Surveillance Room Shift Checklist

reference: Surveillance Department Policies and Procedures

Please be aware that when this checklist was designed, we were still operating on VCRs, and it was designed for a time when all cameras were not recording. Some of the material in it may be antiquated. However, it was designed originally as a template, to be modified for individual Surveillance Room use—a reminder of the things that need to be done every shift. Surveillance Room Shift Checklist: Add, remove or modify as needed.

	A)                 Arrive a few minutes early for shift turnover.
	B)                 Clock in and sign in.
	C)                The Supervisor coming in is to be briefed by the outgoing Supervisor. This includes any ongoing investigations and observations.
	D)                In-progress observations and investigations are turned over to the relieving investigators.
	E)                 Start the Daily Shift Report (DL).
	F)                 Check the Briefing or Pass-on Log and email for new information, orders, etc.
	G)                One investigator checks PTZ cameras for positioning and focus, etc. Any camera or recording difficulties are notified to the techs or Director as required.
	H)                Supervisor and investigators read through the previous shift’s DL and any reports from previous shifts to ensure they know what is happening on the casino floor.
	I)                   Check for any new alerts from local law enforcement and/or other casinos.
	J)                   Set up cameras, monitors and reporting system for any special surveillance or Close Watch operations, with the investigator delegated.
	K)                Handle all the operations of the shift.
	L)                 Complete all reports as possible within the time allotted. Record notes, camera numbers and times for those reports which will be completed on the next shift.
	M)               Near shift end, before the relief operators arrive, police up the Surveillance Room and break area.
	N)                At the end of the shift, brief the incoming operators.
	O)                Clock out.

During Your Shift:

• All routine traffic and reviews are to be handled by the Investigator, with assistance as needed by the Supervisor, who has the final word on any decision inside the Surveillance Room.
• Reports are done or reviewed by the Supervisor.
• Major situations from any area of the casino are to be handled by the Supervisor and others as needed.
  • This includes advantage players, determinations of theft or cheating by staff or players, working with Security or outside agencies such as Gaming Control or local law enforcement, or any other situation that should not be interrupted by routine traffic and routine “dealer error” and “player claim” reviews.
• When an Investigator goes on break, any observations he is doing are delegated  or handled by the Supervisor.
• Any floor surveillance is to be done by the Supervisor or at his specific direction.
• When the Supervisor leaves the room for more than a few moments for a restroom or smoke break, he takes a cell phone or radio with him, in case a major situation should come up, or his aid is needed in the room.
• Close Watch operations are delegated by the Supervisor; the investigator does not handle any other traffic while engaged in a close watch.
• All calls into and out of Surveillance Room, excepting personal calls, are logged. Use judgment on duplicate calls from Soft Count, Cage, Security, etc.
• Cooperate with Casino Shift Manager, Security Supervisors, Slot Department and Cage as needed, without compromising coverage of needed areas or taking on tasks that are not really our job at the expense of our proper work.
• When not actively engaged in other work or handling calls, Investigators continually observe all areas: Pits, Cage, Count Rooms, Slots, Drop teams, etc.
• Make note of any situation that needs to be turned over to the next shift. This includes equipment difficulties, ongoing situations in the casino, possible advantage players or teams, changes in the casino, or special surveillance observation or other recording that needs to continue in the next shift.

[Note: certain parts of this checklist may have different policy in various casinos. It is up to the Director and his own seniors to set the best policy for the operation of each Surveillance Room. It is my intent here not to set policy but to show that such policy can and should be carried into the daily operational procedures of the casino. Please feel free to adapt this checklist to your own casino operation.]

Copyright © 1999, 2002 by Jim Goding. All rights reserved. Duplication in any form, electronic or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author is forbidden, is a violation of the proprietary rights of the author and is actionable under law.