The Department of Public Safety- Regulatory Services Division which oversees the concealed handgun license program (now LTC) and the private security division has established set guidelines that security officers (Non-commissioned, Commission, Bodyguard) CANNOT use their concealed handgun license (LTC) in conjunction with any security work (this includes Texas Constitutional Carry that will not apply on duty). It goes without saying that a citizen with a concealed handgun license (LTC) obviously cannot do any type of security or bodyguard work without being properly licensed as a Security Officer or Bodyguard.
Special note: DPS- RSD in 2015 or 2016 authorize Private Investigators to be able to use their concealed handgun license (LTC) in conjunction with their work (insert eye roll here). So Security officers and Bodyguards can’t but P.I.s can? Yep – that is true. And when there is no official PI class given by Texas DPS, that is not a good thing.
The issues here from all sides are:
(a) there is NO official DPS Private Investigator’s course (which is a separate issue in itself), so the P.I.s turn to DPS and ask for some type of flexibility to the rules because they are not Commissioned security officers and don’t need to take that class or carry that card but want the protection. Now that argument is a great one and one we agree DPS should have a P.I. class which provides for a weapon qualification (which they don’t), and why don’t they?
(b) The issue we have with P.I.’s using a LTC for P.I. work is that many of them are circumventing being an armed guard security company and paying for the proper armed insurance, and are performing in many cases Bodyguard work (they call it escorting or shadowing, lol), without the Level-4 Personal Protection Officer licenses. For some reason, they feel they can provide Executive Protection or bodyguard services as a P.I. (keeping in mind there is no P.I., course so many are not trained at all). NO, you cannot perform bodyguard work as a PI- get licensed correctly, pay the insurance and join the party guys.
(c) Many P.I.s also perform Bounty Hunting and make arrests, kick doors in, and chasing felons – which clearly exceeds the intention or use of a concealed handgun license (LTC) for John Q Citizen. Several guard company owners are upset this is allowed by Private Investigators as they feel Private Investigators are skirting the requirements (which they are) when clearly performing the duties that should require some type of license, training, and insurance other than a 4 hour LTC class (which has nothing do with laws of arrest, reporting, weaponless defense and many other related topics). To add, DPS-RSD has no Private Investigator’s course, so DPS either waives your stated experience (note, “your stated”), OR you have “anyone” (yes, anyone) sign off on your 3,000 hours which is unverified by DPS. This “honor system” should not be taking place when it comes to weapons training, and issuing of Private Investigators license and is a disturbing process. Yes prior Law enforcement and criminal justice degree holders are waivered too (without a PI class fyi).