SECURITY GUARD REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA
The Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies (the "Board") is charged with the responsibility of regulating and monitoring the certain aspects of security guard training and licensing in the State. The Board was created with a primary public interest purpose in mind -- to safeguard the citizens of Georgia by regulating the security business.
Having been appointed by the Governor, the seven (7) members of the Board are statutorily granted the authority to:
(1) Set the qualificants for licensure and regulation;
(2) Review the applications during qualified meetings;
(3) Administer the security guard examinations;
(4) Grant licenses to qualified applicants;
(5) Regulatesecurity guard licensees throughout Georgia; and
(6) Investigate complaints and, if appropriate, take disciplinary action.
Meetings of the Board are held at the Secretary of State’s offices in Macon, Georgia and are public proceedings (i.e., anyone is permitted to attend) However, anyone wanting to bring matters for the Board’s consideration is required to submit a written notification or request to the office.
Private security companies are required to have a company license issued by the Board. Armed security guards must also be registered with a security company. Unarmed security guards are not required to be registered but must have completed the minimum number of training requirements set by board rule. The Board also licenses training instructors to regulate all training requirements for licensure, registration, and weapon permits required by the law.
Unarmed Security Guard Requirements
Unlike armed security guards in Georgia, unarmed security guards are not required to be licensed to provide his or her services. However, there are some basic requirements that must be met. These include being the proper age (i.e., over 18 years of age), as well as being lawfully employable (i.e., a United States citizen, or a qualified alien under the Federal Immigration & Naturalization Act and lawfully present in the United States).
INITIAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A GEORGIA UNARMED SECURITY GUARD:
Although unarmed security guards are not required to be registered with the Board, they are still required to be properly trained according to the standards adopted by the Board. The new requirements include a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours of classroom-setting instruction covering the following topics:
(1) Role of Private Security
(a) Crime Awareness and Prevention
(b) Private Security and the Criminal Justice System
(c) Ethics and Professionalism
(2) Legal Aspects
(a) Principal Misdemeanors and Felonies
(b) Overview of Title 43-38 as it relates to the Security Profession
(c) Overview of Board Rules 509 et al
(d) Arrest and Proper Use of Force
(e) Liability
(f) Courtroom testimony
(3) Patrol and Observation
(a) Patrol techniques
(b) Information gathering
(c) Crimes in progress
(d) Officer Safety
(e) Note taking and Report Writing
(4) Incident Response
(a) Responding to Emergencies
(b) Crowd control and evacuation
(c) Fire control and Prevention
(d) Hazardous Materials
(e) Bomb Threats and Terrorism
(5) Security Resources
(a) CCTV Operation and Video Documentation
(b) Alarm systems
(c) Access Control
(d) Electronic Article Surveillance
(6) Customer Service Issues
(a) Public relations
(b) Interpersonal Communications
(7) First Aid Overview.
This security guard training course requirement can be obtained in one of two ways. First, the hiring security guard agency can provide the training for the new security guard. Second, the security guard can attend a State-approved training school under the instruction of a state certified classroom instructor.
Please note, however, that if the training is provided by an entity other than the hiring agency, there may be a fee which must be paid by the security guard.
INITIAL LICENSING REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A GEORGIA UNARMED SECURITY GUARD:
As stated above, unarmed security guards need not be registered with the Board to employed. However, because security guard agencies (i.e., the companies that hire unarmed security guards) are regulated, these companies typically based their hiring criterion as if the would-be security guard was, in fact, required to be registered. Accordingly, Georgia security guard agencies usually scrutinize the backgrounds of their applicants. The following are the guidelines that the Board considers in deciding whether to grant a license to an armed security guard:
CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS
(1) Upon receipt of an application for employee registration that indicates a prior criminal record, the Board may register such employee who has previously been convicted of a misdemeanor provided that:
(a) The criminal record does not show evidence of disregard for the law, which may be cause for the Board to deny any application for registration.
(2) Any felony conviction may be cause for the Board to reject an application for employee registration. However, the Board may inquire into the nature of the crime, the date of conviction or plea, and other underlying facts and circumstances surrounding such criminal conviction and, in its discretion, may allow the employee to be registered.
BOARD MEMBERS
Glade Johnson – Chairman
Steve Lindsey – Executive Director
John Villines
Chief Woodrow W. Blue, Jr.
Vernon Keenan
Robert F. Warner
James “Tripp” Mitchell
