3 Biggest Guard Card Training Myths Exposed
Valley Guard has been in the security training business for over 20 years. We’ve helped over 10,000 people get a California Guard Card. And to this day, we’re still surprised by one thing:
Almost nobody knows what Guard Card classes are really about.
That’s why we’ve decided to bust the three biggest myths associated with California Guard Card training and, in the process, put you ahead of the curve. After you read this, you’ll know more than just about anybody who comes to our facility.
So let’s get started…
Myth 1: Guard Card classes teach you physical stuff like how to hand-cuff people
When you hear the words “guard training”, a few things probably come to mind. You’ll learn a bunch of techniques, like how to slap on hand-cuffs or how to subdue a perpetrator with pepper spray and some well-placed shots of a baton. Then you’ll have to get up in front of a class and demonstrate them.
Not True.
Guard Card classes in the State of California have nothing to do with physical training. They’re actually about the laws you need to know and uphold as a security guard.
Let’s use the Power to Arrest class as an example. It’s one of two courses you need to take before you can apply for a California Guard Card. Even though “arrest” is in the name, you don’t actually learn how to arrest someone. Instead, you learn the legal definition of an “arrest”. What are the consequences for you, the person you arrest, and the company you work for? What does it mean to use “excessive force”? If you use it, what legal ramifications does it have?
Plain and simple, California Guard Card classes teach you California laws. There’s no physical activity required. What a relief, right?
Myth 2: Training must be done in-person in a classroom environment
This myth is connected to the first one. Since most people think Guard Card classes involve physical activity, they believe the training has to be done in-person. And, once again…
Not True.
When you take Guard Card classes at Valley Guard Training or any other facility in California, two things happen. First, we hand you a booklet to study and a DVD to watch. When you’re done, we hand you written tests on what you just learned. That’s it. No painful hand-cuffs. No sleeper holds. No tears because you got pepper sprayed. Just read a booklet, watch a short movie, and take some tests.
That’s why you do NOT need to take Guard Card classes in-person. In fact, we created Valley Guard Online so people can get the same BSIS-certified training we offer in our facility right on their desktop, laptop, or smart phone.
Myth 3: Forty hours of training?!! That’ll take forever!
BSIS requires eight hours of training before you can apply for a California Guard Card and another thirty-two hours of continuing education within six months from the date the Guard Card is issued. (If you’re not familiar with these rules, learn more about the BSIS Guard Card requirements here.) Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?
Here’s the truth: all those hours are based on how classes used to work.
Guard Card training used to involve live classes that had to be taken in-person. You had to drive to a training facility, sit through a bunch of lectures, and take exams. It was a serious commitment that really did take about forty hours over the span of several days.
Over the years, the process became simpler and more streamlined until we got to where we are today, with a DVD, some booklets, and written tests. BSIS still labels courses with hours, but it may not take the stated amount of time. If you take your Guard Card classes at Valley Guard Online, you can go through all “40 hours” of required training at your own pace in your spare time.
And that’s about it.
Hopefully all of this has shown you how California Guard Card classes and training actually work. The classes don’t involve anything physical, which means you don’t have to take them in-person. And even though that forty-hour number sounds like a lot, the Guard Card training of today is nothing like it used to be. You can even get all of your required courses online whenever it’s convenient for you.
If you’d like to learn more about our own BSIS-certified, online Guard Card training, visit Valley Guard Online.
