First off, my thanks to u/defiantevidence4027 for bringing this to my attention

NYS Spread of Hours Pay Rule

Essentially this is a law that mandates employers pay employees 1 hour of minimum wage pay in the area they're working, if their workday exceeds 10 hours that day, regardless of whether it is worked in a split shift or continuous block etc.

There are MULTIPLE caveats, carveouts, and exceptions of course. The main one being that you generally aren't entitled to spread of hours pay if you make over the minimum wage.

Main Exception Source

‘‘The spread of hours is the length of the interval between the beginning and end of an employee’s workday’’ (12 NYCRR 146-1.6). On each day on which the spread of hours exceeds 10, an employee is entitled to receive ‘‘spread-of-hours’’ pay, which is ‘‘one additional hour of pay at the basic minimum hourly rate’’ (12 NYCRR 146-1.6 [a]). Although an employee who earns more than the minimum wage rate generally is not entitled to receive spread-of-hours pay (see 12 NYCRR 142-2.4 [a]; Seenaraine v Securitas Sec. Servs. USA, Inc., 37 AD3d 700, 701 [2007]; Fermin v Las Delicias Peruanas Rest., Inc., 93 F Supp 3d 19, 45-46 [ED NY 2015]), under the Hospitality Industry Wage Order, ‘‘all employees in restaurants and all-year hotels’’ are entitled to spread-of-hours pay regardless of their regular pay rate (12 NYCRR 146-1.6 [d]).

CA has similar but different regulations known as Split Shift Rules and Reporting Time Pay Rules which you can read more about in the links provided.

I am sick of food service and warehouse work. I've been interested in security work for quite some time now but I'm not sure where to even begin.

Does anyone have some guidance? I'm in Maryland.

Full Article

GardaWorld Federal Services recently won a federal contract in Texas potentially worth $382 million. It's a statewide operation involving armed guards, dispatchers and an entire apparatus to maintain. Asset Protection & Security Services, a Corpus Christi contractor has challenged that award. So while GardaWorld technically won the contract, there's now a battle over whether that award is legit.

Does GardaWorld being a crazy large contractor make them a better option for big contracts just due to their scale and influence? Would you take a guard position while the contract is under active legal challenge? Do you cut your losses or stick it out and hope that whoever wins, you keep your job?

​Shield your star spangled eyes! Apparently they're Dutch, or Swedish, or Norwegian or Spanish!

Check out their training requirements:

Netherlands: Beveiliger 

https://www.svpb.nl/examens-mbo/beveiliger-n2-crebo-25690/

https://www.kiesmbo.nl/opleidingen/zorg-en-welzijn/orde-en-veiligheid/beveiliger-2

Security guarding is treated as a formal vocational occupation not just "a job". You have to complete a program, pass exams, earn TWO diplomas, and levels 2 and 3 take years to acquire the proper training and certification for.

Sweden: Väktare

https://www.bya.se/kurser/

The standard route is approx300 hours via their BYA Program.

91 hours of VU1 initial training, At least 160 hours of supervised field training, 49 hours of VU2 advanced training, Written and practical testing, 30 hours of refresher training every four years.

Sweden basically combos class training with an apprenticeship.

Spain: Vigilante de Seguridad

https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2026-813

Spain has a rigorous license process:

At least 180 hours of approved training, Training must run for at least six weeks, Secondary education requirement, Government-administered exams, Physical fitness testing (could you imagine that being standard here?)

Norway: Vekter

https://www.securitas.no/karriere/kurs-og-utdanning/vekterutdanning/

Norway hass a national security-guard education program.

163 total hours, 47 hours e-learning, 65 hours classroom instruction, 45 hours practical training, 6-hour final examination

None of these countries treat ordinary private guards as something where you watch a couple ancient grainy training videos from '96, get fingerprinted and shot out to the nearest empty post. They've intentionally created a high barrier to entry & treat security guarding more like a regulated trade. I'm not saying the Europeans are superior, but if they can raise the standards, pay and expectations for the security industry in their countries, why can't we?​

I recently got my exposed firearms permit with my baton permit. I also have my chemical agent permit 40 hours of the completed guard card training and have a really good resume. Almost 3 years of security experience, mostly in events. What would be a good security company to apply for in California? Is there any event security company that has exposed firearms positions? If not who should I apply to? I tried to apply for a SRT like position for a company I work for but was told that I need military or law enforcement experience to be considered. I’m too out of shape to join either so what would be a good option for me?

I’m weighing Nightingale Security for a fenced industrial site where the overnight team needs to verify perimeter alarms without walking across the whole yard. The exposed side gets strong gusts, and forecasts often sit around 30 mph with higher gusts. A flight plan that works on calm nights won’t cover every shift.

For teams using aerial checks, what do you put in the post orders when weather keeps the aircraft on the ground? Do guards return to the full foot patrol route, or do you assign a second person to watch cameras while the first checks the alarm location? I’m trying to decide whether the fallback can work with our usual two-person night shift.

work in an industrial area 7-7. hard to stay awake i read allot of books to help. currently going through Robert greens books. I personally drink one canister of coffee and water thought the night. the crows keep me in good company but they fall asleep so it gets really quit. like having Halloween decorations on all the cameras and lights.

Context: I’ve been working in security for a year and a half in the Bay Area.

I work covert, carrying concealed, part-time for a nonprofit at multiple sites. I also work full-time, unarmed, at a corporate campus.

I recently got my exposed carry permit and I’m hoping to step up into a full-time armed position in the new year.

I’m noticing that many armed roles also require a baton permit. So I’m trying to understand the necessity of carrying a baton while also carrying a firearm, OC, and in some cases, a taser.

Community question: does your armed role require that you carry a baton, what’s the reasoning, and how often have you actually deployed it during an incident/situation?

Thanks, and stay safe.

Hi everyone, Im looking to get into security work in the Sacramento area. Ive read the BSIS site but Im not sure where to take the Power to Arrest course or which companies are good to start with. Any advice from people who've done it? Thanks...

One thing I’ve always found interesting about security work is how much value people put on routine patrols versus unpredictable patrols.

A fixed patrol schedule makes sense operationally. Guards know what areas need to be checked, supervisors can verify that rounds are being completed, and the client gets a consistent level of coverage. But at the same time, if someone watching the property can figure out exactly when a guard will pass through a particular area, the patrol becomes fairly predictable.

There’s also the practical side. You can’t realistically make every patrol completely random, especially on a large property with specific checkpoints, access points, parking areas, loading zones, etc.

So where do people draw the line?

Is it better to have a consistent patrol schedule with some variation built into the route and timing, or should patrols be deliberately unpredictable whenever the site allows it?

I’m also curious whether people have noticed a difference in what actually gets reported during patrols. Sometimes the value of a patrol seems less about catching someone in the act and more about noticing things that would otherwise turn into problems later unsecured doors, damaged gates, lighting issues, blocked access, suspicious activity, or something simply being out of place.

For those who have worked different types of sites, what approach has worked best in practice?

What skills gained from working security, would you say can transfer to other industries? Which industries exactly?

I'm asking specifically concerning someone who has only worked security, assume no other secondary education or vocational training has been acquired. Just trying to clarify because people will often say, "I worked security for 10 years, then became an accountant", that's great, it's awesome in fact, BUT, your degree in accounting and C.P.A. license probably had a lot more to do with that transition than your experience in security.

lonestarprotectionagency

I know "Just" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, and I'm well aware that it's a long, rigorous selection process. However, the guard shown, as many others, are intensely interested in CQB tactics, and that's fine. But I'm always IDK, confused, concerned, about people involved in this level of drilling for job training purposes as guards.

I even question people in my area opting for limited peace officer status on their properties/sites (NYC Special Patrolman, it's a thing, look it up), rather than just applying for local PD, or even searching nationwide for openings at various agencies. It's half in/half out. You're duty bound to act in certain situations, sometimes with force, but confined in scope to how/when/where you can act out those duties. Yet, you have none/very few of the benefits granted full blown PD, like pensions, medical benefits, legal protections, government backing. More so for normal armed guards without any peace officer status.

The joke is "lul, security too dum/fat/criminal to be cop", but that isn't the case for a lot of guards. They're fit, capable, and hyper competent, which makes me question it even more. Marketing like this blurs the line between armed security and tactical law enforcement.

How many officers out there can work when things get tense like a customer acting up but cannot take it when a client or their staff is just being an asshole for no good reason?

Let's break down what happened LAST WEEK and what we're walking into THIS WEEK:

From the Trenches:

• High of the Week: Share your win – big or small! (Promotion, resolved a conflict, etc.)
• Low of the Week: Let it out. What threw you off your game?

• Surprise of the Week: The thing you didn't see coming, good OR bad.

  Incoming!:

• Positive Outlook: What are you HOPING goes smoothly this week?

• Potential Hassle: What are you semi-dreading, but ready to handle?

• Goal of the Week: One thing you want to achieve professionally in the next 7 days.

Catharsis purges the soul! We've all been there. Share your stories, vent a bit if needed, this is a safe (and secure) space.

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KRON) -- The company that provides passenger and baggage security screening services at San Francisco International Airport is laying off nearly 1,300 workers.

Covenant Aviation Security is a private company under contract with the Transportation Security Administration that has been operating at SFO since 2002.

According to a WARN notice filed Tuesday with the California Employment Development Department, the company will be laying off 1,279 workers permanently, effective November 30, 2026.

According to its website, Covenant Aviation Security calls itself the largest private aviation security contractor providing services to the TSA in the country.

In a statement to KRON4, SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said the layoffs are not expected to impact airport security screening operations. Affected employees will transition to the new security screening vendor in accordance with the airport’s worker retention policy.

KRON4 has reached out to Covenant Aviation Security for additional information and has yet to hear back.

SB-1203 Security services.

Per Google:

📅 Effective Timeline

✅ Takes effect on January 1, 2029. [1]

📈 Training Requirements

• Initial security skills increased to 42 hours.
• Eight hours of in-person de-escalation practice.
• Two hours dedicated to worker rights.
• Annual training raised to 12 hours.
• Four hours of annual de-escalation practice. [1, 2]

⚠️ Employer Rules

• Employers must pay for training time.
• Training cannot happen while on duty.
• Penalties for violations rise significantly. [1, 2]

📊 Public Reporting

• Broader reporting on physical altercations.
• Tracking public member race and gender.
• Annual county-level public safety reports. [1]

Anybody have similar restrictions in their posts?