Security Training and Licencing

[Ares]

Hello all,

As you can see, I'm brand new here, and fairly new to the security industry as well. As background information, I live in Queensland, Australia and work as a crowd controller, bouncer and executive protection. One thing that has come to my attention as I've endeavoured to learn more about my new profession is the extreme difference in licencing requirements between countries and states. I thought it would be interesting to find out what your state/country asks of you before recognising you or allowing you to work in a security position. I'll outline briefly what I had to do for my licence:

Certificate II in Security Operations - $645
This was a 2 week, 9-6 training course. Topics covered included loss prevention, identifying hazards, patrol requirements, time management, escorting VIPs, escorting goods, how to write legal statements and reports, legal rights of the security professional, torts, legality of false arrest and search, defensive tactics for dealing with attackers and abusive patrons, communication skills and the use of body language, dealing with emergency situations, fire and bomb threat proceedures and evacuation. There were of course more areas covered, but these were the main ones. Each topic had a case study and a scenario for you to explain (in writing) what you would do. The scenarios were quite realistic and tested your ability to apply what had been taught.

Senior First Aid Certificate - Free with Cert II
This was your basic first aid course. Included everything from bites and stings, scrapes and cuts, unconsciousness, ECC, EAR (and thus CPR), drowning, electrical shocks, spinal injuries and so on.

Application for Licence - $220
I applied for the dual security officer/crowd controller licence, so obviously it was twice as much as a straight security licence. For the curious, the licences (security officer, crowd controller, private investigator) go at about $120 each. With the licence I had to agree to undergo a complete police check for anything I had been charged with in the past 10 years, and any domestic or civil violence in the past 5 years. I had to submit a legally certified copy of my birth certificate, three character references, 2 certified passport photos and a detailed copy of my security and first aid certificates.

Those are the bare minimum requirements to work in the security industry here in Australia. And yes, bouncers are considered part of the industry and are held to the same standards in terms of licencing and training. More and more employers are now asking their officers to undergo further training on top of this, including a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate (around $200, I already had one) and a Blue Card which certifies you as being safe to work around children (not sure on the cost, I had one from my tutoring days.) As you can see, the training is quite detailed, and that's before you get onto the job where your learning really begins.

To be honest, I was a little dismayed when I heard how low the licencing standards are in some parts of the world. Anyone care to share how strict (or soft) the standards are where you live? Personally I believe it's the guard's responsibility to make him/herself as well equipped both physically and mentally as possible, and the professionals usually do, so a stricter licencing standard is obviously no indication that the guard will be any better than another from a softer licencing area, but I still think it could provide some interesting conversation.

Have at it.

[N. A. Corbier]

In America, it is left to the states to regulate private industry. There are very few federal laws governing private security forces, save for those that work exclusively for the United States Government as their sole contractor, or provide protective/law enforcement services to the US Government. These are not generally considered "private security," and are more "federal special police" functions. (Just don't tell a FLETC certified Federal Law Enforcement Officer that. )

In the State of Wisconsin, a person pays $95.00 to the State of Wisconsin, and is authorized to perform the duties of a "private security/police person." For six dollars more, and a private company's training course who's market value is about one hundred dollars, you may legally carry a firearm openly. (Any citizen in Wisconsin may, however, anyway.)

Most states do not authorize any additional powers for private security employees, either working directly for a company in an employee-client relationship, or working for a security company contracted to provide third-party security services. Most of the security person's power is derived from their being an agent of the owner of the property, and therefore able to use the property owner's power to control their real property as the basis for their authority.

Some states codify "arrest by private person," which allows citizens to arrest under statute any person committing a "breach of the peace" in their presence. The State of California is one such state. This "arrest by private person" is not a priveliage of working in the security industry, it is merely a right of all private persons in the state.

Other states do not codify the "arrest by private person," but allow for it stemming from Queen's Common Law. Most states will only give strong warnings that only the public police may arrest without warrant, and refuse to address "arrest by private person," as most states feel this would give "wannabe cops" the belief (however right) that they have some authority to arrest.

Other states require armed security persons to merely take the citizen's concealed weapons course, attain a CCW permit, and carry off this.

[Arff312]

The cost of training varies from trainer to trainer. The types of training is as follows for the state of california:

Basic Guard card : 8 hr powers to arrest class. Must have 16 additional hours of training within 60 days and an additional 16 hrs of training within 90 days. Total 40 hours. need 8 hrs of CEU every year.

Chemical agent : 2 hour course. Also must be exposed to the agent.

Baton : 8 hrs. Must show that you can use the baton properly. Must have additional endorsements for Side handle and expandables. must have a 4 hr yearly update.

Tazer : 4 hour course. 2 hour refresser every 2 years.

Fire Arms: 14 hrs. must qualifiy every 4 mths.

You can also get weaponless defense . The basic class is 4hrs. Advanced is an additional 8 hr course. In all to carry the same equipment as a police officer it takes approximately 80 hrs of training. Which is stupid if you ask met when they recieve nearly 700 hrs of training. I feel security officers should recieve the same training in the weapons they carry as the police have to recieve. But who am i to change things.

[N. A. Corbier]

The cost of training varies from trainer to trainer. The types of training is as follows for the state of california:

Basic Guard card : 8 hr powers to arrest class. Must have 16 additional hours of training within 60 days and an additional 16 hrs of training within 90 days. Total 40 hours.

Chemical agent : 2 hour course. Also must be exposed to the agent.

Baton : 6 hrs. Must show that you can use the baton properly. Must have additional endorsements for Side handle and expandables.

Tazer : Will check on this.

Fire Arms: Will check on this.

You can also get weaponless defense . The basic class is 4hrs. Advanced is an additional 8 hr course. In all to carry the same equipment as a police officer it takes approximately 80 hrs of training. Which is stupid if you ask met when they recieve nearly 700 hrs of training. I feel security officers should recieve the same training in the weapons they carry as the police have to recieve. But who am i to change things.

Do remember, that the 300-800 hours of training a law enforcement officer recieves is not just in weapons, defensive tactics, etc. Its also in Constitutional Law, Conflict Resolution, Accident Investigation, Felony Arrest, etc. Since being ASP or Monadnock certified is based off the LE course, the only thing that LE academies could do "more" than the 4 hour course (ASP) or the 40 hour course (PR-24 Protect + PR-24 Restrain) is more situational and mat time.

[Arff312]

Do remember, that the 300-800 hours of training a law enforcement officer recieves is not just in weapons, defensive tactics, etc. Its also in Constitutional Law, Conflict Resolution, Accident Investigation, Felony Arrest, etc. Since being ASP or Monadnock certified is based off the LE course, the only thing that LE academies could do "more" than the 4 hour course (ASP) or the 40 hour course (PR-24 Protect + PR-24 Restrain) is more situational and mat time.

I know that LEO's here get like 3 days of training in Baton, 2 days of OC and about 2 weeks of firearms. Tazer is also like 2 days. they also recieve about a week of weaponless defense. I also feel that the basic course shoudl be more like the police do and cover more into law and such. Now i dont feel all security guards need this. But those who do patrol and such should. If you are just sitting at a post checking id's then this training is fine. But if you do work like i do at the mall (where you are making arrests and taking ) I actually feel that we should be classified as peace officers for positions like this. But im just one person.

[N. A. Corbier]

I know that LEO's here get like 3 days of training in Baton, 2 days of OC and about 2 weeks of firearms. Tazer is also like 2 days. they also recieve about a week of weaponless defense. I also feel that the basic course shoudl be more like the police do and cover more into law and such. Now i dont feel all security guards need this. But those who do patrol and such should. If you are just sitting at a post checking id's then this training is fine. But if you do work like i do at the mall (where you are making arrests and taking ) I actually feel that we should be classified as peace officers for positions like this. But im just one person.

Give it time, it'll take years. There are MANY people who would say that someone at the mall making any sort of arrest (even for shoplifting, etc, even in California with citizen's arrest powers) is overstepping their authority and the state should intervene immediately. Of course, these are the same people who either want sworn police officers in those positions, or they want those positions eliminated because its inconvient to their freedoms/criminal enterprise/distain of authority.

For where I'm from, ASP is a 4 hour course, LE or security. PR-24 is a 40 hour course. But then again, the state isn't out to TRAIN security persons. They're out only to make sure that you are sufficiently warned that you are not a police officer, and that they can demonstrate to the public they are trying to protect them.

Think about the state training courses. They teach you law - when to shoot and <strike>why your life is over if you do</strike> why you have the right to as a private citizen. How to <strike>put rounds down range</strike> hit a target - demonstrating that your physically capable of hitting a man if you have to.

Same with baton. When you can use it, how to use it, and what happens if you use it without justification, criminally and criminally.

Has anyone else noticed the state spends most of the course on "what you cannot do," and not "what you should do?" This usually stems from courses being created to regulate - not train.

Wisconsin's PI Industry Council asked for an additional 40 hours of training in DAAT (Defensive Tactics) to be tacked onto the 18 hour firearms course. In reply, the council was disbanded. That isn't regulating, that's training. The state can't afford to train private enterprise.

[bigshotceo]

In Canada, it's up to each province to regulate security guards. In Ontario (the province I live in, and one of the biggest), there are two types; in-house guards (which are COMPLETELY unregulated), and contract guards (which are somewhat regulated). To be a contract guard, you need a security guard licence. It costs $30 to obtain and $30/year to renew. You must supply a birth certificate and one other form of government ID. You must be free of criminal convictions for five years. You cannot obtain the licence if you have a job that could be perceived as a "conflict of interest", such as police officer, bylaw officer, lawyer, etc...

If you want to carry a baton or handcuffs your company must train you (often at your cost, there's no standard course so the price can vary).

[EMTGuard]

Here's what Louisiana does (from http://www.state.la.us/osr/lac/46v59/46v59.pdf

[Tennsix]

The cost of training varies from trainer to trainer. The types of training is as follows for the state of california:

Basic Guard card : 8 hr powers to arrest class. Must have 16 additional hours of training within 60 days and an additional 16 hrs of training within 90 days. Total 40 hours. need 8 hrs of CEU every year.

Chemical agent : 2 hour course. Also must be exposed to the agent.

Baton : 8 hrs. Must show that you can use the baton properly. Must have additional endorsements for Side handle and expandables. must have a 4 hr yearly update.

Tazer : 4 hour course. 2 hour refresser every 2 years.

Fire Arms: 14 hrs. must qualifiy every 4 mths.

You can also get weaponless defense . The basic class is 4hrs. Advanced is an additional 8 hr course. In all to carry the same equipment as a police officer it takes approximately 80 hrs of training. Which is stupid if you ask met when they recieve nearly 700 hrs of training. I feel security officers should recieve the same training in the weapons they carry as the police have to recieve. But who am i to change things.

One should also realize that our (LEO) training does not stop when the academy is over. Once out of the academy, we train regularly. The academy is just the start.

[N. A. Corbier]

One should also realize that our (LEO) training does not stop when the academy is over. Once out of the academy, we train regularly. The academy is just the start.

Especially since, in alot of courses, the course is 90% classroom, 10% hands on, and that hands on is nothing like reality.

[Bill Warnock]

Tennsix is right on the mark. After the academy, the real work begins. You have the meager foundations. It is up to YOU and masterful supervision to improve on what you have learned. Each day, every day should be a learning experience. If you can say to yourself, I didn't learn anything today, think of leaving the profession. Any day you can't learn something new or experience a modification of what you previously learned, you walked around with your eyes, ears and mind closed.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[S/O245]

I feel training tapes and dvds also help. I have bought 3 training tapes in reference to carrying a gun that show some things i never thought of before. Which I like that. Thats what good instructors are suppose to do teach you things you never think about. Also i bought a tape that is for police and security personnel called ultimate officer survival its a good training tape too. It shows alot of different take downs and different stuff.

The more training we can get the better. But the thing is alot of security companies dont give it. So thats why i take it on my own to get my own training and training dvds etc. I hear that since ohio homland security has S/O's and PIs under Ohio Dept of Public Safety/Division of Homeland Security they are working on training for S/O's across the country. I hear we will be required to have certain training we we get hired and then every yr so many hrs of in service training. The training i got with my security agency was oreientation training about 4 to 5 hrs and then we had in service training which was 4 hrs so i have had about 9 hrs training all together lol. Then on my own i did refresh training for First Aid/CPR/AEd which was about 3 hrs. and include my time with the training dvd about 15 hrs training.

But i just have a feeling unless they surprise me that none of the training ohio homeland security will have us do wil be self defense. Like i said unless they surprise Me. Again thats why i say to heck with them get training if you can on your own. It just may help keep us alive or others alive if something happens.

LOL as u can tell im big on officer safety lol.

Stay Safe All

[N. A. Corbier]

I got 96 hours of mandated Florida State training. Most of it consisted of being bored off my ass, and about 4 hours of shooting at things with a revolver.

But up here, when I say, "I have 96 hours of state mandated training," the local companies are like, "Wow!"

That scares me.

[Echos13]

I got 96 hours of mandated Florida State training. Most of it consisted of being bored off my ass, and about 4 hours of shooting at things with a revolver.

But up here, when I say, "I have 96 hours of state mandated training," the local companies are like, "Wow!"

That scares me.

Indeed. I get the same response from out of staters I come accross now and then. They say things like; "Man, we could use people like you. Come on up and get on with us". My response is; Naw, too cold.

[wisconsinite]

My Biggest Complaint Is...

Unless an individual comes from a military or police background...
the average security officer, new or veteran, has very little hands-on training.
The type of training needed to counteract crime, destruction, mayhem, terrorism, natural disasters, etc. Law Enforcement and Military goes through SO much training, it boggles the mind! WHY CAN'T WE GET THE SAME THING?? And if you do get it, payment comes out-of-pocket. If (we) are to be taken seriously in society and by Law Enforcement, we NEED the same kind of knowledge, training and expertise. I have the feeling that's the overall situation of security officers, here in Wisconsin. Training here in Wisconsin, consists of getting a license, watching some videos, and reading a binder full of Post Orders. I await the day security officers are taken seriously, instead of being taken as a bunch of beatniks with jelly doughnut stains on our shirts.