Non-commissioned security officer (Level II): Definition and What It Means

The registration most posts run on

Most of the hours Price Protection staffs are unarmed, and every one of those officers holds a Level II registration. The registration is issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety under Occupations Code chapter 1702 after the applicant completes the 30-hour Level II course, submits fingerprints and passes a criminal history check. It is tied to the employing company: an officer who changes companies is re-registered, so the client can always confirm that the person at the gate is registered to the company on the contract.

What the 30 hours cover

The Level II course covers the legal role of a private security officer in Texas, including the limits on detention, search and use of force; observation and reporting; emergency procedures; and professional conduct. It does not include firearms, which is why a Level II officer works unarmed. On top of the state course, our officers are trained in security protocols, customer service, incident reporting, first aid and fire safety, and their performance is reviewed and documented every day against the daily activity report.

What it means on your property

An unarmed officer’s authority is that of any private person, exercised inside written post orders. The officer controls access, patrols, observes, reports, gives trespass warnings where the property owner has authorized it, and calls police when enforcement is needed. That is the right tool for the large majority of apartment, construction, retail, office and industrial posts, and it is the tool we can typically have on site within hours. The unarmed security guard page describes the post types, and the Level II course article walks through the training itself.