With many security guards untrained and unlicensed, California State Assemblyman Jim Cooper is working on a bill to clean up the state’s security industry, according to a report from San Diego’s NBC 7. The effort is a result of the news station’s investigation in February, which exposed the industry’s training issues.
“I think (NBC 7’s) story brought some things to light. It was part of the impetus for this bill,” said Cooper, who was speaking about a story on two deaths in San Diego, one where a bouncer was arrested and charged for involuntary manslaughter and the other being a death allegedly caused by a bouncer at a gentleman’s club.
“It’s a problem we’ve seen in San Diego and across the state and nation where security officers have ended up injuring and even killing people. Training is important.”
Jim Cooper, California State Assemblyman (District 9)
On Feb. 26, Cooper introduced a measure, AB 1042, to ensure security guards are properly trained. The language of the bill addresses several key issues – one of which being how security officers who are out of uniform are not legally required to have a license. Also, Cooper is working to ensure that if a security guard receives a “guard card,” they have completed all of the necessary training, which is not always the case, NBC 7 reports.
“We’re working on that right now and that’s why we’re working with the industry,” Cooper said. “Obviously, it’s going to cost them money and we are aware of that.”
Roy Rahn, the executive director of the California Association of Licensed Security Agencies, Guards and Associates (CALSAGA), supports the proposed legislation, according to the station’s report.
“Even though it may cost more money, it’s additional regulation that’s sorely needed – obvious by tragic incidents we’ve recently had,” Rahn said in a statement.
If everything goes according to plan, AB 1042 will be presented to California Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature later this year. For more information on this NBC 7 report, please click here.
To learn how your security force can educate employees with TargetSolutions’ online training system, please click here. TargetSolutions features more than 170 online security training courses, including basic security officer training, emergency situations and workplace violence training, ethics and professional development training, officer safety and survival training, traffic control and vehicle safety training, security management training, security training courses in Spanish, and much more.
