Security Guard Licensing Requirements in the US

Published by Security Guard Center
How to Obtain a Security Guard License
If you want to start a career as a security guard, you've made a fantastic
choice. Security guards are in high need these days and recent
statistics clearly show that the sector continues to grow. Meaning that
anyone who is competent should have few difficulties getting employed.
A growing number of companies start to employ the services of security
guards to safeguard their properties and give their customers a safe
experience. Think of stores, hotels and private properties, security
guards are present at all types of locations, both pvublic and private.
Just as police officers and firefighters, they supply an essential service
to make our world a less dangerous place to live. If a career as a security guard appeals to
you, you will find merely one thing you should do before going out on a job hunt, and it isn't
even that chal enging...
In most of the United States, people who are employed as a security guard need to carry a
valid state-certified security guard license. However, before you can apply for such a
license, you need to know the policies and requirements that are being employed in the
state you intend to be working in. That's right, every one of the United States has a
different application procedure and different conditions for the licensing of security guards.
Nevertheless, there are a few typical regulations that we can outline for you to give you an
impression.
First of all, the majority of licensing bureaus require everyone who is applying for a security
guard license to record and submit fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This
is needed to enable a criminal history background check to ensure your state's licensing
department that you have not committed any felonies in past times. Before you can have
your fingerprints recorded though, you need to check which fingerprinting types are
currently being recognized by your state. Currently there are 2 popular methods for
fingerprint scanning. The first involves having your fingerprints taken on the traditional ink
fingerprinting cards and posting them to the FBI via mail. Using the second method, which
makes the process go considerably faster, fingerprints are being registered and sent to the
FBI electronically. Given it usually takes approximately 4
(four) weeks for the criminal record results to arrive, it's
encouraged to get your fingerprints registered as soon as you
know which formats are being recognized by your state's
licensing office.
An additional popular requirement is to follow training.
Although the expected duration and subjects covered in the
program can differ from state to state, a lot of licensing
departments require applicants to attend an 8-hour classroom
training program in which they will be prepared for their
upcoming occupation as a security guard. The training course
contains subjects such as the methods to accurately observe
Find out the Specific Requirements for Security Guard Licensing in Your State
Security Guard License

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Published by Security Guard Center
a location, recognize suspicious activities and write accurate reports. For people who are
currently being employed as a police officer It may be important to know that they could be
exempt from education and fingerprinting demands, depending on which state they are
now living in.
The third stage consists of telling our state's licensing department that we have fol owed
the mandatory education and had our fingerprints transmitted, so at this point we want to
request our license or guard card. In most states this can be accomplished by fil ing in a
license request form and posting it to the licensing department either on the internet or by
postal mail. License request forms can be obtained at a security training teacher in your
neighbourhood or from your state's licensing office. Some states demand that the
application document has been signed by you in front of a notary public. After you've
signed the license request and shown any kind of legitimate photo ID to validate your
identity, the notary public will sign it himself and seal the form with a notary stamp. By
doing this, the licensing office can be sure that the security guard license has actually
been requested by you. Nearly all financial institutions present free notary public services
to their customers, and even if this is not the case, you must not pay more than a few
dol ars to get your signature notarized.
Candidates for a security guard license may also be required to possess additional
certificates. To give an example, in the state of Illinois all active security guards should
have a valid Permanent Employee Registration Card (PERC) in order to get authorized for
a security guard license. In an effort to apply for a PERC Card applicants need to submit
their fingerprints to the FBI in an electronic format, so the Illinois Department of Financial
and Professional Regulation is able to confirm whether or not they have a clean criminal
history..
That's about it to get licensed as a security guard, in most states you will find that there's
very little more to it... In spite of this, you should know that a lot of states require additional
certificates for the employment of weapons, for instance batons or firearms. The basic
guard license is not going to allow you to find employment as an armed security officer. In
case you are seriously interested in becoming employed in the security sector, we
encourage you to make contact with the division that is responsible for licensing in your
state to understand precisely what your state's desires are.
Best of luck!
www.securityguardcenter.com
Find out the Specific Requirements for Security Guard Licensing in Your State
Security Guard License

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