I had to give Dan's buddy in Georgia, Mike Blinsk, a call to answer this one.
Unarmed Security Guard Requirements For Iowa
Security Guard & Officer Legal Requirements In Iowa
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 Iowa!
If you’re not very familiar with Iowa, your only knowledge of this state might be college football teams or a certain television character who hailed from Ottumwa, Iowa. That’s OK, because there are so many new and interesting things to learn about Iowa. For instance, in both land-mass and population, Iowa ranks right in the middle of the 50 states, or just a bit below average. By location, Iowa also sits dead-center in the middle of the country.
A person might think that all of these “average” or middle rankings would show Iowa to be just an average farming state, but that’s not the case. Iowa’s location between the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River on the west provide many more opportunities for work, industry and recreation than one would find in other Midwestern states. Also, the presence of a very important east-west railroad corridor (once the gateway to the Transcontinental Railroad) is another economic tool that Iowa capitalizes on.
There are many fun and interesting things to do in the State of Iowa, as well as great places to live and work. If you are considering a new home or career, you should checkout Iowa and positions for unarmed security guards.
OK, it’s true, it does get cold in Iowa in the winter, but no one said you had to stand outside all day everyday on your job! Take an inside job or one that works from a truck. Plus, the summers are heaven in Iowa, none of that insane heat like down South. You can actually go outside in the middle of the day in August in Iowa. It’s a tradeoff. There are a lot of other great things about Iowa that make up for the cold winters, like the great places to live and work!
If you like being around young people or college sports, you might like living and working in Ames. Home to Iowa State University, Ames has a resident population of 60,000.
This popular and well-known small city has ranked highly in recent years on lists for Best Places to Live, Best College Town, Best Small City, Most Liveable Small City, etc. In other words, people like Ames – a lot. Of course, the numerous parks, bike paths, festivals and big-name performers probably don’t hurt either. And who wouldn’t fall in love with short commutes, quality public education and a reliable, inexpensive city-wide bus system?
Over on campus, Iowa State University is a city unto itself, with approximately 35,000 students as well as 6,000 faculty and staff. Home of the Cyclones, Iowa State has 18 varsity sports, of which Football is the most famous.
Iowa State is known as one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Home to the 17 acre Reiman Gardens as well as the Burnnier Art Museum, Christian Petersen Art Museum, the Anderson Sculpture Garden and the Farmer House Museum dedicated to early Iowa history and culture. Of course all of these art museums and buildings on the campus of Iowa State University require security personnel. If you’re interested in Iowa State or the City of Ames, you should consider a security position in that area.
Minimum Requirements
To work as an unarmed security guard in Iowa, you need to be licensed. Don’t worry; this is not a big deal. First, you’ll need to take a course through a State Approved organization. This isn’t so bad because you’ll learn all kinds of important stuff you’ll use on the job. Once you take your test and get your license you are golden!k
Must be at least 18 years old
High school diploma, G.E.D or equivalent certificate
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Driving 30 minutes south from Ames will bring you into Des Moines, the Capitol of the State of Iowa. Located approximately in the middle of the State, Des Moines was founded in 1851 as Fort Des Moines. There are over 207,000 residents in Iowa’s most populous city.
Although there are many types of business going on in Des Moines and throughout Iowa, it’s no secret that Iowa is heavily into Agribusiness. Some of the biggest employers in Des Moines in that sector are DuPont Pioneer (Agribusiness Data), Deere & Co., Bridgestone/Firestone (global distribution center for ag tires) and JBS USA LLC (pork processing and packaging).
The insurance industry is also a major player in Iowa’s Capitol City. Both Nationwide Insurance and Wellmark Inc. (Blue Cross) can be found in Greater Des Moines.
Of course, when considering available security positions, healthcare should never be over looked. In Greater Des Moines, some of the largest employers in the field are Iowa Health Systems, Unity Point Health – Des Moines and Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines.
Some other important large employers worth pursuing in Greater Des Moines include: Hy Vee Food Stores, the Des Moines Register, UPS, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Dahl’s Supermarkets and Meredith Corporation (Media & Marketing).
On the western edge of Iowa, on the east bank of the Missouri River, one comes to Council Bluffs. Founded in 1853, this city was the starting point for the Transcontinental Railroad. Omaha, Nebraska is just across the Missouri River.
Omaha might be bigger, but with a population of approximately 62,000, Council Bluffs isn’t fading away any time soon. A perfect example of this is the legalization of certain types of casinos and gaming in Council Bluffs and Iowa in general. Some of the employers involved are Ameristar Casino Hotel, Harrah’s Casino Hotel, Bluff’s Run Casino and American Games (lottery gaming products). Security personnel would probably be in use at all casinos, gambling establishments, nearby hotels, shops, and restaurants with high tourist traffic.
Two of the big industries in town are meat processing/packaging and the railroad. Some big employers in this sector are Tyson, Inc., Con Agra Frozen Foods, Tyson, Inc. – Cooked Meats, and Union Pacific Railroad.
Some employers specifically tied to the Council Bluffs community include Iowa Western Community College, MidAmerican Energy (power plant), Alegen Health Mercy Hospital and Jennie Edmunson Hospital. All of these employers would have large needs for security personnel, year round.
When you picture Iowa, you probably think of rows of corn, or maybe wheat, but what about **grapes?** Believe it or not, Iowa was once a **major** producer of grapes. Actually, in 1919, Iowa ranked sixth in the nation in grape production! However, into the mid-20th Century, crops like corn and wheat became more popular with farmers, and the grapes went away. Later, as wine became more popular with American consumers, farmers planted vineyards, and wineries also appeared.
In 2000, there were about a dozen wineries in all of Iowa. Today there are almost 100 wineries and over 300 vineyards! They can be found in all regions of the state and nearly every county. Visitors can visit one winery, follow one of the “wine trails” or take a tour.
Taking time from your work schedule to enjoy the Iowa “Wine Country” could be fun, of course, but it also might be a good lead for security work. Where there are tourists there are usually security personnel, especially when tourists are mixed with drinking!
If you are thinking about a new direction in life or just a new home State, consider a future as an unarmed security guard in Iowa.
