Michigan does not license individual security guards. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) licenses security guard agencies under the Private Security Business and Security Alarm Act (1968 PA 330, MCL 338.1051 to 338.1092), and the Act sets the requirements every guard those agencies employ must meet. A separate category, private security police, is licensed through the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) and carries arrest authority on the employer's property.
Which rules apply to you
- Agency guard: you work for a LARA-licensed agency that places guards at client sites. Everything below applies to you.
- In-house guard: a business hires you directly to protect its own property and employees. The Act does not require a license for that (MCL 338.1079(2)), so your employer sets the requirements.
- Private security police officer: you work for an employer, usually a hospital system or university, that holds a private security police license. See the section on arrest authority below.
Requirements for agency guards
Guards hired after June 21, 2002 must (MCL 338.1067(2)):
- Be at least 18.
- Have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.
- Have no felony conviction, ever (MCL 338.1056(1)(c)).
- Have no conviction in the last 5 years for a misdemeanor involving any of the offenses in MCL 338.1060(1)(c): dishonesty or fraud; unauthorized divulging or selling of information or evidence; impersonating a law enforcement officer or government employee; illegally using, carrying or possessing a dangerous weapon; two or more alcohol-related offenses; controlled substance offenses; or assault.
- Not have been adjudged insane, unless a court has since restored you to sanity.
- Have no outstanding arrest warrant.
The agency may not knowingly employ anyone who does not meet these (MCL 338.1068(1)).
Fingerprints and the 90-day name check
- Fingerprints come first. The agency takes your fingerprints, or has a police agency take them, and sends them to the Michigan State Police and the FBI. It may not employ you as a guard before it submits them (MCL 338.1068(2)).
- The name check lets you start. The agency also asks the State Police for a $15 name check, backed by a signed employment application it keeps for a year. The State Police answers within 24 hours of an electronic or phone request, or 3 days of a written one.
- Provisional clearance lasts up to 90 days. A clear name check lets you work as a guard for up to 90 days while the fingerprint check finishes. If the name check comes back denied, that agency can hire you only after an approved fingerprint clearance (MCL 338.1068(4)).
- No application to the state. You do not apply to LARA or pay it a fee. The agency lists you on the employee roster it files with LARA every quarter, by April 15, July 15, October 15 and January 15 (MCL 338.1067(3)).
Training
Michigan sets no training hours for agency guards. Your employer decides what training you get and when, so keep copies of every certificate: they are your only proof of training when you change jobs.
Uniforms, badges and confidentiality
- Uniform: it must be LARA-approved and must not look like, or be identical to, a law enforcement uniform in the community. Every uniform jacket, coat and shirt carries a shoulder patch at least 3 by 5 inches with the agency's name (MCL 338.1069(1)).
- Badge: no badge or shield unless the LARA director approves it (MCL 338.1069(2)).
- What you learn on the job stays there. A current or former guard may not share information from an assignment with anyone but the employer, unless the law requires it, and a willfully false report to the employer is a misdemeanor (MCL 338.1070).
Weapons
- No armed guard license exists. A guard may carry a deadly weapon only if licensed to carry it under Michigan law (MCL 338.1069(4)). For a concealed pistol, that means a concealed pistol license (CPL) from your county clerk.
- CPL basics: at least 21, a Michigan resident for the 6 months before you apply, and an 8-hour pistol safety course with at least 5 hours of classroom instruction and 3 hours on a firing range firing at least 30 rounds, completed within 5 years before you apply (MCL 28.425b(7); MCL 28.425j).
- Batons: the agency may authorize you to carry any commercially available tactical baton (MCL 338.1069(5)).
- Your employer and the client set any firearm training and qualification on top of the CPL.
A duty to report
If you reasonably suspect, while working, that an assaultive crime has happened, or a crime under MCL 750.145c (child sexually abusive material) or MCL 750.539j (spying on or recording someone who is undressed, without consent, where they expect privacy), you must notify a law enforcement agency immediately (MCL 338.1067a).
Private security police and arrest authority
- Who has it: a business, hospital or college that protects its own premises can apply for a private security police license, and its licensed officers are often called "arrest authority" guards. Agencies that provide guards to other businesses are not eligible (MCOLES).
- What it allows: a licensed private security police officer can make a warrantless arrest the way a public peace officer can under MCL 764.15, but only on the employer's property, during working hours and in the employer's full uniform (MCL 338.1080).
- Requirements: minimums for age and security or law enforcement experience, and a background investigation for felonies and disqualifying misdemeanors.
- Training set by MCOLES: legal (criminal law and procedure, civil law, diversity); defensive tactics, plus firearms familiarization or proficiency for officers who carry; CPR and first aid, non-violent intervention and emergency preparedness; patrol operations; and a mandatory annual maintenance curriculum that includes range qualification for armed officers.
- Employer pistols: a pistol the employer issues stays in the employer's custody outside the officer's working hours (MCL 338.1079(2)).
- Ordinary guards are not police. The Michigan Supreme Court held that licensing under the Act does not make a guard's actions state action, so guards do not have to give suspects Miranda-style warnings before questioning them (Grand Rapids v Impens, 414 Mich 667 (1982)).
Starting your own agency
- Who qualifies: 21 or older, a high school education, no felony conviction and none of the listed misdemeanors in the last 5 years (MCL 338.1056(1)).
- Experience: one of the following: 3 years running a guard business in another state; 4 years as a supervisory guard employee; 4 years full time as a certified police officer; 2 years full time in security plus a bachelor's degree in police administration or industrial security; or 2 years as a military police officer or equivalent, with a commanding officer's or supervisor's affidavit. The age minimum does not apply on the military route (MCL 338.1056(1)(g)).
- Cost: a $200 license fee for an individual or sole proprietor, or $300 for an entity, plus a $25,000 bond or the insurance the Act allows in its place (MCL 338.1059(3), (4)).
- Veterans: the initial license fee and application processing fee are waived for a veteran with an honorable or general discharge shown on a DD 214 or DD 215 (MCL 338.1059(13)).
- Every quarter: the employee roster is due to LARA, and a renewal application is not processed until every roster for the 2-year license period is in (MCL 338.1067(3)).
How tessura helps
A Michigan guard has no state card to renew, but the rest still expires: a CPL, CPR and first aid cards, and your employer's training and range qualifications. tessura is free for guards: keep every card and certificate in the credential wallet and get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each one expires.
tessura is not affiliated with LARA, the Michigan State Police, MCOLES or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with LARA's Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau.