runs out of lines, continue on a DAR continuation sheet rather than squeezing notes into the margin.

Practical completion practices

• Write in chronological order, as events happen, not from memory at the end of the shift.
• Use specific locations (“north dock door 4”) instead of “the area.”
• Record facts you observed. If someone else told you something, say who said it.
• One factual line for a patrol is better than a paragraph of opinion.
• If an incident requires its own report, say so in the DAR and complete a security incident report. Do not hide the event only inside the DAR narrative.
• Note maintenance or safety issues even when they are not “security incidents,” or complete an engineer / maintenance report when that is your site’s process.

PatrolKey’s template is a starting layout you can brand with company, client, and site details. It does not replace your post orders, client instructions, or any legal or licensing requirement that applies to your company or site.

These pages and templates are general resources for security companies and in-house teams. They are not legal advice and they do not guarantee that a document will meet a particular client’s, insurer’s, state’s, or workplace’s requirements. Follow your post orders and company policy.