TCPS Q&A

I would like to share with you the answers to your questions. As I stated, I went to Austin and met with (then) Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Private Security, Dr. Jerry "Mac" McGlasson for approximately four hours.

Dave Scepanski
President, ASSIST

1. Security Officer's Questionable Registration or Fee Not Paid By Another Company.

• When a Security Officer applies for work with you and states they have worked for another company in the state of Texas and fees have been taken out, you should first go to the TCPS Web Site and check to see the status of the employee.. If they are shown on the Agency website you need only submit an Employment Information Update (EIU). Do not send in a new application.
  
  

• If that Employee is not registered, you must submit a completely new registration with TCPS .If the employee states that they have paid fees to another company and no registration is shown on the agency web-page report this by fax directly to the Chief of investigations.

2. Investigators - San Antonio

• You have two Investigators assigned to San Antonio one of them had an accident and may not going to be back to work for some time. He cannot be replaced with another employee since TCPS (like all State agencies) is only authorized to employ the number of persons authorized when the Legislature last met. The second Investigator position is now being advertised. As soon as a suitable replacement for the recently promoted investigator is found he/she be sent to San Antonio. In the interim one of the investigators from the Austin office is handling all cases in San Antonio.
  
  

• If you know of any violations of Companies or individuals who may not be registered with the TCPS report them by fax or phone to the Chief of Investigations.

3. Mail - Date - Stamp

• Should you feel that it's a mail delay( and after 11 September this is happening ) that caused a qualification certificate to be rejected because it is outside the 90 day rule you may call or fax the Director. If the commissioned officer qualified in a timely fashion and your firm delayed submitting the re qualification certificate until you 'ran up against the deadline' you may not receive a favorable response.

4. Hand Gun Certification

• If you qualify with a Semi Automatic and the caliber is a.45 you can carry a .45 or lower caliber semi-automatic or revolver. If the individual qualified with a revolver he/she may only carry a revolver.
  
  

• SA is indicated on the Security Officer's Commission Card if the person qualified with a semi automatic.
  
  

• NSA is indicated for a person who qualified with a Revolver.

5. Non-Commission Security Officers

• May go to work immediately after paper work is mailed to the Commission.

6. Private Investigators

• May begin work under the license number of an existing company once their registration is submitted to the Commission. As with all other licenses NO work may be performed while a new company is waiting on approval of a company license.

7. Non-Commission To Commission Security Officers

• When a non-commissioned security officer who has been issued a pocket card and attends an academy for the correct hours to become Commissioned (level III) and you apply for them to become Commissioned write on the top of the Application FINGERPRINTS ON FILE on the top of the application for a Commission. This indicates to TCPS staff that this does not require DPS fingerprint approval. These applications should result in approval within 14 days.

8. Fingerprint Cards

• TCPS Requires that all Security Officers be fingerprinted prior to working.
  
  

• No Exceptions

9. Pepper Spray (Incident in Harris County)

• TCPS is monitoring this case and if the courts in Harris County rules that a Commissioned or Non Commissioned Officer cannot carry pepper spray TCPS will request an Attorney Generals Opinion on how to proceed. The A.G. will not render an opinion while the criminal case is in the Harris County courts. At this time the courts are ruling on Section 46.01 (14) and Sec.46.05 (a) (8) of the Texas Penal Code and how they apply to the security industry.

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