Texas Security Level II Certification Practice Test 2026 – Comprehensive Exam Prep

The term that represents a security officer's right to detain an individual is known as a citizen's arrest. This legal concept allows a private citizen, which can also include security personnel acting in a professional capacity, to detain someone whom they believe has committed a crime. This authority is based on the premise that individuals have the right to do what law enforcement would do in certain circumstances, particularly when a crime is committed in their presence.

In the case of a citizen's arrest, the individual detaining the suspect must typically have reasonable grounds for believing that the person has committed a criminal act. This right provides security officers with the ability to act effectively in maintaining safety and security, particularly in situations where law enforcement may not be immediately available.

Other terms defined in the context of security may not accurately reflect the scope or process of detaining someone. For example, civil apprehension might also indicate a non-criminal detainment for certain civil matters, while legal hold can refer to confinement under mental health laws rather than typical criminal detainment. Private detention lacks the legal backing that citizen's arrest carries, as it does not generally hold the same weight in a legal context. Thus, citizen's arrest correctly describes the legal authority security officers have in such situations.