How to get a security guard’s license in Riverside County, California

Out of many counties in the state of California, one of the finest ones is the riverside county. It shares the shores of the Santa Ana River and houses a population of 2 million people. It connects the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles and that’s why it is always a hot spot for tourists. Apart from the traveling route, it is also the home of many festivals like balloon and wine festivals, palm spring festivals, and many others which attract thousands of tourists all over the year. such events and incoming populations create security concerns that increase the demands of security personnel. To get a job as a security guard in Riverside County, you are required to have a security guard license. Here we will guide you on how to get a security guard’s license in Riverside County, California.

BSIS California:

The license to become a security guard in Riverside County is provided by the Bureau of Security and Investigation Services. This agency is the main security regulation institute in the state of California that keeps a record of all private security companies in California as well as the licensing of security guards in Riverside County. BSIS requires you to do three stages of courses to get a security guard’s license. These courses are:

• 8-hour security guard course on power to arrest training.
• A 16-hour course of mandatory classes.
• A 16-hour course of elective classes.

That makes a total of 40 hours of training and courses that makes you eligible for the security guard license.

8-hour training course:

This is the first course from the series of 3 courses. It is based on power to arrest training. It is the first step in obtaining the license of a security guard in Riverside County. This is often termed as Guard class. It comprises 2 parts; power to arrest training and WMD (weapons of mass destruction). It is an 8-hour long course that can be taken online as well as in the BSIS facility. It can be taken in one day or more as per your convenience. After taking the course you have to pass its exam. Without passing it you cannot further apply for a license. This exam costs 50-100 dollars.

Scanning processes and collection of guard cards:

If you pass the written exam of the 8-hour course, you are eligible to collect the guard card from BSIS. After collecting the card, you have to get your fingerprints scanned at the live scan center in the facility. You are charged some fee by the operator that sends your fingerprint scans to the FBI and CIA for a background check. This is a crucial step as it ensures that the person applying for a security guard license has not been involved in crimes in the past and the license doesn’t go in the wrong hands.

Submission of three forms:

when you have finished the 8-hour training course and collected the guard card, you are given 3 forms. These three forms are for different locations. You have to fill them and submit them on the BSIS website. you can also mail them via US mail which costs about 50 dollars. The bottom of the forms is filled for you by the live scan center. It also provides you with an ATI number that is required for the further steps.

Wait for approval:

Submission of forms concludes the first stage of 3 course series in obtaining the security guard license. Now you have to wait for approval from the state. The status of approval is displayed on the BSIS website within 2-3 weeks. If you have been approved, you will receive the Riverside County security guard license in the mail within a week or two.

post-license training:

after receiving the security license, the state demands you to go through two more stages of training to complete the 40-hour training protocol. The 32-hour training courses consist of 2 parts. Both of these courses are carried out by your employer. After these courses, you are eligible to practice your license as a security guard in Riverside County.

• 16-hour mandatory classes:

This course has to be carried out within 30 days of hire. This includes the mandatory subjects.

• Public relations
• Communication
• Documentation
• Liability and legal aspects
• 16-hour elective classes:

This course has to be done within the 6 months of your hiring. In this course, you learn elective courses depending upon the job you want to perform.

Conclusion:

Getting a job as a security guard in Riverside County has great scope. You must complete a 40-hour training get a license before you apply for a job in a security company.