Ready to get your Guard Card? This bundle comes with the full 8 hours of training BSIS requires you to take before you can submit your Guard Card application.
California Guard Card Training and Requirements
The Guard Card in California: the greatest door opener for security careers and opportunities on the entire West Coast. For some, it represents hope. A chance at the security positions they’ve been dreaming about for years. And yet for others, its nothing but a major roadblock.
It won’t just be handed to you. And you certainly can’t buy your way in. Lets take a look at some of the basic requirements of this oh so important little card, and learn a little about whats involved in hot to get a guard card.
What is a guard card?A California Guard Card is the license that is required to become a registered security guard in the state of California. And you might be surprised how close you may be to getting one.
In order to get your security certification in CA, you must first complete 8-hours of guard card training with a certified facility or online training center. After your 8 hours are complete and you have passed your initial exam, you are then able to get hired as a security guard.
At this point, you are still not a registered security guard. You must then finish another 16 hours of training within the first 30 days after you are hired, and then finally an additional 16 hours again within 6 months. In total, that’s 40 hours of training. So a full work week’s worth, not too out of reach for most individuals.
Guard Card TrainingThe initial 8-hour training required before one is allowed to apply for the California guard card application can be completed online or live. The course is a mandatory step, and is composed of two main sections or modules. The first one is Powers to Arrest, a four-hour training module designed to familiarize trainees on the topics to be covered on the training, including legal aspects, liability, techniques, and company requirements leading to arrest of a person. It will use the training manual designed by the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Power to Arrest. The course includes lecture, exercises, discussion and role-playing.
The next 4 hours is dedicated to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Terrorism Awareness. This will educate interested security guards about the important subject matter, most especially about the observation skills needed to identify and report precursor activities that may lead to a terrorist activity. This is critical information that has to be coordinated accordingly.
You will need 30 days to complete another mandatory training after you have completed your guard card courses. This training is again divided into four courses, namely the Public Relations, Observation and Documentation, Communication and its Significance, and the Liability and Legal Aspects. The Public Relations Course aims to familiarize students about the basic skills and body of knowledge in performing security guard work. The observation and documentation mandatory course reviews individuals on the different aspects of documentation that guards need on their job. They will be instructed about report writing, patrol techniques, proper asking of questions, etc. The course on communication will speak about the significance of communication in their job and in relation to the company they work for. They will be instructed on the right ways to contact people, procedures for radios and monitors, etc. The Liability and Legal Aspects enlighten future security guards over their liability and significant roles in performing their job. They will be taught on the BSIS code, and criminal, administrative and civil policies.
This will be followed by another 16 hours of elective courses composed of Post Orders and Assignments, Officer Safety Handling Difficult People, and Preserving the Incident Scene. A total of 40 hours of training is required before one can become a registered security guard.
How to get a guard card – step by step
Here’s how to get a state guard card in CA, step-by-step:
STEP 1Take the eight (8) hour “Power to Arrest ” training and pass the examination. You can go in person
STEP 2You (the applicant), the private patrol operator or the training facility must submit a security guard application online at http://www.dca.ca.gov/bsis/online_services/online_licensing.shtml. The online application is sent electronically to the Bureau.
STEP 3You must then submit fingerprints electronically using Live Scan. You must only use the security guard Live Scan forms downloaded from the Bureau’s Website or obtained from the Bureau. The Live Scan form from the Bureau contains the correct coding to ensure that the Bureau receives the FBI and DOJ responses.
Live Scan site locations are available athttp://www.bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/livescan/scansites.shtml
Live Scan forms can be downloaded at http://www.bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/livescan/forms.shtml
STEP 4Once the Bureau has received your online application and criminal history clearances, you’ll be entered onto the Bureau’s Web site.You can verify the Bureau’s approval by checking the Bureau’s “Verify a License” at http://www.bsis.ca.gov/online_services/verify_license.shtml.
Once the your registration has been cleared and appears on the Bureau’s Web site, a screen-print from may be made and used as an interim security guard registration.
THEN YOU CAN GET HIRED.
The actual security guard registration will be mailed to you in about 10 to 15 business days.
STEP 5Security guards placed on assignment must keep the following documents with them:
California Guard Card Training and Requirements
The Guard Card in California: the greatest door opener for security careers and opportunities on the entire West Coast. For some, it represents hope. A chance at the security positions they’ve been dreaming about for years. And yet for others, its nothing but a major roadblock.
It won’t just be handed to you. And you certainly can’t buy your way in. Lets take a look at some of the basic requirements of this oh so important little card, and learn a little about whats involved in hot to get a guard card.
What is a guard card?A California Guard Card is the license that is required to become a registered security guard in the state of California. And you might be surprised how close you may be to getting one.
In order to get your security certification in CA, you must first complete 8-hours of guard card training with a certified facility or online training center. After your 8 hours are complete and you have passed your initial exam, you are then able to get hired as a security guard.
At this point, you are still not a registered security guard. You must then finish another 16 hours of training within the first 30 days after you are hired, and then finally an additional 16 hours again within 6 months. In total, that’s 40 hours of training. So a full work week’s worth, not too out of reach for most individuals.
Guard Card TrainingThe initial 8-hour training required before one is allowed to apply for the California guard card application can be completed online or live. The course is a mandatory step, and is composed of two main sections or modules. The first one is Powers to Arrest, a four-hour training module designed to familiarize trainees on the topics to be covered on the training, including legal aspects, liability, techniques, and company requirements leading to arrest of a person. It will use the training manual designed by the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Power to Arrest. The course includes lecture, exercises, discussion and role-playing.
The next 4 hours is dedicated to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Terrorism Awareness. This will educate interested security guards about the important subject matter, most especially about the observation skills needed to identify and report precursor activities that may lead to a terrorist activity. This is critical information that has to be coordinated accordingly.
You will need 30 days to complete another mandatory training after you have completed your guard card courses. This training is again divided into four courses, namely the Public Relations, Observation and Documentation, Communication and its Significance, and the Liability and Legal Aspects. The Public Relations Course aims to familiarize students about the basic skills and body of knowledge in performing security guard work. The observation and documentation mandatory course reviews individuals on the different aspects of documentation that guards need on their job. They will be instructed about report writing, patrol techniques, proper asking of questions, etc. The course on communication will speak about the significance of communication in their job and in relation to the company they work for. They will be instructed on the right ways to contact people, procedures for radios and monitors, etc. The Liability and Legal Aspects enlighten future security guards over their liability and significant roles in performing their job. They will be taught on the BSIS code, and criminal, administrative and civil policies.
This will be followed by another 16 hours of elective courses composed of Post Orders and Assignments, Officer Safety Handling Difficult People, and Preserving the Incident Scene. A total of 40 hours of training is required before one can become a registered security guard.
How to get a guard card – step by step
Here’s how to get a state guard card in CA, step-by-step:
STEP 1Take the eight (8) hour “Power to Arrest ” training and pass the examination. You can go in person
STEP 2You (the applicant), the private patrol operator or the training facility must submit a security guard application online at http://www.dca.ca.gov/bsis/online_services/online_licensing.shtml. The online application is sent electronically to the Bureau.
STEP 3You must then submit fingerprints electronically using Live Scan. You must only use the security guard Live Scan forms downloaded from the Bureau’s Website or obtained from the Bureau. The Live Scan form from the Bureau contains the correct coding to ensure that the Bureau receives the FBI and DOJ responses.
Live Scan site locations are available athttp://www.bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/livescan/scansites.shtml
Live Scan forms can be downloaded at http://www.bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/livescan/forms.shtml
STEP 4Once the Bureau has received your online application and criminal history clearances, you’ll be entered onto the Bureau’s Web site.You can verify the Bureau’s approval by checking the Bureau’s “Verify a License” at http://www.bsis.ca.gov/online_services/verify_license.shtml.
Once the your registration has been cleared and appears on the Bureau’s Web site, a screen-print from may be made and used as an interim security guard registration.
THEN YOU CAN GET HIRED.
The actual security guard registration will be mailed to you in about 10 to 15 business days.
STEP 5Security guards placed on assignment must keep the following documents with them:
- A valid security guard registration or a screen print of the Bureau’s approval obtained from the Bureau’s Web site.
- A valid photo identification