Law Enforcement / Security

This foundational course equips entry-level security and law enforcement students with the safety knowledge, applied math, communication skills, and career readiness tools they need before entering specialized trade coursework. Students earn OSHA 10-Hour General Industry recognition and CPR/First Aid certification, and build the professional baseline required for the State Security Guard License and POST Academy Prep credential pathways. All content is contextualized to patrol, post orders, incident documentation, and security operations scenarios.

How the course runs. 7 blocks: Workplace Safety Foundations and OSHA 10 for Security Professionals; CPR, AED, and First Aid Certification; Trade Math for Security and Patrol; Technical Reading: Post Orders, Policy Manuals, and Legal Notices; Professional Communication: Writing, Radio, and Verbal Skills; Digital Tools for Security and Law Enforcement Work; Career Readiness and Credential Application Preparation.

What competent looks like. Demonstrate OSHA 10-hour general industry safety knowledge and correctly identify and respond to workplace hazards common to security and patrol environments. Perform hands-on CPR, AED use, and basic first aid to American Heart Association or Red Cross standards and earn a recognized certification card. Solve trade-relevant math problems including unit conversion, shift scheduling calculations, perimeter measurement, and basic use-of-force reporting ratios with at least 80% accuracy. Read and extract key information from security post orders, incident report forms, legal notices, and policy manuals using active reading strategies. Compose clear, professional written and verbal communications appropriate to security and law enforcement contexts, including radio protocol, shift logs, and formal email. Develop a career readiness portfolio including a resume, cover letter, professional references list, and a completed mock State Security Guard License application packet.

This course builds the legal foundation security officers and law enforcement candidates need to act lawfully on the job, covering criminal law principles, the limits of private and public authority, constitutional constraints on searches and arrests, and the evidence rules that protect prosecutions. Learners connect statutory and case-law concepts directly to field decisions—use of force, detention, reporting—so every action they take can be justified in writing and in court. Lessons are mapped to both the State Security Guard License exam areas and POST Academy preparation standards.

How the course runs. 7 blocks: Foundations of Criminal Law: Sources, Structure, and Classification; Constitutional Limits on Authority: Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments; Arrest Law: Authority, Elements, and Liability; Elements of Common Crimes in Security Contexts; Use-of-Force Law and the Reasonable-Person Standard; Evidence Basics and Legally Sound Documentation; Integrated Criminal Law Review and Credential Exam Mapping.

What competent looks like. Distinguish felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions and explain how the classification of an offense determines the lawful response available to a security officer or peace officer candidate. Explain the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment protections and apply those protections to real security and patrol scenarios involving stops, searches, and custodial questioning. State the legal standards for a lawful citizen's arrest and a peace officer's arrest, identify the conditions that justify each, and articulate the civil and criminal liability risks of acting outside those standards. Describe the elements of common crimes encountered in security work—theft, trespass, assault, battery, vandalism, and drug possession—and identify the evidence needed to establish each element. Apply use-of-force law, including the reasonable-person standard and the continuum framework, to written scenarios and justify a chosen response in legal terminology. Prepare a legally sound incident account that documents observed facts, statements, and evidence in a sequence admissible as a contemporaneous record.

Students learn systematic patrol methods used by security officers and entry-level peace officers, including foot and vehicle patrol techniques, perimeter and access control, observation skills, threat recognition, and emergency response protocols. Lessons integrate legal authority, situational awareness, communication with dispatch and the public, and documentation habits that satisfy both employer standards and state security licensing requirements. Content is aligned to State Security Guard License competency areas and POST Academy preparation objectives.

How the course runs. 7 blocks: Patrol Fundamentals: Purpose, Legal Authority, and Officer Safety; Observation, Situational Awareness, and Threat Recognition; Foot Patrol Techniques and Perimeter Security; Vehicle Patrol, Radio Communication, and Dispatch Procedures; Access Control, Visitor Management, and Crowd Dynamics; Emergency Response During Patrol: Medical, Fire, and Hazmat; Patrol Documentation, Chain of Custody, and Credential Exam Integration.

What competent looks like. Conduct a documented foot patrol of an assigned area using a systematic route, identifying and logging security hazards, access points, and suspicious conditions to a passing standard on a skills rubric. Demonstrate proper vehicle patrol techniques including pre-trip inspection, observation scanning, and radio communication with simulated dispatch, meeting employer safety and POST preparation benchmarks. Apply access control and perimeter security procedures—including visitor logging, credential verification, and barrier checks—in a role-play scenario scored at 80% or higher. Recognize behavioral indicators of criminal activity, medical emergency, and fire or hazardous-material incidents during patrol and select the correct immediate action for each scenario on a written knowledge exam. Use radio communication procedures, phonetic alphabet, and standard reporting codes accurately in simulated patrol exercises, achieving an 80% score on a communication competency check. Complete a patrol log and incident field note that meets chain-of-custody documentation standards, with no critical errors identified by instructor review.

Students develop the practical writing skills required to produce clear, accurate, legally defensible incident reports, use-of-force documentation, and field notes that meet POST and security-licensing standards. Emphasis is placed on grammar, objectivity, chronological narrative structure, and proper documentation of evidence, witness statements, and officer observations. Competency in these skills directly supports both the State Security Guard License and POST Academy Prep credential exam areas related to documentation and professional communication.

How the course runs. 7 blocks: Foundations of Law Enforcement Report Writing; Grammar, Vocabulary, and Objective Language; Field Notes: Observation, Documentation, and Memory Aids; Incident Report Forms: Structure and Completion; Use-of-Force and Special-Circumstance Documentation; Witness Statements and Suspect Descriptions; Digital Reporting Tools, Records Management, and Final Integration.

What competent looks like. Write a complete, factually accurate incident report using chronological narrative structure and objective language that meets POST documentation standards. Correctly record witness statements, suspect descriptions, and physical evidence details using standardized field-note formats. Apply correct grammar, spelling, and law enforcement vocabulary to produce reports free of ambiguity or personal opinion. Complete use-of-force, property loss, and missing-person report forms accurately and within simulated time constraints. Identify and correct common report-writing errors including passive voice overuse, vague descriptors, hearsay conclusions, and missing essential elements. Use digital reporting tools and records-management system workflows to submit, store, and retrieve reports in compliance with agency chain-of-custody requirements.

This course covers the physical skills, legal boundaries, and decision-making frameworks required for safe and lawful use-of-force encounters in security and law enforcement contexts. Students learn control holds, de-escalation, ground defense, handcuffing, and baton fundamentals, all grounded in use-of-force law and officer safety principles. Lessons map directly to POST academy physical-skills standards and the use-of-force knowledge areas tested on State Security Guard licensing exams.

How the course runs. 7 blocks: Use-of-Force Law, Policy, and the Force Continuum; Officer Safety Principles, De-escalation, and Reactionary Gap; Empty-Hand Control: Escort Holds, Wrist Locks, and Compliance Techniques; Takedowns, Ground Defense, and Disengagement; Handcuffing and Search Procedures; Baton Fundamentals: Grip, Stance, Blocks, and Target Areas; Integrated Use-of-Force Scenarios and Incident Documentation.

What competent looks like. Apply a legally defensible use-of-force continuum to scenario-based threat situations, justifying each force level chosen. Execute empty-hand control techniques—including wrist locks, escort holds, and takedowns—with correct body mechanics and without causing unnecessary injury. Demonstrate safe handcuffing and searching procedures on a resisting subject under controlled lab conditions. Perform ground-defense and disengagement techniques to regain a standing position and create reactionary gap. Demonstrate baton (straight or side-handle) grip, stance, blocking, and target-area strikes within agency-approved policy limits. Accurately document a use-of-force incident in a written report that meets POST report-writing standards.

This course develops the core operational competencies of a working security officer: post orders, access control, surveillance, emergency response coordination, and professional conduct under pressure. Lessons integrate legal authority, communication technology, and situational awareness so students can perform safely and lawfully on a real post. Content maps directly to the State Security Guard License examination domains and supports POST Academy Prep readiness in patrol and public-safety response.

How the course runs. 7 blocks: The Security Officer's Legal Authority and Professional Role; Post Orders, Access Control, and Visitor Management; Surveillance Systems, CCTV, and Communication Technology; Situational Awareness, Threat Recognition, and De-escalation; Emergency Response Coordination: Fire, Medical, and Active-Threat Protocols; Security Documentation, Report Writing, and Chain of Custody; Integrated Security Operations Scenario and Professional Conduct Review.

What competent looks like. Execute post orders and access-control procedures in compliance with site-specific instructions and applicable state security regulations. Operate surveillance equipment, two-way radios, and visitor-management logs accurately and in accordance with chain-of-custody documentation standards. Apply situational-awareness and threat-recognition techniques to identify and de-escalate suspicious activity before force becomes necessary. Coordinate emergency response actions—fire, medical, active-threat, and hazmat indicators—using standard notification protocols and the Incident Command System chain of communication. Demonstrate professional and legally compliant conduct including use-of-force continuum awareness, privacy limits, and anti-discrimination requirements during access-control encounters. Produce complete, factual, real-time security logs and incident reports that meet evidentiary documentation standards required by state licensing boards.

Students design, document, and defend a complete security operations plan for a realistic site scenario, integrating criminal law, patrol procedures, report writing, defensive tactics protocols, and security operations into one cohesive professional deliverable. The capstone simulates the full scope of entry-level security and law enforcement support work, requiring students to apply every program competency under instructor evaluation. Successful completion demonstrates job-ready readiness for state licensing and POST-aligned employment.

How the course runs. 4 blocks: Site Survey, Threat Assessment, and Post Orders Drafting; Simulated Incident Response and After-Action Reporting; Capstone Plan Integration, Revision, and Portfolio Assembly; Oral Defense and Panel Presentation.

What competent looks like. Conduct a site security survey and produce a written threat and vulnerability assessment that meets professional documentation standards. Draft a site-specific post orders package including emergency action procedures, patrol routes, use-of-force policy references, and incident reporting protocols. Demonstrate lawful and tactically sound responses to at least three simulated incidents — one involving a medical emergency, one a criminal trespass, and one a use-of-force decision point — with written after-action reports for each. Apply applicable criminal law concepts, constitutional limitations on detention, and use-of-force continuum principles correctly in both written documentation and verbal defense. Present and orally defend the completed security operations plan to a panel, answering scenario-based questions drawn from all prior course areas. Self-evaluate performance using a structured rubric, identifying at least two areas for continued professional development before externship.

Students complete 162 supervised hours at an approved law enforcement or private security worksite, applying patrol, report writing, defensive tactics, and security operations skills under the direct oversight of a licensed field supervisor. Each student maintains a detailed field journal and is formally evaluated by their site supervisor at the midpoint and end of the placement. Competencies observed on-site are mapped to both the State Security Guard License performance standards and POST Academy Prep employer-recognition criteria.

How the course runs. 4 blocks: Pre-Placement Orientation and Site-Safety Briefing; Supervised Operational Shifts – Patrol, Access Control, and Incident Response; Mid-Placement Evaluation and Reflective Conference; Final Evaluation, Field Journal Submission, and Program Debrief.

What competent looks like. Demonstrate professional conduct, punctuality, and adherence to site-specific post orders across all scheduled externship shifts. Apply patrol techniques, access control procedures, and incident response protocols learned in coursework to real worksite conditions under supervisor direction. Complete accurate, legible incident and shift reports that meet the documentation standards required for State Security Guard License compliance. Perform basic first aid and CPR, and follow OSHA general-industry safety protocols, correctly when required or prompted during the placement. Receive a passing composite score on the employer mid-term and final evaluation rubric, demonstrating job-entry readiness. Maintain a reflective field journal with one entry per shift that connects observed worksite practices to specific course concepts and credential exam areas.

This 45-hour course systematically reviews every tested domain of the State Security Guard License exam and the POST Academy Prep credential, using diagnostic practice, targeted content review, and full-length mock exams to identify and close individual knowledge gaps. Students develop test-taking strategies, reinforce legal and procedural knowledge from earlier coursework, and demonstrate readiness to sit both credentialing exams with confidence. Lessons are sequenced from diagnostic to comprehensive, mirroring the cognitive load and format of the actual licensing and POST prep assessments.

How the course runs. 4 blocks: Diagnostic Assessment & Exam Domain Mapping; Targeted Content Review: Legal Authority, Use of Force & Criminal Law; Targeted Content Review: Patrol, Report Writing, Emergency Response & Security Operations; Full Mock Credential Exams & Final Readiness Review.

What competent looks like. Demonstrate mastery of all major State Security Guard License exam content domains—including law, use of force, emergency response, access control, and professional conduct—by scoring 80% or higher on a full-length mock licensing exam. Demonstrate readiness for POST Academy Prep assessment areas—including criminal law, patrol procedures, report writing, and defensive tactics concepts—by scoring 80% or higher on a full-length POST prep mock exam. Apply test-taking strategies such as eliminating distractors, managing time per question, and flagging uncertain items to improve accuracy under timed exam conditions. Analyze personal diagnostic data to identify weak content domains and direct self-study resources accordingly before sitting the credentialing exams. Accurately recall legal authorities, officer powers, reporting requirements, and use-of-force continuum principles as tested on both credentials without reference materials. Complete both a simulated State Security Guard License exam and a POST Academy Prep mock exam within the prescribed time limits, achieving passing scores on each.