CAL Security Group Inc. holds a Private Patrol Operator license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). Here is what that license covers, how to check it, and what else to get in writing before a guard starts.
BSIS licensing is the first thing a careful buyer checks, and the check costs nothing. You do not need a license number from us or from anyone else. The state record is public, it can be searched by business name, and it is more reliable than anything a company prints about itself, this website included.
Two other things matter as much: whether each officer on your post holds a guard card, and whether the insurance the law requires is actually in force.
California regulates private security under the Private Security Services Act, and BSIS issues two separate credentials that buyers mix up all the time. The Private Patrol Operator license belongs to the company. The guard card, formally a security guard registration, belongs to one person.
| PPO license | Guard card | |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds it | The company that contracts to supply guards or patrol | One individual officer |
| What it takes | A qualified manager who passes a two-hour state exam, and a $1,000,000 general liability policy on file with BSIS | Age 18 or older, fingerprints sent to the California Department of Justice and the FBI, and 40 hours of training |
| How long it lasts | Two years, then renewal | Until the expiration date on the card, with 8 hours of training due every year |
| Weapons | Does not let any officer carry one | Covers unarmed work only. A firearm or a baton each needs its own BSIS permit |
The trap is a seller who shows you a guard card, or says every officer is licensed, when the business itself holds no PPO. Both statements can be true of an unlicensed outfit. A guard card lets one person work a post. It does not let anyone sell guard services to you.
You may also run into a third registration. A business that employs its own uniformed, unarmed security staff registers with BSIS as a Proprietary Private Security Employer, and those officers work only for that employer. A company supplying officers to your property needs a PPO.
To check a license, use the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) license search and look the company up by name.
In the list of boards and bureaus, choose "Security and Investigative Services, Bureau of".
Choose Private Patrol Operator for a company. Choose Security Guard to look up an individual officer by name or registration number.
Use the name on your contract. If a company hands you a license number, search that as well, since it proves the number belongs to that business. We send written proof of licence and insurance before anyone starts a shift.
Look at the status, the expiration date and the exact licensed name. The name should match your contract and your invoices.
A search that returns nothing is not proof of wrongdoing, since some companies trade under a different name from the licensed entity. Ask which entity holds the license, in writing. Our guide on how to check if a security guard company is licensed goes through the record line by line.
Every Private Patrol Operator in California must keep a commercial general liability policy with limits of at least $1,000,000 for any one occurrence of bodily injury, including death, or property damage. The rule is in Business and Professions Code Sections 7583.39 and 7583.40. The policy has to be on file with BSIS, and a lapse leads to suspension of the license after written notice.
CAL sends a certificate of insurance naming you before the first shift. On any certificate, from us or anyone else, read the insured's name, which should match the licensed name; the policy dates, which should cover your whole contract; the per-occurrence limit; and the certificate holder, which should be you.
Ask for proof of workers' compensation as well. California requires every employer to carry it, and an officer injured on your property with no coverage behind him is a claim looking for someone else to pay.
Before an officer starts, have these on paper from any company you hire:
A licensed company hands these over without fuss. If one of them is slow to arrive, treat the delay as the answer.
Every CAL officer is registered with BSIS and carries the guard card on duty, as state rules require. Registration starts with fingerprints sent to the California Department of Justice and the FBI, and the criminal history check keeps running after the card is issued.
The 40 hours of required training come in stages: 8 hours before registration, covering Powers to Arrest and Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Awareness; 16 more within 30 days of employment; 16 more within six months; then 8 hours of continuing education every year.
CAL officers are unarmed, so no firearm permit is involved on any CAL post. What it takes to join them is on the careers page.
Run the DCA search on CAL Security Group first. Then book a free site walk. The certificate of insurance and the post orders reach you before the first shift.
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