Texas Online Armed Security Renewal

Texas Armed Security Recertification Class Part 1

Already hold a Security Officer Commission? This is the course that keeps it current. Built for officers who have done this before. It moves quickly, skips the entry-level material, focuses on what has changed, and what people get wrong in the field.

Commissioned Officers continuing education is governed by 37 TAC §35.161. Verify your expiration date printed on your own commission and start this recertification process well before that date. Letting a commission lapse is a far bigger problem than renewing it.

Does this renewal cover Level 3 and Level 4?

These two get mixed up constantly, including on a lot of Texas training websites, so to be precise:

Level III is what a Security Officer Commission requires. Armed security work in general (37 TAC §35.141(a)(2)).

Level IV is not a higher grade of commissioned officer. It is specifically the Personal Protection Officer course for bodyguard and executive protection work, and it carries its own endorsement requirements.

This recertification covers the commissioned security officer material. If you also hold a PPO endorsement, that has separate requirements.

What does the online portion cover?

Law: Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 14.01 and Art. 18.16, and Penal Code §30.05 Criminal Trespass, including what counts as notice: signage, purple paint markings, fencing, spoken or written communication.

Field notes and report writing: the eight qualities of a usable report, and narrative versus pre-printed formats. Reports are what hold up months later when someone asks what happened.

Crime scene procedure: protecting evidence with barriers, and the limits of your authority: in Texas a security officer does not collect evidence beyond recovering stolen property.

Use of force: the five force options and the Dynamic Resistance Response Model, which ties your response to the subject’s level of resistance. This is the section worth re-reading properly rather than clicking through.

What happens at the recertification range day?

The online portion does not complete your renewal. You also attend an in-person Part 2 covering defensive tactics, firearms handling and the firearms proficiency requalification on the range. That session is booked separately and can be done with any Security Training Center that offers the range portion.

What do I receive when I finish the online course?

A certificate of completion (PSP 31) for your renewal paperwork

Training from a DPS-approved school with DPS-approved instructors

Self-paced coursework on any device. Fit it around shift work

Price: $45. Online Part 1 only