Tennessee Security Guard Licensing Guide | Defencify

In the state of Tennessee, a person needs to be licensed and registered with the state to work as a security guard. The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Private Protective Services division is responsible for regulating unarmed and armed security officers in the state.

In Tennessee, security guard licenses need to be renewed every two years. All candidates must complete the state-mandated unarmed guard training and pass a final exam before they can begin to work as a security officer.

Understanding Tennessee Security Guard Licensing Requirements

The minimum requirements for being a security guard in Tennessee are very similar to most other states:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a US citizen or resident alien with right to work paperwork
• Not have been declared by any court of competent jurisdiction incompetent by reason of mental defect or disease
• Have good moral character
• No habitual drug use or alcohol dependence (drug testing may be performed)
• No felony convictions in the last 5 years (including probation) or misdemeanors involving firearms, assault and battery, shoplifting, the manufacture or distribution of controlled substances, or theft of property or services

Tennessee Unarmed Security Guard Licensing Process

Candidates who meet these eligibility requirements may begin the application and training process. Some people start by applying for open security guard positions. Once they have an offer of employment or are hired, the security guard company assists them with the application and training process.

Others complete the license application and training before initiating a job search and show up to interviews with their Guard Card in hand and ready to go to work (preferred by employers). Either way, this includes:

1. Orientation (1 hour)
2. Legal powers and limitations of a security officer (1 hour)
3. Emergency procedures (1 hour)
4. General duties and requirements (1 hour)

Note: People seeking training to earn a license as an unarmed security guard in Tennessee should make sure the provider is certified by Tennessee Private Protective Services or the course will not count towards the state’s mandatory training requirement. A signed certificate of course completion from a state-approved training provider must be presented with the application to the Tennessee Private Protective Services to earn a license.

The training may be delivered as live classroom instruction or as a remote online course. A final exam must be passed to earn a certificate of completion. A list of training providers certified by Tennessee Private Protective Services can be found here.

Further, this basic training must be completed by all candidates, including those applying to be armed security guards. In Tennessee, all guards must be licensed and working for a security company in an unarmed capacity before they can move to armed guard status. Armed guards must be at least 21 years old and complete 12 hours of additional firearms training.

Choosing the Right Training Provider for Tennessee Security Guard Licensing

Defencify is a state-approved provider of unarmed security guard license training in Tennessee and is one of the few online options.

Rather than wait for the next live class to be scheduled, Defencify’s affordable, mobile-optimized web-based courses allow applicants to enroll in a few clicks and begin the training immediately.

Learners complete the training at their own pace at the time and place of their choosing. They can take the class on any device – a phone, laptop, tablet, or desktop computer – and start, stop, and repeat modules as needed.

Defencify’s remote training eliminates travel time and expenses, fixed schedules, and conflicts.

Defencify’s self-paced, online 4-hour Tennessee Security License Training Course is guaranteed to satisfy the Tennessee Private Protective Services Licensing and Regulatory Act for initial licensing as an unarmed private security guard in Tennessee.

The course was created by Defencify instructional designers working together with the Tennessee Private Protective Services to ensure the training covers the topics as mandated by the State and meets the minimum time requirements.

It is designed using modern eLearning technologies and adult learning concepts tied to interactive lessons and games to make the training engaging and fun.

The class is broken into four modules, each containing sub-modules for a total of nine subjects that exceed the state minimum requirements:

1. Orientation
2. Tennessee Administrative Rules and Regulations
3. The Role of a Security Officer: Attitude and Conduct
4. Legal Powers and Limitations of a Security Officer: A Security Officer's Authority and Laws and Liabilities, Criminal and Civil
5. Basic First Aid
6. Emergency Evacuation and Notification Procedures
7. Patrol Procedures
8. Report Writing, Documentation and Evidence
9. General Security Terminology.

At the conclusion of the training learners take a mandatory forty-question final exam. Upon passing, a certificate of completion is emailed to the trainee for inclusion with their application to the Tennessee Department of Commerce   Insurance Private Protective Services division.

With the minimal training requirements in Tennessee, applicants can get their unarmed security guard career started in just one day! Visit defencifytraining.com to learn more about earning a Tennessee Guard Card.

For Tennessee security guard firms seeking affordable online training options for their entire workforce, sign up for a free trial of Defencify’s courseware offerings to see how Defencify can get new hires into the field faster.