BILL REQ. #:  H-0824.1 

Read first time 02/01/11.   Referred to Committee on Business & Financial Services.

     AN ACT Relating to private security guards; amending RCW 18.170.030 and 18.170.105; and repealing RCW 18.170.110 and 18.170.165.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 18.170.030 and 1995 c 277 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     An applicant must meet the following minimum requirements to obtain a private security guard license:
     (1) Be at least eighteen years of age;
     (2) Be a citizen of the United States or a resident alien;
     (3) Not have been convicted of a crime in any jurisdiction, if the director determines that the applicant's particular crime directly relates to his or her capacity to perform the duties of a private security guard, and the director determines that the license should be withheld to protect the citizens of Washington state. The director shall make her or his determination to withhold a license because of previous convictions notwithstanding the restoration of employment rights act, chapter 9.96A RCW;
     (4) ((Be employed by or have an employment offer from a licensed private security company or be licensed as a private security company;
     (5))) Satisfy the training requirements established by the director;
     (((6))) (5) Submit a set of fingerprints;
     (((7))) (6) Pay the required nonrefundable fee for each application; and
     (((8))) (7) Submit a fully completed application that includes proper identification on a form prescribed by the director ((for each company of employment)).

Sec. 2   RCW 18.170.105 and 2007 c 306 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) To promote the safety of persons and the security of property, the director shall ((meet)) convene and consult with interested parties to develop ((lists of suggested)) a Washington state private security training manual and a required curriculum for preassignment, postassignment, and postassignment refresher training by rule.
     (2) All security guards licensed on or after July 1, 2005, must complete at least eight hours of preassignment training, comprised of at least four hours of classroom instruction and an additional four hours of classroom instruction or individual instruction, or both. The preassignment training may be waived for any individual who was most recently employed full time as a sworn peace officer or as a licensed security guard not more than five years prior to applying to become licensed as a private security guard and who passes the examination typically administered to applicants at the conclusion of the preassignment training.
     (3)(a) All security guards licensed on or after July 1, 2005, must complete at least eight hours of initial postassignment training that shall be administered to each security guard. The initial postassignment training must be in the topic areas established by the director and may be classroom instruction or individual instruction, or both. A company may waive the initial postassignment training for security guards already licensed who transfer from another company, if the security guard presents appropriate training records signed by a department-certified trainer from the previous company, or a signed affidavit that the individual has already completed the required initial postassignment training provided by his or her previous company.
     (b) Security guards who received their temporary security guard registration card on or before July 22, 2007, must receive their initial postassignment training before June 30, 2008. Security guards who received their temporary security guard registration card after July 22, 2007, must receive their initial postassignment training as specified in (c) and (d) of this subsection.
     (c) Security guards licensed between January 1st and June 30th of any calendar year may receive eight hours of initial postassignment training any time between the day following the issuance of a temporary security guard registration card with their company and June 30th of the year following initial issuance of their license by the department.
     (d) Security guards initially licensed between July 1st and December 31st of any calendar year may receive eight hours of initial postassignment training at any time between the day following the issuance of a temporary security guard registration card with their company and December 31st of the year following initial issuance of their license by the department.
     (4) Following completion of the preassignment and postassignment training, at least four total hours of annual refresher training shall be administered to security guards each subsequent year. The subsequent year begins, for refresher training purposes, the day following the last date the security guard is required to receive the eight hours of initial postassignment training. No more than one hour per year of annual refresher training may focus directly on customer service-related skills or topics and the remaining three hours per year of annual refresher training must focus on emergency response concepts, skills, or topics including but not limited to knowledge of site post orders or life safety.
     (5) Companies must maintain records regarding the training hours completed by each employee. All such records are subject to inspection by the department. The training requirements and test results must be recorded and attested to by a department-certified trainer. Training records must contain a description of the topics covered, the name and signature of the trainer, and the name and signature of the security guard.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
     (1) RCW 18.170.110 (Required notice of certain occurrences) and 2000 c 171 s 39, 1995 c 277 s 8, & 1991 c 334 s 11; and
     (2) RCW 18.170.165 (Transfer of license) and 1995 c 277 s 2.