Security (Duty Post)

Introduction

Background

• The Starfleet Security agency is responsible for security aboard all Starfleet and some Federation outposts, vessels, and facilities. In this function, they act in ways analogous to local and regional police agencies, but Starfleet Security's mandate extends much farther than that. The agency is responsible for maintaining and enforcing Starfleet Security regulations, procedures and policies on all Starfleet and affiliated facilities, outposts, and vessels. In addition, this agency is responsible for security clearances of all Starfleet/UFP personnel.

• The agency, in close cooperation with Starfleet Intelligence, is responsible for counter-intelligence operations. The agency is also responsible for the security of the Federation President, as well as members of the Federation Council and visiting alien dignitaries.

• It is uncertain what relationship exists (if any) between Starfleet Security and the secretive and unofficial Federation agency Section 31.

• Aboard Starfleet-run facilities and vessels, security was one of the most important divisions in the 23rd and 24th centuries, combining the armory and MACO functions of the 22nd century. Security personnel served functions both defensive and offensive, ranging from security patrols on board a starship, to guarding prisoners, to firing the ship's weapons, to providing protection during landing party/away team missions, and more. In the 24th century the officer in charge of security on a starship was given the title of Security Chief.

Specialised Duty Posts

HAZMAT

• The HAZMAT certification is a joint Medical and Engineering test focusing on the officer's ability to clean up hazardous spills and messes.
• This is mainly a for Medical and Engineering Officers, however a small minority of Security Officers, depending on their qualifications may apply.

Rapid Response

• A joint Command and Security qualification, certifying the individual is capable of a high degree of readiness for rapid response missions.
• If the Rapid Response Officer billet is filled then that officer can administer the certification.
• The Rapid Response Task Groups are also reffered to as Hazard teams, in honour of there founders about USS Voyager.

Threat Response

• This is a Security section test which qualifies one to take a Security or Tactical station in the Operations Center or on an auxiliary vessel. It is considered cross-training in certain limited, emergency duties. The tests reflect knowledge of how to use the ship's weaponry, the protocols for internal security emergency response, and the rules governing use of external or internal force.

• By definition, all Tactical and Security officers on active and unrestricted duty, as well as certain officers designated by billet assignment (such as the Diplomatic Security Officer), hold this certification for as long as they hold their billet.

Demolitions/EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal)

• A joint Security and Engineering test which qualifies an officer to handle explosive ordinance for both placement and disposal.

• This job now tends to be carried out by the Starfleet Marine Corps (SFMC), however few Starfleet Officers hold this qualification.

Mission Security

The Mission Security certification is a Security test which will qualify an officer to serve as a Security operative on an Away Team. Concurrent with their billets, all Security Section officers on active and unrestricted duty hold this certification.

• Medical personnel, due to interstellar laws prohibiting medical officers from bearing sidearms on Away Missions, may not take this certification. Sciences officers are discouraged as well.

• This certification is intended for Operational Support personnel (Operations and Engineering officers) as well as junior Command personnel who wish to be authorized to bear sidearms and serve as adjunct Security personnel on Away Missions. By definition, active/unrestricted duty Security Section officers hold this certification for as long as they maintain their billet in good standing.

Genral Duties

Guarding Vital Areas

• One of the primary duties of the Security department on board a starship or starbase is safeguarding vital areas that may be vulnerable to theft or sabotage, or that might draw intruders. Such areas include the bridge, main engineering, the central computer core, cargo bays containing valuable goods, the shuttlebays, and the brig. When the ship or station is not on alert, guards are routinely posted at security stations on the decks located near these vital areas, able to monitor the security scanners and respond quickly if there is a need.

• For a yellow alert, security personnel are placed on guard at vital points throughout the ship. They may be given special orders regarding access to those facilities (such as allowing no one but the Captain and First Officer access). The security guards allow access to authorized crewmembers unless ordered otherwise. The Captain, First Officer, or Security Chief can also give certain crewmembers access privileges, as needed.

• Under red alert, security guards are posted on all decks, as well as vital areas of the ship. If an intruder alert is sounded, security personnel guard all turbolifts and airlocks, and begin sweeping the ship for signs of intruders. Information is relayed back to the main computer and the Security Chief.

• Standard procedure calls for at least one security guard on duty in the transporter room when unknown or potentially dangerous individuals transport on board. The transporter chief can hold such individuals in stasis in the pattern buffer if necessary to await the arrival of security, and transporter scanners automatically detect any dangerous weapons or other devices, and can render them inoperative before the subject rematerializes, making security's job easier.

Guarding the Captain

• One of the prime duties of Security is safeguarding the commanding officer of a starship or station. The captain is considered a vital element of the ship, and treated accordingly. The captain should have a security escort at all times in red alert situations, and when beaming down into any situation that might become dangerous. The Security Chief and/or Operations Officer helps to safeguard the captain while on the bridge, but additional security personnel should be present if trouble is expected.

• Part of safeguarding the captain involves performing security sweeps of areas before the captain enters or beams into them. Security personnel check for any potential hazards and ensure they are within reasonable limits before the captain arrives. The captain can, of course, override standard security procedures in these matters, but it is not recommended.

Away Team Procedures

• Security personnel form a vital part of Away Team Missions and every away team is well-advised to have at least one security officer, more if the Away Mission is expected to encounter trouble (particularly armed resistance). In some cases, away teams may be made up entirely of Security (and Command) personnel.

• While on an Away Mission, the duties of the Security personnel include:
  • Remaining alert for any signs of danger to the crew or mission.
  • Safeguarding the lives of all away team members, particularly senior officers.
  • Gathering tactical and strategic information regarding any possible threats.
  • Taking necessary action to ensure the first three priorities, including the use of force, but only as a last resort.

• While all Starfleet personnel on Away Missions are expected to remain alert, it is the security officer's duty to look out for potential threats to the Away Team. This includes the use of tricorder scans for hazards (both natural and artificial) and "reading" the reactions of any life-forms the crew may encounter. The security officer should make recommendations to the commanding officer of the Away Team with regards to appropriate security precautions.

• It is important to note that Starfleet security officers are expected to take a defensive posture with regard to possible threats. Stunning (much less injuring) native life-forms "simply because they might pose a threat" is against Starfleet regulations. A strategic withdrawal is normally the most prudent response in a dangerous situation, followed by neutralizing the danger as quickly as possible, if a withdrawal is not an option.

Imprisonment

• There are occasions when a Starfleet crew may find itself with prisoners: criminals they have apprehended, captured attackers, or even unknown aliens. In general, Starfleet crews are authorized to keep such individuals imprisoned until they can be turned over to the proper authorities, either of the planet or civilization that has jurisdiction, or to Federation authorities at a Starbase.

• Each starship or station is generally equipped with a brig to hold prisoners. The brig consists of one or more cells equipped with force fields and a security station. On board larger ships and space stations brigs are capable of holding a number of prisoners. Smaller ships may only be able to hold a handful, while the smallest ships may not have a brig at all. Crews may resort to using guest or crew-quarters as makeshift cells by locking the door and posting guards (perhaps even reinforcing the door with a force field). Most brigs use force fields to prevent any chance of the prisoner escaping via transporter.

• A starship crew is expected to turn any prisoners over to the proper authorities as soon as reasonably possible. The captain, of course, is the judge of what is "reasonable" in these situations. If the ship is already engaged in a mission, the prisoners may be held until that mission is complete and the ship has an opportunity to deal with them. More delicate political and diplomatic situations may require the crew to deal with their prisoners immediately.

• Starfleet regulations require that prisoners be treated well, and that all of their life-support needs be met. In the case of non-Federation citizens, the crew should make every effort to contact the proper authorities of the prisoner's home world, although prisoners accused of crimes against Federation personnel or property should be held over while Federation authorities discuss matters of extradition with the prisoner's home civilization.

Starship Security Procedures

General Information on Securtiy Procedures

• Starfleet uses a large number of security procedures and protocols to safeguard the lives of its personnel, and to prevent valuable Starfleet resources from falling into the wrong hands. Individuals aboard starships may be assigned to separate areas of the ship for Battle Stations, Vessel Evacuation Stations, Damage Control Stations, Intruder Alert Stations, Assembly and Inspection Stations, General Quarters or other degrees of vessel readiness.

• There are different levels of General Quarters, a term describing the crew's readiness for combat aboard the ship. On Star Fleet vessels, the degree of readiness ranges from General Quarters One through Six, sometimes called Security One through Six. Each level has its own tactics to protect the ship and its personnel from capture or destruction.

• As with other procedures, the preparation for General Quarters are modified occasionally to take new technology and security procedures into consideration.

General Quarters Levels

• General Quarters One - This level occurs when the starship is on Yellow Alert. There is no obvious change in ship's routine, though one Security Officer may be stationed on the bridge. All Security Officers are issued phasers from the ship's armory. Sidearms are locked on stun.

• General Quarters Two - The level always occurs when the starship is on Red Alert. One or two Security Officers are stationed on the bridge, and one to four Security Officers take up stand-by positions on each non-engineering deck. Fully equipped detachments of four or more Security Officers each may be sent to the transporter rooms and hangar bays.

• General Quarters Three - This level is most often used during an Intruder Alert. Pairs of armed Security Officers patrol every corridor on every deck. Two Security Officers are stationed on the bridge, and the Chief of Security routinely checks corridors via audio-visual and/or infrared sensor monitors. If the ship is so equipped, its Automatic Bridge Defense System is activated. Phaser sidearms are locked on heavy stun.

• General Quarters Four - This level and above are reserved for major boarding attacks or hijackings. Pairs of armed Security Officers wearing Security armor patrol every corridor on every deck. Security Officers are dispatched to guard sensitive areas, including the bridge, auxiliary bridge, engineering, hangar bay, and life support. The hangar bay doors are usually locked shut, and some security bulkheads may be closed, isolating selected areas of the ship. Phaser sidearms may be set to kill.

• General Quarters Five - All turbolifts are shut down, and all security bulkheads and hangar bay doors are closed. Security Officers are issued personal breathing apparatus, and some or all decks may be flooded with neural gas, a powerful, fast-acting tranquilizer.

• General Quarters Six - Vents from the engineering fusion chambers are opened, releasing fatal quantities of radioactive gas throughout most decks of the ship. Total crew casualties may run as high as 70 percent.

• General Quarters Seven - This regulation outlines some of the criteria used to determine when a starship's senior officers should implement the vessel's self-destruct sequence.

General Security Procedures

• Security Clearance - Occasionally Security Officers will come across information that exceeds their Clearance. In those instances, they must secure the data without further examination and deliver it to their Senior Officer. If field agents are ever forced to reveal classified information, they should reveal as little as possible and express it in the vaguest terms.

• Surrendering - Sometimes Officers are captured by enemy forces. If capture does not jeopardize the mission, an Officer may surrender. If the Officer has a particularly high Security Clearance, they should consider a more permanent method of keeping those secrets.

• Hostage Situations - Innocent bystanders will sometimes become involved in conflicts between Security Officers and their opposition. In hostage or extortion/demand situations, Security must work to safeguard the lives of hostages to whatever extent possible. However, one person or even a large number of people is not more important than the plans for a weapon that could kill millions or billions.

• Taking Prisoners - Security Officers will rarely have the opportunity to take prisoners. If working on a friendly or UFP member world, Star Fleet personnel should turn the prisoners over to the local authorities. If they are operating on a neutral or hostile world where such criminals may not be prosecuted for their actions, the Officers should transfer them to the nearest Federation installation or world. Because of diplomatic relations, they may need to do this in secret.

• Under no circumstances should the Senior Officer risk his starship, crew, equipment or data to transport enemies unless there is absolutely no chance that the enemy can take over the ship

Security Terminology/ Equipment

Communications

One thing that can be difficult to secure is communications. A transmission can be overhead by anyone with a receiver tuned to the proper band, making communications vulnerable. A number of technological solutions have developed to keep communications private and prevent eavesdropping, but for every technique of covert communication, there is a way around it.

Codes

• The simplest means of keeping a communication secret is by using some sort of pre-agreed code essentially an artificial language that conceals the true information of the message. Starfleet encodes high-priority messages and has coded communications channels for (relatively) secure communications through subspace. Species like the Ferengi routinely encode all their communications. In the age of isolinear computer processors, codes can be very complex. Fortunately, with the help of the same computers (and universal translation software) it is still possible to break most codes, given time.

Encryption

• Encryption is a complex mathematical algorithm that scrambles the information content of a transmission. The receiver can reconstruct the message using a special mathematical sequence called an encryption key. Encryption is handled by computers, which are capable of performing the massive calculations required. Complex encryption sequences are very difficult to break, requiring considerable time and computing power. Decrypting a message is an Extended Test of the Espionage (Encoding) skill or Physical Sciences (Mathematics). The turn length is 30 minutes; breaking encryption takes considerable time. The Difficulty and total Test Result required are based on the complexity of the encryption sequence. Most encryption is a Difficulty of at least Challenging, and a Total Result of 30 or more.

Piggybacking

• A common means of covert communication is "piggybacking" a transmission within another, innocuous signal to prevent it from being noticed. This requires a carrier signal of the proper strength (like a subspace transmission) going in approximately the same direction that the message must travel, and detectable by the intended recipient. Successfully piggybacking a message requires a Shipboard Systems or Personal Equipment skill test using the Communications specialization. The Difficulty is based on the conditions, but should be at least Moderate, Challenging is more common.

• One simple means of piggybacking a message is by sending an extremely simple signal, like Morse code or another repeating pattern. This can often be disguised as background noise or static. It's a Routine or Moderate Difficulty to send, but it's more difficult for the receiver to notice it unless they're expecting to get such a message.

Filtering Communications

• With 24th century computer technology, it's a simple matter to modify the sounds and images transmitted in communications. A Shipboard Systems (Communications) Skill Test allows a character to modify a communication, altering its visual and audio components to present whatever image the character wishes. The Difficult of the test is based on the complexity of the change desired. Making the captain look like a Klingon, standing on a Klingon bridge, for example, might be Moderate, while making the captain appear as a Tholian or a Sheliak, speaking in their native language, is Challenging at least.

• A communications filter changes the way the receiver sees and hears communications sent from the ship. For example, a filter might make the crew look like Cardassians, standing on the bridge of a Cardassian ship. This is a useful supplement to the other forms of deception. If a patrol ship's long range sensors tell them they are tracking a Cardassian freighter, and their communication with the ship shows a Cardassian crew on board, they're not likely to suspect that the vessel is really a Starfleet Nebula-class starship.

Computer Systems

• The center of nearly every security system in the 24th century is a computer. Control the computer, and you control the security system. The computer is the "brain" of a starship or installation, making it one of the parts most vulnerable to subversion and attack. Since the computer controls many functions automatically, completely outside the control of its crew, damage or sabotage of a ship's computer can sometimes leave it helpless.

• Starship computers communicate with the outside world in a variety of different ways. They use the ship's external sensors to gather information for navigation, to avoid hazards to the ship and crew, and to provide the crew with useful information about their surroundings. They use internal sensors to monitor the locations of crewmembers, route communications, maintain environmental conditions, and dozens of other functions. Communications (both internal and external) are routed through the ship's computer, and the computer is in regular contact with outside sources of information like time-base beacons, surveillance satellites, probes, and similar objects. Computers on board stations, or planetside, function in much the same way.

Passwords and Prefix Codes

• The above rules assume the character does not have authorized access to the computer system. In some cases, however, the character may have access, in which case only a Routine Computer (Data Alteration or Programming) Skill Test is required to carry out the character's commands. This was the case in the Next Generation episode "Peak Performance," where Lt. Worf accessed the Enterprise's computer from the U.S.S. Hathaway and fed it false sensor data. When Data changed the security access codes, he blocked Worf's access.

• Part of an operation to penetrate a location's security may consist of getting the proper access codes for the location's computer, circumventing its security measures. This is not as simple a matter as finding out a password or a sequence of numbers. Computers in the 24th century are quite intelligent, and generally have voice-recognition capabilities as well, so a password or code may need to be delivered by a particular voice as well. Voice synthesizers may be able to get around this problem. If the computer requires an additional verification like a DNA scan further counter-measures are required.

• Starfleet gives each starship its own prefix code, providing outside access to the ship's computer to other Starfleet personnel. In the event of an emergency, or a takeover of the ship, another Starfleet vessel can use the prefix code to override the ship's computer system and take command of its key functions. In effect, a character on the other ship can operate the ship's computer as if it were an extension of his own ship's computer. Clever and knowledgeable hijackers will change a starship's prefix code as soon as possible to prevent other Starfleet vessels from simply overriding their command systems and, say, shutting down their shields or warp drive.

Command Codes

• Codes can also be used to limit computer access to certain authorized individuals or locations. This is routinely done on board Starfleet vessels and installations; computer users must give an authorization code (by voice, so their voiceprint can also be scanned) in order to access certain restricted information and functions. For example, only the captain and the first officer of a starship can access the ship's auto-destruct system, and only in tandem. The more limited the system's access, the harder it is to overcome its security protocols.

• Authorized characters can also oftentimes change the available access. For example, the captain of a Starfleet ship has the authority to localize command functions, preventing the ship's computer from accepting commands from any locations other than the one's specified. The captain can also lock out any or all of the computer's functions and place a code that unlocks them into the system. Until an authorized person inputs the code, those computer functions are no longer available.

• Finally, as an emergency measure, the ranking command officer can lock out all of a starship or starbase's command functions, preventing anyone from accessing the computer until those functions are restored. This is done to prevent an enemy for seizing control of a boarded ship, allowing the crew the opportunity to take counter-measures.

Locks

• Locks keep things that open closed-from doors to boxes. A lock can be a simple mechanical affair (easy to overcome with the right tools) or a more sophisticated electronic lock. Electronic locks usually have additional security features built into them, such as identifying their owner by fingerprints, retinal print, voice, DNA scan, galvanic skin response, or similar criteria.

Sensors

• One of the prime security measures is the use of sensors, devices able to pick up and monitor certain types of information, sending out an alarm or activating other security measures when they detect intruders.

• Sensor technology in the 24th century is capable of picking up nearly every type of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum (and some exotic energies outside of it), along with biological matter, and even specific DNA sequences. Most sensor packages consist of multiple types of sensors, each detecting something different. For example, a sensor suite might scan for electromagnetic disturbances, ionization traces (indicative of a transporter beam), infrared signatures for body heat and working machinery, and so forth.

Visual Sensors

• Visual sensors transmit a visual image of the area they are set to scan, similar to old-fashioned security cameras. They can be crudely overcome by blacking them out with some opaque material (paint, for example). A more sophisticated option is to install a device that feeds the sensor's data back into it, creating a "loop" and effectively blinding the sensor.

Motion Sensors

• Motion sensors detect molecular displacement traces created by moving objects. The sensors generally have a "threshold" of movement they are designed to detect. If the threshold is set too low, the random movement of air molecules can be enough to set the sensors off. Low-grade motion sensors can be evaded by moving very slowly. Otherwise, its easiest to defeat motion sensors by overcoming the computer that controls them.

Infrared Sensors

• Infrared (or IR) sensors pick up infrared radiation or heat sources, including the body heat of warm-blooded lifeforms. Characters can overcome them by wearing special anti-IR clothing to masks their heat signature, or by programming a device like a tricorder to emit an IR scattering field.

Electromagnetic Sensors

• These sensors detect electromagnetic disturbances of various kinds, including the operation of certain devices, the use of energy weapons like phasers, and so forth. They can be avoided by not using any high-energy devices, although this can make overcoming other sensors more difficult. Characters can also use technology to shield electromagnetic impulses, preventing them from being picked up by the sensors.

Subspace Sensors

• These sensors are fairly rare, they detect disturbances in the subspace field, such as those caused by warp nacelles or a transporter beam. They can detect anyone beaming in or out of an area, and provide information to help track the transporter beam's source.

Starship Sensors

• Starships rely heavily on the data provided by their various sensors for tactical and navigational decisions. Without its sensors, a ship is effectively blind and deaf, unable to detect anything except by having someone go to a window and look out. Therefore, many tactics in starship combat are based on fooling or shutting down an opponent's sensor systems.

Resources

Military Police Entry on Wikipedia
Monthly Investigator Tips

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