These systems may use magnetically coded strips and handheld, battery-operated readers or optical codes using rechargeable handheld readers. The systems use control points containing encoded data. Inexpensive strips glued to the control points are read by the handheld readers carried by security officers and the time, date, and location is recorded and transferred to a computer. The computer then can help evaluate officer performance, identify neglected control points, and aid in scheduling rounds. In addition to allowing unlimited and unobtrusive control points, the small data strips used by these systems allow easy altering of rounds to adapt to changing conditions. By assigning certain strips carried by the officer with alpha names for commonly encountered incidents which are read when the incident occurs, the systems also provide a means of documenting the time and location of the incident automatically. Electronic documentation systems also have applications in ensuring that equipment checks and maintenance activities are conducted as needed.