Regulate Private Security Officers & Agencies

An individual must obtain an event security officer or a commercial security officer license from the board; and A private security employer must obtain a registration from the board.

Additionally, only a licensed commercial security officer may be authorized to carry a firearm or nonlethal weapon and must first obtain a board-issued weapon endorsement to do so. Law enforcement officers who are certified by the peace officers standards and training board are exempt from the licensure and weapon endorsement requirements.

The bill establishes requirements and qualifications for obtaining a license, weapon endorsement, or registration, as applicable, including:

Obtaining a fingerprint-based criminal history record check to verify that the applicant has not committed a disqualifying criminal offense; Completing specified training and successfully passing an assessment; Satisfying minimum age requirements; and For an employer registration, having the requisite level of experience and professional liability insurance and a policy for training newly licensed employees.

Pending the results of the required criminal history record check, the board may issue an applicant a provisional license under specified circumstances that allows an otherwise qualified applicant to perform private security services under direct supervision and in limited spaces. The bill allows a private security officer who is licensed in a municipality in the state to obtain a state-issued license, without additional training, if the board determines that the municipal licensing requirements are substantially equivalent to the requirements in the bill.

The board is authorized to:

Adopt rules; Approve training; Issue and renew licenses, weapon endorsements, and registrations and impose fees; and Conduct investigations and hearings and impose discipline for violations of the bill.

The regulation of private security officers and private security employers is scheduled to repeal on September 1, 2030, and is subject to sunset review by the department before its repeal. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)