Security Guard Training
BSIS-approved courses for California guard card registration, PSO registration and annual continuing education.
- Approved Trainer — Security Guard ATG 2871
- Approved Trainer — PSO ATP 131
- Private Patrol Operator PPO 120155
Courses
What We Teach
All courses are delivered by Delta instructors under our Bureau Approved Trainer certifications.
Power to Arrest & Appropriate Use of Force — 8 hours
Required before the Bureau will issue a Security Guard Registration. This is the course that leads to a guard card.
- Power to Arrest (3 hours): private-person authority, detention versus arrest
- Appropriate Use of Force (5 hours): the force continuum, de-escalation, legal consequences
- Observation and reporting
- Trespass and removal
A course examination must be passed to receive a certificate of completion.
Security Officer Skills — 32 hours
Required in your first six months: 16 hours within 30 days of your registration being issued or your employment starting, and 16 hours within six months.
- Mandatory topics: public relations, observation and documentation, communication, liability and legal aspects
- Elective topics selected from the Bureau’s approved list
- Scheduled to meet both the 30-day and six-month deadlines
- Certificates issued for your employer’s records
Proprietary Private Security Officer (PSO)
For security staff employed directly by the business they protect — hotels, hospitals, casinos, distribution centers and retail chains.
- Power to Arrest (3 hours) and Appropriate Use of Force (5 hours), required before registration
- Minimum 16 hours of mandatory courses, due within six months of registration approval
- 8 hours of continuing education each year
- Group training available on site for employers
Annual Continuing Education — 8 hours
Required every year after the first, including a minimum of 2 hours reviewing appropriate use of force.
- Drawn from the Bureau’s approved mandatory and elective topics
- Weighted toward use of force, report writing and de-escalation
- Certificate issued for your renewal file
Enrolling
How to Enroll
Class sizes are limited. Contact us for current dates and costs.
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Contact us
Tell us which course you need and whether you are already registered with the Bureau.
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Reserve a seat
Bring valid government-issued photo identification. Security guard applicants must be at least 18.
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Complete the course and examination
Your certificate of completion is issued on successful completion.
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Live Scan and apply
We take your fingerprints the same day and confirm what the Bureau requires to finish your application.
Questions
Training Questions
Forty hours in the first year. Eight hours — Power to Arrest (3 hours) and Appropriate Use of Force (5 hours) — must be completed before the Bureau issues your Security Guard Registration. The remaining 32 hours of Security Officer Skills training are due within your first six months: 16 hours within 30 days of the day your registration is issued or the day you begin employment, and the remaining 16 hours within six months. After the first year, 8 hours of continuing education are required annually.
No. You can complete the Power to Arrest and Appropriate Use of Force training and apply for your registration independently. The 30-day and six-month skills deadlines run from the day your registration is issued or the day you begin employment.
The course is one day. The remaining time is controlled by the Bureau and by the DOJ and FBI background check. Submitting your Live Scan promptly is the main factor you control — we can take your prints the same day you complete the course.
A Security Guard is registered to work for a licensed Private Patrol Operator and may be assigned to that company’s clients. A Proprietary Private Security Officer works directly for one employer, on that employer’s property, and cannot be contracted out.
Yes. Registered officers require 8 hours annually, including a minimum of 2 hours reviewing appropriate use of force. We deliver the training and issue the certificate for your renewal file.
Yes. Delta holds the BSIS Approved Trainer certification for Proprietary Private Security Officers (ATP 131) and delivers group training for employers who staff their own security.
Requirements are set by the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services and are subject to change. Confirm current requirements at bsis.ca.gov.