"Job Specific" Hotel Security Training

We completed a “Trial Run” training for our client in San Diego, #SycuanCasino on Tuesday. I felt very strongly it was a great success and I was right. A big thank you to @EddieIlko for posting the photos. As a continuation of that post by Eddie, I received several questions asking for both an explanation and information on what we provided to #SycuanCasino. I decided to write a post for anyone who would like a little more information on what we do and did for #SycuanCasino. Thanks in advance.

So, back in 2006, I was contacted by the #CaliforniaRestaurantAssociation and asked if the California Security Guard License was the best fit for “#Bouncers” in our state. I think they already knew the answer and I agreed and said; “no, it was a terrible fit”.

At the time, I explained that the “Guard Card” as it is often called, was designed with a One-Size-Fits-All approach and for the past 10 years (remember, this is 2006), there has been a drastic change in the roles and responsibilities of other types of security guards.

The Loss Prevention Agent at a hotel was at great risk and in higher demand. The Bar or Club Security Guard or “#Bouncer” was asked to do more while not opening the venue to liability. The Loss Prevention Agent for retail establishments was asked to effect arrests of shoplifters while not increasing store liability. AND, the California “Guard Card” just didn’t help any of those people do their jobs better.

Then, in 2007, the State of California passed a law that would go into effect in 2009. This first Senate Bill mandated that any type of security guard hired by a single employer must be registered with the Department of Consumer Affairs. The bill was signed by the Governator, but as he signed the bill, he stated that this was the first step and that training must be involved soon.

Within a few months, the California Bureau of Security & Investigative Services (BSIS) asked for volunteers to join a committee to help design the training curriculum for this new class and type of security guards, now called Proprietary Private Security Officer (#PSO).

Volunteers were vetted and selected based on their own hiring and use of their own type of guards. Other committee members included representatives from #Marriott, #GettyMuseum, Well’s Fargo, #Disney, and #AEG. We met in Sacramento to start our work and somehow I was appointed to be the Chairperson for the committee. Our group was tasked with creating a NEW security guard training curriculum as well as the length of time for the #PSO Training.

My first point to the group was that we had a very unique opportunity to create a different type of security guard training program. There was a short discussion about the already existing, Guard Card training program. We all agreed that generic training just would not work for our type of guards. I suggested to the group we use the model of how we all obtain our driver’s licenses.

Follow me here… If you want to drive a motorcycle, a semi-truck or even an ambulance, you must first obtain the basic vehicle license. Your vehicle driver’s license teaches the basic rules of the road, vehicle operation, and the most common traffic laws. Then, and only then, can you submit a new application, pay a new fee, take a new test and then show you can operate a motorcycle. This is normally the same process for all types of driver’s licenses you might want to obtain.

My idea for the new #PSO Training Curriculum was that we create a curriculum that can be tweaked or molded to the needs of the employee and the employer. The generic training that has been used in California since the late 1970s just didn’t match the “real world” of security guards.

Our group first decided on topics that every sort of in house or proprietary guard would need to know. We discussed many topics and came up with the final list; California Security Guard Background and History, Guard Duties and Responsibilities, Guard Liabilities, Conflict Resolution & Legal Use of Force, Powers to Arrest and Terrorism & Emergency Awareness.

After this list was created we discussed each topic in depth and came up with associated amounts of time for each topic for a total of 16-hours. We then listed unique and specific job duties and requirements that could be used to achieve the meaning of the listed topics. Remember, we weren’t making a single, One-Size-Fits-All training curriculum, we needed this to fit many possible types of security guards and employers.

To explain my idea, I showed the group my companies training topics as of 2007. It was easy to see that for the club security guard the topics could easily transfer to the new #PSO Training topics. For example, for the State’s Powers to Arrest we used the same name but talked about bar scenarios and typical bar crimes that could lead to an arrest or detention. For the State’s Guard Liabilities, we would talk about Criminal, Civil and Administrative Liability and how each one affects the guard, the employer or the company.

When it came to the total job-specific tasks, such as a bouncer checking ID or stopping alcohol service to someone, we would have listed these types of subjects under Guard Roles, Responsibilities, Expectations and Conflict Management.

This same idea translated very well for the other types of guards. For the Loss Prevention Agent at a Retail Store, they would need to know all the main topics AND job specific topics such as report writing, evidence collection, courtroom testimony, lost children, cameras in dressing rooms, types of theft crimes, crime elements and shoplifting tools.

For the Loss Prevention Agent at a Hotel, they receive the main topics AND job specific topics such as hotel specific private vs. public property issues, search or seizure of property & rooms, guest and non-guest evictions, property & room access control, Inn-Keepers statutes and hotel fire control & evacuation plans.

The committee finished their work, presented the final topics to the state and they were adopted as is. The legislation went into effect requiring all #PSO Guards to be both registered and trained in January 2011. My company was the first licensed company in the State of California.

Since I started #NightclubSecurityConsultants in1998, I kept my focus on the guards that work in alcohol licensed establishments like bars, clubs, hotel bars, and other similar locations. However, since 2008, I have had 3 additional 5 or 6-hour training curricula just waiting to launch. One was the Hotel Specific Security Training and Certification

Fast forward to last Tuesday #Sycuan. The new hotel is opening in 6-weeks and being the smart, proactive operation they are, they requested the next phase of what we offered their Security Department nearly 3 years ago when they first started working with us.

In 2015, @JuanBaca, their VP of Operations, was looking for an alternative to the California Guard Card for his team. He searched and found my company. Since our first meeting, he’s been on the bandwagon of total job-specific training for his entire Security Department, from the very top to the very newest security employee. This includes his administrative staff and medical teams.

Over a year ago, when the hotel was ready to break ground #JuanBaca approached me and asked about any sort of additional training for his team that would be assigned in the hotel. Mind you, I didn’t want to show my full hand, but inside I was exploding with joy that he asked. I knew just what to tell him and just what we eventually showed the #Sycuan and Hotel Management Teams last Tuesday.

Just to be clear, we’ve done this same training for several other clients, but it was always broken into many smaller segments and modules over different periods of time. However, for #Sycuan, this will be the first time we will be using the “Driver’s License Model” as outlined way back in 2007.

Every #Sycuan Security Officer who is selected or wants to work in the hotel must take the full 16-hour California #PSO Licensing Training as a pre-requisite. Then, for the hotel assignment, they must complete the additional 5.5-hour Hotel Specific Security Officer Training Certification.

I hope this isn’t confusing, it’s sometimes a difficult subject to understand. Although California is the first state to have 2 separate types of security guard licenses AND 2 separate training programs, my hope is that other states see the reason and true value that our state committee recognized over 20 years ago… just like #JuanBaca and #SycuanCasino recognized.

Be Safe Everyone

#psotraining #nightclubsecurity #nightlifesecurity #bouncertraining