Process serving is a great profession because it offers a great deal of schedule flexibility and is an excellent way to earn money. But, let’s be honest nobody wants to be served with legal paperwork. For many people, being served is frightening because they have never experienced it before. The most people will probably be polite or just be quiet, there are people that will yell and become combative. Process serving is an in person job therefore, it is essential to take precautions and do everything possible to maximize your safety when serving papers. Below, we have made a helpful list of some safety tips for process servers that can be applied in any state.
- Read the paperwork you are serving before hand. There are often clueless about the person you are serving and/or the emotional state of the case. This will help you make a safe plan for serving paperwork.
- Questions to the client about the person you are serving. They may be able to offer some insight about whether the person is angry, upset, is aggressive, and/or has a history of violence.
- Don’t be afraid to turn down a job. You are not obligated to take a job just because you are a process server. If you have concerns, Express them to the client and explain why you will not be serving the paperwork they requested.
- Take precautions when serving paperwork. If it is at night bring a flashlight or only serve the paperwork in a well lit area. Additionally, many process servers recommend that before you ever get out of your car, you should park your car in such a way that it will make leaving quick and easy.
- Any threats or acts of violence should be reported to the police immediately and documented for the case. Though there is some inherent risk with the job, no process server should feel frightened for their safety to do their job.
