I had to give Dan's buddy in Georgia, Mike Blinsk, a call to answer this one.
Unarmed Security Guard Requirements For Georgia
Security Guard & Officer Legal Requirements In Georgia
Here on SecurityGuardTraining.io we want to provide you with all of the information you need to successfully become an Unarmed security guard in the state of Georgia!
If Georgia is on your mind, you are not alone. This state has been experiencing a population boom since the 1960s, and it hasn’t stopped yet! All the folks who have moved here must have really talked it up to their friends back home, because it seems like everyone wants to experience life here in the beautiful Peach State. The fact is, since 1960 the population of the State of Georgia has more than doubled, which far out paces the national population figures. If you would like to see what all the excitement is about, you should come to Georgia. If you are looking for employment opportunities, consider a position as an unarmed security guard.
If you’re unfamiliar with the State of Georgia, it may surprise you to learn that it’s the largest state east of the Mississippi River. There’s a lot of room for variety, opportunities and excitement in a state this size. Georgia is home to 100 miles of Atlantic sea shore and barrier islands, the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains, the Okefenokee Swamp, and the Altamaha River, one of the longest undammed rivers in the country. Interesting historical locations can be found all over this state like Saint Mary’s (the second oldest city in the nation), Blackbeard Island Wilderness Area (former home of the Pirate Blackbeard!), Warm Springs (FDR’s Little White House), Ocmulgee National Monument (largest archeological development east of the Mississippi River), Plains, GA (home of Pres. Jimmy Carter), Dahlonega (site of the first U.S. gold rush and former mint) and Savannah, the first city of the Georgia Colony.
Although there is a great deal to do and see around this state, much that goes on around here revolves around Atlanta. That’s not surprising since HOTlanta is both the largest city in the state and the capital of Georgia. Atlanta is also the largest city in the Southeast and home to one of the busiest (and most important) airports in the world.
I had my good buddy Mike Blinsk help me gather all the details for the state of Georgia. He's been a security guard, both unarmed and armed, down that way since before I can remember. He's been around the block a few times and I know he has 17 years of experience as a professional security guard working a variety of different jobs, so he really knows the ropes. I met Mike right at the start of my career, when I was working as a door bouncer, I had just left the military and Mike was on vacation, he came in the bar one night and we just got to chatting about bike, life, beer and girls.
Minimum Requirements
No specific licensing is required in the state of Georgia to become an unarmed security guard but the applicant must meet several stringent requirements.
Must be at least 18 years old
High school diploma, G.E.D or equivalent certificate
Helpful Additions
Training Curriculum
In addition to the stated requirements, effective September 1, 2007 you must attend a minimum of 24 hours of classroom training to be permitted to operate as an unarmed security guard within the state of Georgia. Details of the basic training curriculum are available from the Georgia state government website.
Training Requirements
As a general rule employers will offer the required training as part of the hiring and on-boarding process. If an employer doesn't offer the required classes there are a number of classes you can take from private organizations that will give you the requisite training.
For further information on training and requirements you can call the Georgia State Government Professional Licensing Board at 478-207-2440.
You may have heard of the Blue Card for Georgia security guards but this is only applicable if you are applying to become an armed security guard. Want to know about the requirements for an armed security guard in the state of Georgia?
Application Process
There is no formal application process that you need to worry about, your employer will take care of the necessary paperwork when they hire you. If you take training classes before you are hired then the school itself will handle the filing of the paperwork, handing you the certificate (if any), and taking care of business.
Fees Schedule
There's not much to say about application fees for unarmed security guards in Georgia. For the most part, if you are offered a security guard job your employer should either directly offer, pay for or reimburse you for any of the required 24 hours of training. The only out-of-pocket expense you can expect is your required criminal background check that can be performed by the local law enforcement, e.g. police or sheriff.
There are many different industries and business sectors represented in Atlanta, but in truth, the real business of Atlanta IS business. Metro Atlanta is the headquarters for The Home Depot, Newell Rubbermaid, UPS, AGCO Corporation, Coca-Cola, NCR, First Data, RockTenn, Delta Airlines, SunTrust Banks, Waffle House, Genuine Parts, Mohawk Industries, Pulte and Chick-fil-A. Huge law firms with dozens of offices all over the world have headquarters or large regional offices here in Atlanta – the same can be said for a number of monster accounting and engineering firms. Of course you would expect all of these business giants to have security teams. However, there is a lot of variety possible because of their locations. Some have headquarters in downtown high rise buildings while others are situated in quieter suburbs. Security personnel in office buildings or corporate situations in Atlanta often wear a coat and tie and work indoors most of the day.
Georgia Tech, Emory University, Georgia State University and the schools of the Atlanta University Center, including Morehouse School of Medicine, are all located fairly close to downtown and represent just a few of colleges and universities situated in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Directly to the north of Georgia Tech is the Turner Broadcasting main campus – home to TBS, TNT, the Cartoon Network and others. A bit south of Georgia Tech is CNN Center, which houses CNN, HLN, CNN International and CNN.com. As you can imagine, security is important for these downtown locations for both the universities and the media outlets. Although these areas aren’t dangerous, it is still the big city. Security personnel at universities and media outlets often work outdoors and usually wear a uniform so that they are instantly recognizable as a security official.
Atlanta is a major center for healthcare, mostly driven by the large population. More than 50 hospitals operate in the metro Atlanta area under the auspices of approximately 6 major health systems. This number includes hospitals only, not clinics or wellness centers. It’s common to have security personnel on duty 24 hours a day in hospitals, including parking areas and grounds. Hospital security staff wear a uniform and can work either indoors or outdoors depending on the assigned shift.
If the idea of living and working in Atlanta has peaked your curiosity or anywhere in the state of Georgia for that matter, opportunities abound and there is no reason for you to not try and become an unarmed security guard in the Peach State!
