Commissioned School Security Officer Training

Click here to help us design a program for your School.

Or Call Us At 501-743-0660

An intensive 3 Phase training program with at least 60 hours of training that teaches your School Security Officer how to act and respond like an elite professional . . . using the most update-to-date knowledge taken from science on the body’s natural reactions under duress and case studies of modern dynamic critical incidents . . . using “real-time” pressure drills to teach appropriate and proper legal responses that keep faculty and students safe . . .

Need your Crises Management Plan tested? We provide Professional Development training opportunities for your officers and staff to work through real life scenarios and reach desired outcomes based on your written plans. Need Standard Operating Procedures written? We can do that as well and help you identify mitigation strategies along the way.

Commissioned School Security Officer FAQs
- How do I become an Arkansas Commissioned Security Officer?
  
  Arkansas legislative Act 393 starting in section 17-40-101 outlines the requirements to become a CSSO in Arkansas. General requirements to become a CSSO in Arkansas include:
  Complete the 60 hour training required in Rule 10 offered by Get Trained Be Ready Institute of Instruction license #IOI0000016.
  Apply through your School District to become a CSSO for your School District.
  Pass a criminal background check conducted by the FBI and Arkansas State Police.
  Complete 24 hours of training with Get Trained Be Ready annually to maintain your credentials and commission.
- Do you train School Security Guards and Teams?
  
  Yes, we offer some very diverse options for School Security training and Commissioned School Security Officers to address a variety of security concerns. We have more training options than any other company of our kind and we can train you regardless of what state you are located in. We can include ammunition through our FFL in the cost of our training.
- Do you train Commissioned School Security Officers (CSSO) in Arkansas?
  
  Yes, we train Commissioned School Security Officers (CSSO) in Arkansas for origination training, refresher training, and renewal training. We offer a variety of options for you to choose from that comply with the Arkansas State Police training requirements.
- Do you offer School Security Team training scenarios?
  
  We provide scenario training for school security officers and administrators that includes everything from integration with law enforcement to triage during and after an event. Depending on what your training goals are, we can do simulations and scenarios. This generally involves role players and your team members. Generally, we need to have some time training your team to a minimum level of proficiency before you jump into scenario based training. It is best described as a crawl, walk, run, run faster type of methodology.
- Do you offer Active Shooter training for schools?
  
  We provide Active Shooter training for educational facilities at the primary, secondary, or beyond levels. See the Commissioned School Security Officer page for more information.
- Can you come to my campus for School Security Guard (CSSO) training?
  
  We have training teams that mobilize and can come to you for whatever kind of training you require to meet your goals. Depending on the type of training, we might need you to provide some resources or facilities for us to use for this training. Please fill out the Training Questionnaire page to better help us understand your needs.
- Are you doing School Security Guard or Commissioned School Security Officer training near me?
  
  We do training events all over Arkansas and surrounding states. Most of our School Security Officer and CSSO events are private and not open to non-team members of those organizations. As teams get better trained, it's not unusual for us to build training to suit their skill level. We provide a lot of onsite training that is specific to the facilities or campuses that a team expects to operate in.
  
  We do have some open to the public events for individuals or team members to attend. Keep an eye on our training calendar for those events and there is always the opportunity for you to Host us for a training event with other local schools in your area.
- How much does training cost for School Security Guards (CSSO) and Teams?
  
  There are a lot of variables involved. Pricing is directly correlated to what training you need (new refresher, or renewal), how many instructors we need to provide to achieve your goals, if ranges or facilities have to be rented, or special equipment must be provided. Please fill out our Training Questionnaire to help us understand your training requirements.
- Can you help our school campus with security procedures?
  
  We can give you an honest evaluation of where you need to start, what you need to do next, and how best to create a sustainable training methodology to meet the needs of your campus as well as protect your teacher, administrator, security officers, and students.
- Do you have School Security Guard (CSSO) training training courses?
  
  Yes. We offer a 60 hour Commissioned School Security Officer training course that includes an overview of the pertinent law, active shooter training, shoot/no shoot drills, defensive firearms usage, CPR and basic trauma training, simulation/scenario training, and more. For additional information, see our Active Shooter page.
- Can you recommend School Security and Medical Emergency equipment?
  
  We can certainly recommend equipment whether it's medical equipment, radios, firearms, video, facility security, and more. We will recommend equipment that we know works well and in certain applications, we can recommend places to get it or installers who can install it.
  
  We can also train you in the use of this equipment in order to maximize the benefits of it. If you haven't trained realistically, then you really don't know that it works.
- Can you help us develop a School Security plan with Standard Operating procedures?
  
  We can help you with options to enable you create Standard Operating Procedures that will be beneficial to your campus, facility, staff, and students.
- Can you help train our Security guards (CSSO) for medical emergencies?
  
  In an active killer / active shooter situation, it's imperative that you have the medical supplies needed and the knowledge on how to use them. Stopping the bleed and CPR are major parts of keeping an injured staff member or student alive until help arrives.
  
  We offer several options for medical training from CPR to Basic Trauma care including hands on use of the medical equipment we can recommend and provide not only in a practical learning environment, but in simulation and scenario based training applications.
- Can you work with large and small school districts?
  
  We can train all sizes of school districts. We see many times that small districts reach out in the community to other small districts and do a combined Hosting event. On occasion smaller school districts see the benefit of a private training event that is focused on their facility with only their team members.

Your life is filled with difficult decisions. And each year, the level of difficulty for those decisions seems to increase.

It is beyond our wildest imaginations that we have come to a point where superintendants, principals, and school board members must decide on the best, safest way to bring armed security officers to our schools.

However, you have been asked to do just that.

I saw an article in the New York Times from the mid-80’s. The reporter asked teachers at an urban junior high school to name the top 5 problems they faced as teachers.

They responded:

Talking out of turn
Lateness
Chewing gum in class
Wearing a hat in school
Skirts that were too short

Sadly, we’ve come a long way.

We want to present to you a school security officer training program that will help make your decision process easier. A program that will give you peace of mind as you decide the best way to prepare your security officer to be armed on campus. A program that far exceeds "minimum standards". We accomplish more for your team in this 60 hours than any other training company. We aren't coming to fill the time and get your team the minimum qualifications required by law.

We want more for your School Security Officers. A LOT more.

Any plan works well on days the killer does not attack, there needs to be a plan for the day the killer does attack. It starts with defining what you want the outcome to look like after the attack is over, specifically, the body count. After defining the desired outcome, a realistic plan can be developed to reach that outcome.

If the focus is on the plan and not the desired outcome, we include things we are comfortable with, things we personally like, things other schools are doing, things we have always done, things that are not controversial, things that require less work, things that are inexpensive. We exclude things we are not comfortable with, things we do not like, things that might be controversial, things that cause more work, things that may cost more.

To be clear, an active shooter attack is Combat and there will be casualties… Click here to read the complete White Paper written by one of our instructors.

We offer an intensive, 60-hour Commissioned School Security Officer training program.

Our program consists of 3 phases that take you through 8 hours of Phase I to become a Private Security Officer, 16 hours of Phase II to qualify you as a Certified Security Officer, and 36 hours of Phase III to become a Certified School Security Officer. The shooting portion of Phase III is based upon the principles of Intuitive Defensive Shooting. (A program used to train military, law enforcement, first responders, and conscientious defensive shooters across America and overseas as well.) These principles are designed to help your security officer become more efficient with a defensive firearm in the event of a Dynamic Critical Incident, not just get them "qualified" with a 400 minimum score. We want them to understand how to run the gun.

There are many things we can’t control. But we can control the aftermath of a critical incident. The choices we make during training help create conditions that follow the law and save lives.

There is a reason the most elite among us train the most. More training equals more appropriate response under duress. Unlike most training companies we prefer to train them on your campus. CSSOs trained on their home turf have an advantage. They don't have to just visualize incidents on their campus, they have worked scenarios in the halls, in classrooms, and in other spaces on their campus. We call this Reality Based Training.

Reality Based Training.
It's the best way to understand what you are really capable of.

That’s why our course offers 16-hours of Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT), Civilian Response to Active Shooter Event (CRASE), and Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate (A.L.I.C.E.) Training as well as scenario based training on your campus.

Your commissioned officer will receive the best research-based active killer training available. We familiarize your officers with how to think rationally during a high-panic situation. They are trained not to be overwhelmed.

Most people think a response always equals the use of a gun. That is not always the case. We teach ways of stopping threats by lethal and non-lethal means. We teach your officer options.

In addition to ALERRT/CRASE/ALICE/Scenario training, your officer will receive a minimum of 10-hours of active shooter simulations and live-fire practice not just qualifying but by putting several hundred rounds downrange in a defensive shooting posture built around the Intuitive Defensive Shooting program concepts.

This means they will have command of:

Shoot/don’t shoot drills (critical for clear and legal thinking).
Rapid situational awareness – during a Dynamic Critical Incident clear thinking and intuitive responses bring order and appropriate decision making to your campus.
We also spend time on De-escalation

But there is more . . .

Our program will teach your officer the do’s and don’ts of trauma care. Each officer that completes our course will have a thorough knowledge of wound management as it relates to mass casualty situations and they will receive a CPR certification. We realize that the first medical responder to a mass casualty event on your campus will most likely be your officer. Not only do they have to stop the killing, but they need to stop the dying all while providing security for victims and working on a rapid evacuation plan that can't only be limited to ground service ambulance options. That's why we also teach aeromedical response and evacuation.

Clear thinking and intensive training save lives. In the unfortunate event of a tragedy, when it is time to answer questions – you want the peace of mind in being able to confidently say that you did everything possible to train your security officer to the FULLEST.

We are not ones to criticize other training methods. There are many good people trying to train officers with their hearts in the right place. I merely ask you to compare our program with other programs. Decide for yourself.

Remember, our training also includes 8-hours of study in relation to the legal issues of arrests and detentions. We make it a point to have your officer study the civil and criminal penalties of non-deadly force and deadly force.

They will learn how to take field notes and write reports. (Something that will help you immensely in case you have to speak to media or authorities after a dynamic critical incident.)

I ask a simple question: Would you like a school security officer that has received 60-hours of advanced training used by first responders (studying previous real-life situations FROM first responders)?

Our advanced training package rounds out with 16-hours of learning the following:

Law and relevant case studies involving commissioned school security officers
Weapons safety: fundamental safety techniques, storage, weapon retention

We are confident when you compare our training to other services, you will see the clear advantage to giving your commissioned school security officer advanced training. After all, we want top tier security officers standing watch over our children. In the unfortunate event of a critical situation, you want the most prepared and the best trained school security officer to respond.

We spend time teaching things your officers need to know and doing things your officers need to do.

To learn more about how to implement this training for your organization, click here to contact us.

To learn more about how to implement this training for your school district, click here to contact us.

This 3 Phase 60 hour PSO/CSO/CSSO course block exceeds the requirements set forth in Arkansas ACT 393 Rules 10.0-10.5 and covers a host of topics including, but not limited to:

SECTION 10. SECURITY AGENCIES

Rule 10.0.

Private Security Officer (PSO) – An applicant for a PSO credential must complete Phase I training requirements and pass an examination administered by the Training Administrator, Assistant Training Administrator, or Trainer.

Rule 10.1.

Commissioned Security Officer (CSO) - An applicant for a CSO credential must complete Phase I and Phase II training requirements and pass an examination administered by the Training Administrator, Assistant Training Administrator, or Trainer.

Rule 10.2.

Commissioned School Security Officer (CSSO) – An applicant for a CSSO credential must complete Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III training requirements and pass an examination administered by the Training Administrator, Assistant Training Administrator, or Trainer. Any individual holding a CSSO commission is responsible for ensuring the dissemination of all security plans instituted or adopted by the school to other employees of the school.

Rule 10.3.

Phase I - the training requirements for Phase I must be taught to all PSO, CSO, and CSSO applicants and shall consist of eight (8) hours minimum on the following subjects:

(i) Legal authority of PSOs;
(ii) Classification of crimes;
(iii) Arrests and detentions by PSOs;
(iv) Use of force, including:

(1) Non-deadly force;
(2) Deadly force;
(3) Civil penalties; and
(4) Criminal penalties.

(1) Common crimes encountered by PSOs;
(2) Other crimes; and
(3) Appropriate actions for PSOs.

(vii) A.C.A. §§ 17-40-101, et seq. and these Rules, including:

(1) Purpose of the statute;
(2) Who is covered by the statute;
(3) Definitions;
(4) Minimum qualifications for PSOs, CSOs, and CSSOs, including, but not limited to:

a. Disqualifying factors;
b. Fee structure; and
c. Renewals.

(5) PSO, CSO, and CSSO responsibilities;
(6) Key provisions of the statute, including:

a. Training requirements;
b. Reporting requirements; and
c. Penalties for violations.

(i) Importance and purpose of reports;
(ii) Required equipment and an explanation of importance;
(iii) Notebook contents and an explanation of importance;
(iv) The six (6) most important questions that must be answered by a report;
(v) A review of basic English grammar, and writing skills; and
(vi) Practical exercises, such as:

(1) A review of several examples of well written reports;
(2) A review of several examples of poorly written reports; and
(3) Practice of writing one or more reports and critique by the instructor.

Rule 10.4.

Phase II – In addition to Phase I training, the training requirements for Phase II must be taught to all CSO and CSSO applicants and shall consist of sixteen (16) hours minimum (at least eight (8) hours in the classroom and eight (8) hours on the firing range) on the following subjects:

(i) Relevant statutes and case law;
(ii) Discussion about fleeing individuals;
(iii) Discussion of the criminal ramifications of firing a warning shot;
(iv) Criminal penalties;
(v) Civil penalties; and
(vi) Other considerations.

(i) Fundamental firearm safety;
(ii) Weapons nomenclature;
(iii) Cleaning and maintenance;
(iv) Storage; and
(v) Weapon retention.

(i) Range procedures and range safety;
(ii) Fundamentals of firearms;
(iii) Holster drills;
(iv) Movement drills;
(v) Dry fire exercises;
(vi) Clearing stoppages;
(vii) Practice and evaluation;
(viii) Tactical and emergency reloading;
(ix) Pistol qualification course – the course must mirror the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (www.clest.org) firearms qualification course; and
(x) Rifle or shotgun qualification course – required if a CSO is required to carry a rifle or shotgun during the course of their employment – the course must mirror the www.clest.org rifle/shotgun qualification course.

Rule 10.5.

Phase III - In addition to Phase I and Phase II training, the training requirements for Phase III must be taught to all CSSO applicants and shall consist of thirty-six (36) hours minimum on the following subjects:

(a) Legal limitations on the use of firearms and on the powers and authority of a CSSO

(i) ALERRT Active Shooter Training – this training must comprise at least sixteen (16) of the total thirty-six (36) hours; and
(ii) Incorporating security response with law enforcement.

(i) Shoot/don’t shoot drills;
(ii) Rapid situational awareness; and
(iii) Simulated live fire weapon training, such as:

(1) Simunition;
(2) Paintball;
(3) Air soft; or
(4) Other simulated weapons.

(i) Wound management pertaining to active shooter situations; and
(ii) CPR training and certification.
(1) Note: prior CPR and/or wound management training or certification will not be accepted. CPR and wound management training and certification must be taught during Phase III training to ensure that the certification will not expire during the credential period.

(i) Strikes and kicks, including blocks and stunning strikes;
(ii) Handcuffing techniques;
(iii) Joint manipulation; and
(iv) Weapon disarming techniques.

Upon successful completion of this course block you can be certified as a
Commissioned School Security Officer in the State of Arkansas.

Arkansas License # IOI.0000016

Click here to download a PDF with our guns and gear recommendations

How do I become an Arkansas Commissioned Security Officer?
Arkansas legislative Act 393 starting in section 17-40-101 outlines the requirements to become a CSSO in Arkansas. General requirements to become a CSSO in Arkansas include:
- Complete the 60 hour training required in Rule 10 offered by Get Trained Be Ready Institute of Instruction license #IOI0000016.
- Apply through your School District to become a CSSO for your School District.
- Pass a criminal background check conducted by the FBI and Arkansas State Police.
- Complete 24 hours of training with Get Trained Be Ready annually to maintain your credentials and commission.
Do you train School Security Guards and Teams?

Yes, we offer some very diverse options for School Security training and Commissioned School Security Officers to address a variety of security concerns. We have more training options than any other company of our kind and we can train you regardless of what state you are located in. We can include ammunition through our FFL in the cost of our training.
Do you train Commissioned School Security Officers (CSSO) in Arkansas?

Yes, we train Commissioned School Security Officers (CSSO) in Arkansas for origination training, refresher training, and renewal training. We offer a variety of options for you to choose from that comply with the Arkansas State Police training requirements.
Do you offer School Security Team training scenarios?

We provide scenario training for school security officers and administrators that includes everything from integration with law enforcement to triage during and after an event. Depending on what your training goals are, we can do simulations and scenarios. This generally involves role players and your team members. Generally, we need to have some time training your team to a minimum level of proficiency before you jump into scenario based training. It is best described as a crawl, walk, run, run faster type of methodology.
Do you offer Active Shooter training for schools?

We provide Active Shooter training for educational facilities at the primary, secondary, or beyond levels. See the Commissioned School Security Officer page for more information.
Can you come to my campus for School Security Guard (CSSO) training?

We have training teams that mobilize and can come to you for whatever kind of training you require to meet your goals. Depending on the type of training, we might need you to provide some resources or facilities for us to use for this training. Please fill out the Training Questionnaire page to better help us understand your needs.
Are you doing School Security Guard or Commissioned School Security Officer training near me?

We do training events all over Arkansas and surrounding states. Most of our School Security Officer and CSSO events are private and not open to non-team members of those organizations. As teams get better trained, it's not unusual for us to build training to suit their skill level. We provide a lot of onsite training that is specific to the facilities or campuses that a team expects to operate in.

We do have some open to the public events for individuals or team members to attend. Keep an eye on our training calendar for those events and there is always the opportunity for you to Host us for a training event with other local schools in your area.
How much does training cost for School Security Guards (CSSO) and Teams?

There are a lot of variables involved. Pricing is directly correlated to what training you need (new refresher, or renewal), how many instructors we need to provide to achieve your goals, if ranges or facilities have to be rented, or special equipment must be provided. Please fill out our Training Questionnaire to help us understand your training requirements.
Can you help our school campus with security procedures?

We can give you an honest evaluation of where you need to start, what you need to do next, and how best to create a sustainable training methodology to meet the needs of your campus as well as protect your teacher, administrator, security officers, and students.
Do you have School Security Guard (CSSO) training training courses?

Yes. We offer a 60 hour Commissioned School Security Officer training course that includes an overview of the pertinent law, active shooter training, shoot/no shoot drills, defensive firearms usage, CPR and basic trauma training, simulation/scenario training, and more. For additional information, see our Active Shooter page.
Can you recommend School Security and Medical Emergency equipment?

We can certainly recommend equipment whether it's medical equipment, radios, firearms, video, facility security, and more. We will recommend equipment that we know works well and in certain applications, we can recommend places to get it or installers who can install it.

We can also train you in the use of this equipment in order to maximize the benefits of it. If you haven't trained realistically, then you really don't know that it works.
Can you help us develop a School Security plan with Standard Operating procedures?

We can help you with options to enable you create Standard Operating Procedures that will be beneficial to your campus, facility, staff, and students.
Can you help train our Security guards (CSSO) for medical emergencies?

In an active killer / active shooter situation, it's imperative that you have the medical supplies needed and the knowledge on how to use them. Stopping the bleed and CPR are major parts of keeping an injured staff member or student alive until help arrives.

We offer several options for medical training from CPR to Basic Trauma care including hands on use of the medical equipment we can recommend and provide not only in a practical learning environment, but in simulation and scenario based training applications.
Can you work with large and small school districts?

We can train all sizes of school districts. We see many times that small districts reach out in the community to other small districts and do a combined Hosting event. On occasion smaller school districts see the benefit of a private training event that is focused on their facility with only their team members.

SCHOOL SECURITY OFFICER TRAINING