Security Training | Security Officer Training | Security Guard Training
Many security officers are required to go through supplementary security training courses mandated by the state for the carrying of weapons such as batons, firearms, and pepper spray (e.g. the Bureau of Security Officers and Investigative Services in California has requirements that a security license for each item listed must be carried while on duty). Some security officers are required to complete police official recognition for special jobs.
Positions are also set to grow in the U.S., with 175,000 new security offcier jobs expected before 2016. In recent years, due to eminent threats of terrorism, most security officers are required to have bomb-threat education and/or emergency crisis security training, especially those located in soft target areas such as shopping malls, schools, and any other area where the general public assemble.
One major economic explanation for a security officer increase is that insurance companies (particularly fire insurance companies) will give substantial price breaks to sites which have a 24-hour surveillance; for a high risk or high value location, the price cut can often exceed the money being spent on its security guard program.
This is because having security guards on site raises the odds that any fire will be observed and reported to the local fire department before a total loss occurs. Also, the presence of security guards (particularly in combination with effective security measures) tends to reduce "shrinkage," theft, employee transgression and safety rule violations, property damage, or even sabotage. Many casinos hire security guards to protect money when moving it from the casino floor to the bank.