Criminal Law

Each U.S. State has its own definition of specific crimes, penalties and punishments. However, the basic criminal offense classification types are the same and are shown in the following table.

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Security guards usually do not have the authority to issue citations due to infractions or violations. These types of offenses usually occur on public property, roads and other areas patrolled by police, not security officers.

Criminal offenses can be classified as crimes against property or against persons as shown in the following table. However, the laws are set up to protect the state, not the individual. A crime is an act against society and the state acts to obtain punishment. The prosecutor acts for the state.

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