06-03-11

Over the past 3 years we have answered the same question dozen's of times. Owners, operators, general managers, managers and countless guards have asked us about the process to obtain the new State of California.

We have answered each question the same way and with the same information. Now, we have created a document for anyone who wants to know. Please feel free to read the document, download it and get it to anyone who might need to know. And, if you have any questions, please contact us directly at 800-672-4136.

California Licensing Process

This outline was created to provide, what we think, is an easy to understand guide for the new registration and training requirements for all statewide In House Guards, Bouncers or what the state now calls Proprietary Private Security Officer or PSO's. The regulatory agency for all of this is the CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF SECURITY AND INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES or BSIS. I hope this information assists you and your managers in their decisions related to registration, training and using our company services.

First, so you know I'm not just giving you another personal interpretation of the law, in 2008, I was appointed the chairperson for the state committee that wrote the training program and guidelines surrounding it. I also have bi-weekly conversations with the state about the law, the issues of getting the word out and the law enforcement perspective on it. Finally, the training program that our company has used throughout the country was the model for the new law and in May, 2010, we were the first California company issued a license to offer the training. Our California license number is P-00001.

Two important points to understand before the outline is laid out. First, you must realize the state licensing process is essentially a TWO PART process and the two components can be delivered in any order. Secondly, the full outline of the law can be found in legal language by searching for California Business and Professions Code Sections 7574 through 7574.34 in your favorite web browser.

Here is the basic outline of the processes.

Proprietary Security Employer or PSE

1. Go to the BSIS website and download the EMPLOYER REGISTRATION FORM. The employer or manager of each establishment that hires PSO's can complete the document and mail it to BSIS with the $75.00 dollar fee. This document must be resubmitted every 2 years with a $35.00 dollar fee to BSIS. Obviously keep a copy and a receipt of payment. Until each venue receives their PSE Registration Card or Certificate, they can check the BSIS website "Verify a License" to download a temporary copy once the registration appears for that venue's name.

2. For more information, see the PSE FACT SHEET

3. The PSE must keep all PSO paperwork onsite for a minimum of 2 years. This includes the following; a. A copy of the PSO Registration Card. As with your PSE registration, once they have filled their paperwork you can use the BSIS website to print a copy from the "Verify a License" section. b. A copy of the PSO Training Certificate issued by the approved training facility.

That's it for the PSE.

Proprietary Private Security Officers or PSO

REMEMBER, this process is not in any order and an employee can obtain training before registration if they choose.

1. Go to the BSIS website and download the PSO APPLICATION FORM. The registration fee is $50.00 dollars.

2. Go to the BSIS website and download the PSO LIVESCAN FINGERPRINT FORM. This is a 3 copy form and must be totally filled out before fingerprints can be done.

3. Find the livescan fingerprint office of your choice and send your employees to get their fingerprints. The finger print cost is site specific but generally runs between 15-30 dollars per person. Additionally, each employee must pay the FBI fee of $19 dollars and the DOJ fee of $31.00 dollars at the time of fingerprinting. The total fee for a single employee to be registered with the State of California is approximately $101.00 dollars. Add in an additional $15-30 dollars depending on the cost of the live scan fingerprint location.

4. The live scan location will automatically send the fingerprint results to BSIS for them to match the results with the registration form sent in before. Only after both documents are at BSIS will they place the employees name on the "Verify a License" section of the BSIS website and this is only IF the employee passes the national criminal background check. You can VERIFY A PSO LICENSE HERE

5. The PSO will eventually be sent a PSO Card.

6. The PSO must attend 16 hours of approved training. This training must be provided by an approved trainer with a state license to issue that training. The 16 hours of training provided must include 2 hours of Powers to Arrest and 2 hours of Terrorism Awareness. The remaining 12 hours should be job specific and totally related to the employees duties and responsibilities. Cost for this training depends on the provider. Be aware that there are company's who are offering PSO training but are not offering the full legal version, the correct legal certificate nor the full 16 hours of training. Obviously they will be charging a lower amount. Just be diligent when reviewing this specific component and the provider. The pain won't come from the inevitable police inspection, they won't know a good company from a bad one. HOWEVER, during any civil litigation, once it's discovered that training was provided by a non licensed provider or that the licensed provided didn't provide either the full 16 hours or job specific training, that civil lawsuit is almost always lost.

7. The PSO will receive a BSIS reviewed and approved certificate of completion and MUST provide the PSE a copy of that certificate. Each certificate must obtain certain mandated material. This certificate must be presented to any law enforcement official if requested.

8. The PSO training is also valid for 2 years. A refresher course of 2 hours must be completed every 2 years after the initial 16 hours.

9. The PSO License is a combination of BOTH the PSO registration AND the PSO training. The PSO license is the property of the employee and can be taken with them to another employer. The PSO can work for other PSE's with their own PSO license at the same time as long as that PSO isn't farmed out from location to location as a rented or leased employee. Another example might be set up like this; You have 2 venues and 10 guards, as long as both venues were owned by the SAME company the 10 guards could work at either location as needed. However, if a venue that isn't owned by the same parent company is short a guard on a Friday night, your venue can't "loan" them one of your guards (legally).

10. One last point.... this is a new mandatory requirement for all in house guards and their employers. There are very specific labor law sections that outline important areas regarding not terminating the employee should the employer want to avoid paying for the licening process. An HR expert should be consulted if further clarification is needed.

What we advise all PSE’s to do is to immediately enact a new HR policy that states that if any potential PSO or In House Guard comes in for a job, the last question before hiring should be "Do you have a copy of your PSO card and Training Certificate?" If they don't, send them to us and we will get them up to speed ON THEIR DIME, not yours. Also, the law states a PSE has 6 months from the date of hire or date of state registration to have the PSO legally trained. This allows a PSE to see if that PSO will work out before they must pay for the training. The training requirement went into effect January 1, 2011... six months later would be July 1, 2011. The enforcement related to the training component can begin July 1 as that is six months after it was required. Hope that makes sense. Another confusing point is that is that we are only talking about the NEW training requirement. The “PSO registration card” has been required since January 2009. This means that if the police knew and elected to, they could walk in tonight and ask for your guards state registration. If they don’t have that registration, they are violating state law section 16240 of the Business and Professions Code and could face upto a $5000.00 dollar fine. Yikes!

Finally, the old Guard Card was the only license available for any security employee for 31 years. The PSO is now the second security guard license available in California. The PSO license was designed specifically for the guards who work in non generic areas such as in bars and clubs. If someone tells you that the Guard Card will do, they are wrong. The law is clear and states the following;

"... a person registered and hired as a proprietary private security officer shall complete training in security officer skills within six months from the date upon which registration is issued, or within six months of his or her employment with a proprietary private security employer."

One other point on the Guard Card; the training provided for years has been non job specific and a killer in any civil litigation.

I hope this all makes sense and can help in understanding. Sorry for how long it is but I wanted to be complete. I believe that any misinformation out there was only because of the lack of understanding. Should you or any of your staff members have ANY questions, don't hesitate to contact us directly.