02-28-11

For the past 3 years, this law change has been coming. As of January 1, 2011, California will become the first state in the country to mandate job specific training for all in house security guards or Bouncers, instead of the typical, generic, one size fits all security guard training that has been the national industry standard for over 20 years. Many of you from California may already know of the security license known as the Guard Card. You also know that license has never really fit the often times dangerous job and duties of a bar or club security guard. Well, this is changing.

The first step was taken in 2005 when California legislatures passed Senate Bill 194. This bill mandated that as of January 1, 2007, all in house security guards or “Proprietary Private Security Officers” (PPSO’s), must have a full criminal background check AND be registered the Department of Consumer Affairs. This first step created a safer environment for all clubs, bars or any other alcohol service venue that utilized PPSO’s. Then, a short time later, legislatures introduced Senate Bill 666 and another couple years later, Senate Bill 741 was introduced evaluated and signed into law. These last two bills, SB 666 and 741, created and refined a training component for all PPSO’s. The new law goes into effect January 1, 2011.

The training component developed is job specific and can be modified to suit several types of in house guards, not just those working in bars or clubs. Unfortunately for our industry, the powers that be in California decided to jump right in with a very long training program instead of baby stepping the program into the industry a few hours at a time over several years. The training program itself is a total of 16 hours. It combines 12 hours of industry specific training and 4 hours of Department of Consumer Affairs designed training covering Powers to Arrest and Terrorism Awareness.

As of 2008, the Department of Consumer Affairs started enforcing the first section of the licensing program, the registration and background program. The section they are using to enforce the PPSO license is Business and Professions Code Section 16240. B&P Section 16240 outlines the penalty for working while not being licensed and for hiring someone who is unlicensed. The penalty for a violation of B&P 16240 is a maximum fine of $5,000.00 dollar fine for each offense for either working as an unlicensed guard or for hiring an unlicensed guard. That’s a pretty good incentive for becoming a legally licensed PPSO.