What is a commissioned security officer?

The credential

Occupations Code chapter 1702 sets out the levels of security officer in Texas, and the commission is the credential that separates armed from unarmed. To be commissioned, an officer completes the Level III course, 45 hours that build on the Level II material with use of force and deadly force law, handcuffing and defensive tactics, and a firearms component ending in a proficiency test with the type of weapon the officer will carry. The officer passes a background check, is employed by a licensed company and is issued a commission tied to that employer, renewed with continuing education and repeated proficiency.

What the commission allows

Carrying a firearm on duty while working for the licensed company, in the manner the company’s post orders describe. That is the whole of it. A commissioned officer has the same authority as any private person under Penal Code chapter 9 and no more; the firearm is for the defense of life within the statute and never a tool of enforcement. Officers deter, observe, report and call police, armed or not.

Where commissioned officers are used

Emergency departments and behavioral health facilities with a history of violence, pharmacies, lenders and check-cashing offices, jewelers and pawn shops, cash-handling posts, facilities with a specific threat, executive protection under a Level IV endorsement, and clients whose insurers or policies require armed presence. Most posts remain unarmed because presence, access control and reporting are what those properties need.

Price Protection’s commissioned officers

All of the company’s armed officers are Level III commissioned and receive the same company training as unarmed officers: customer service, de-escalation, first aid, fire safety and incident reporting. Their commissions can be checked on the Department of Public Safety’s public license search like any other credential. The armed security guard page describes how an armed post is staffed, and the commissioned vs non-commissioned article compares the two levels.