SB 1203: Security services.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law, the Proprietary Security Services Act, prohibits a person from engaging in the business of a proprietary private security officer or a proprietary private security employer unless registered with the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions an infraction, as specified. Existing law requires a person who is registered and hired as a proprietary private security officer to complete training in security officer skills within 6 months from the date upon which registration is issued, or within 6 months of their employment with a proprietary private security employer, as specified. Existing law prohibits a proprietary private security employer from engaging in specified acts and authorizes the Director of Consumer Affairs to issue a citation, which may include an order to pay specified administrative fines for a violation of these provisions.

This bill, commencing January 1, 2029, would recast those training provisions to require the training to be 42 hours, to require an applicant for a proprietary private security officer registration to complete, within the first 6 months of their employment date, a course in the exercise of the power to arrest and the appropriate use of force as a condition of issuance of the registration, and to require that the training be conducted through traditional classroom instruction, as defined. The bill would require 2 hours of training to be dedicated to training employees on specified workers’ rights contained in a notice employers are required to provide employees, as specified. The bill would require the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services to administer certain provisions governing the approval of training providers, and would create a certificate authorizing a labor organization that represents security guards of a proprietary private security employer to provide the 2-hour training, as specified. The bill would also require a registered proprietary private security employee annually to complete a minimum of 12 hours of security officer skills training, with at least 4 hours of training dedicated to practicing deescalation skills, as specified, and that the time spent attending the annual training be compensated by the employer. The bill would require the bureau to determine the criteria to evaluate whether the deescalation trainings conform to the required principles and methods, as specified.

This bill, commencing January 1, 2029, would increase the administrative fine that the director may impose upon a proprietary private security employer for failure to properly maintain accurate and current employment and training records or failure to administer to registered employees of the licensee the review or practice training, as specified, from $500 to $1,000, and would specify that the fine is for each violation. The bill would require a private security employer to ensure that the security skills training occurs and to compensate employees for training, as specified. The bill would authorize the director to impose an administrative fine for a violation of these provisions not exceeding $5,000 per violation and $2,500 per violation, respectively.

Existing law requires a person registered as a proprietary private security employer to deliver to the director a written report describing the circumstances surrounding any physical altercation by a registered proprietary private security officer with a member of the public while on duty and while acting within the course and scope of their employment within 7 business days after the qualifying incident. The report is required only for certain physical altercations, including those resulting in a member of the public requiring first aid or other medical attention.

This bill, commencing January 1, 2029, would expand the circumstances requiring a report to include those in which the physical altercation resulted in a security officer requiring first aid or other medical attention. The bill would expand the information required in the report to include the apparent race and gender of the member of the public and whether the security officer involved had received all required training at the time of the incident. The bill would require the bureau to release a report annually with respect to these reports describing the circumstances surrounding the physical altercations with members of the public containing specified information.

Existing law, the Private Security Services Act, requires the director to administer its provisions. Existing law prohibits a person licensed as a private patrol operator from engaging in specified acts. Existing law requires a person registered as a security guard or patrolperson, and their employer, to deliver to the director a written report fully describing the circumstances surrounding any discharge of any firearm or physical altercation with a member of the public in which they were involved while acting within the course and scope of their employment within 7 days after the incident, as specified. Existing law makes any person who violates any of these provisions relating to private patrol operator licensure guilty of a misdemeanor.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 5

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. September 30, 2026Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 1016, Statutes of 2026.
2. September 30, 2026Approved by the Governor.
3. September 10, 2026Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
4. August 31, 2026Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 10.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
5. August 31, 2026Unanimous consent granted to take up without reference to file.
6. August 31, 2026In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
7. August 31, 2026Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 58. Noes 19. Page 7017.) Ordered to the Senate.
8. August 28, 2026Ordered to third reading.
9. August 28, 2026Read third time and amended.
10. August 27, 2026Joint Rule 61(b)(16) suspended. (Ayes 58. Noes 1. Page 6727.)
11. August 18, 2026Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
12. August 17, 2026Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.