How to become a security guard in Connecticut

Every Connecticut credential

All 4 individual credentials this regulator issues to security workers, from the entry-level card to specialty and instructor registrations.

Steps to get started

1. Take the 8-hour security officer course from an instructor on DESPP's approved list; the instructor signs your DPS-135-C.
2. Pay the fingerprint fee online and get fingerprinted for the state and national criminal history checks.
3. Mail the DPS-135-C, a 2x2 color photo, a copy of your Connecticut driver's license, the FBI privacy statement, the fingerprint receipt and the $100 fee to SLFU in Middletown, within 2 years of the course.
4. Start work on the pending application only after your employer's own criminal history check, and not at schools or child care centers.
5. Renew every 5 years. The license stays valid 90 days past expiration with a $25 late fee; after that it cannot be renewed.

Security Officer Identification Card (Guard Card): Required for security company officers and for in-house officers who wear a uniform on premises open to the public or with paid admission (C.G.S. 29-152u(7)). Age 18+ and good moral character. Training is at least 8 hours from a DESPP-approved instructor covering basic first aid, search and seizure, use of force, and basic criminal justice and public safety; the instructor signs form DPS-135-C, and the application must follow within 2 years of the training (C.G.S. 29-161q). The course and the $100 fee are waived for members of the armed forces or National Guard, and for veterans within 2 years of discharge, who show equivalent military training. Barred: a felony, sexual offense or crime involving moral turpitude, or a police decertification. Work on a pending application is allowed only after the employer runs a state and national criminal history check and finds you qualify, and never at a preschool, K-12 school or child care center (29-161q(h)). The employer then registers you, and you carry the ID card on duty. DESPP sends a renewal notice at least 90 days before expiration; the license stays valid 90 days past its expiration date, renewal after that date adds $25, and a license expired more than 90 days cannot be renewed.

Approved Security Officer (Guard Card) Instructor: DESPP/SLFU approves the private instructors who teach the commissioner-approved criminal-justice classroom course and sign form DPS-135-C for Security Officer Training Certification (Guard Card) applicants; SLFU publishes a Public Security Instructor List. Instructors apply under oath with a $40 fee, listing employment for the previous five years and training in the subjects taught; no one convicted of a felony, a sexual offense or a crime of moral turpitude can be approved, and approval lasts up to 2 years, renewable for $40 (C.G.S. 29-161q).

Approved Security Officer Firearms Instructor (Blue Card course): DESPP-approved firearms instructor who teaches the 8-hour security officer firearms training/qualification course and annual refresher under C.G.S. §29-161z, signs form DPS-1030 (available only from an approved instructor) and appears on the SLFU certified firearms instructor list. The application is made under oath with employment for the previous five years and training in the subjects taught; no one convicted of a felony, a sexual offense or a crime of moral turpitude, or denied or revoked as a security licensee, officer or instructor, can be approved. Approval lasts up to 2 years (C.G.S. 29-161z(d)).

Working armed in Connecticut

Armed officers (21+) need a Connecticut State Pistol Permit plus a $62 security officer special permit (the blue card), which takes an 8-hour approved firearms course and a refresher every year and expires with the pistol permit.

Armed Security Officer Firearms Endorsement (Blue Card): Any security officer who carries a firearm on duty or directly to or from work needs this special permit (the blue card) in addition to a Connecticut State Pistol Permit (C.G.S. 29-161z, 29-28). Age 21+. Training is an 8-hour firearms safety and qualification course from a DESPP-approved firearms instructor, who signs form DPS-1030 (available only from the instructor), plus an approved refresher course every year. DESPP may issue a temporary permit if the application is filed and the course completed right after hiring. The permit expires with the pistol permit and renews for 5-year periods. Carrying without it is a $75 fine for the officer and for the employer.

Keep your Connecticut credential alive

The free wallet computes your renewal deadline from Connecticut's rules and reminds you at 60, 30, and 7 days. Exam prep for Connecticut follows.