Amended in Senate August 19, 2014

Amended in Senate August 5, 2014

Amended in Senate June 5, 2014

Amended in Assembly April 10, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2220

Introduced by Assembly Member Daly

February 20, 2014

An act to amend Sections 7583.32 and 7583.40 of, and to repeal and add Section 7583.39 of, the Business and Professions Code, and to amend Section 28235 of, and to add Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 28010) to Division 6 of Title 4 of Part 6 of, the Penal Code, relating to private security services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2220, as amended, Daly. Private security services: private patrol operators.

The Private Security Services Act provides for the licensure and regulation of private patrol operators by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services in the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act requires a private patrol operator employing a security guard who carries a firearm to maintain an insurance policy that provides minimum limits of insurance of $500,000 for any one loss due to bodily injury or death and $500,000 for any one loss due to injury or destruction of property.

This bill would instead require the bureau to require a private patrol operator or applicant for licensure, as a condition precedent to licensure or continued licensure, to file or have on file with the bureau an insurance policy that provides minimum limits of insurance of $1,000,000 for any one loss due to bodily injury, including death, or property damage, or both, as begin delete specified, and a certificate of workers’ compensation coverage for its employees issued by an admitted insurer end delete begin insert specified end insert .

The act requires a private patrol operator licensee, qualified manager of a licensee, or security guard who, in the course of his or her employment, may be required to carry a firearm, to satisfy specified requirements prior to carrying a firearm, including the completion of a course of training in the carrying and use of firearms. Existing law exempts from this requirement a duly appointed peace officer, as defined, who has successfully completed a course of study in the use of firearms. The act prohibits the bureau from renewing an expired firearms qualification card unless, among other requirements, the applicant has requalified on the range and successfully passed a written examination, as specified.

This bill would exempt a duly appointed peace officer, as defined, begin insert end insert begin insert who is authorized to carry a firearm in the course of his or her duties and has completed requalification training for another agency end insert from the requirements of requalifying on the range and passing the written examination.

Existing law generally requires a transfer of a firearm to be conducted by a firearms dealer, and requires specified information about the purchaser and the firearm in the transaction to be submitted to the Department of Justice. The department has created a form for this purpose known as the Dealers’ Record of Sale form or DROS form. Existing law authorizes the department to charge a fee for the costs associated with the submission of the DROS form. Existing law does not authorize a business entity to own or register a firearm.

This bill would establish procedures, operative July 1, 2016, allowing a Private Patrol Operator (PPO) business entity to be the registered owner of a firearm. The bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature, and express the intent of the Legislature in connection with these procedures. The bill would direct the Department of Justice to modify the DROS form and create a certificate of assignment (COA), and to charge a reasonable fee for the filing and processing of the COA for these purposes and for enforcement of these provisions. Among other things, the bill would allow a security guard to be assigned a firearm by the PPO through a COA, as specified, and for a firearm custodian to be designated by the PPO. The bill would require submission to the Department of Justice of information pertaining to the ownership of a firearm by a PPO, the assignment of a firearm by a PPO, and the identity of a PPO firearms custodian, as specified. The bill would require PPO-owned firearms acquired prior to July 1, 2016, to be registered, as specified. The bill would provide that an assignment of a firearm by a PPO to a security guard employee for purposes of employment duties would not constitute a loan, sale, or transfer of a firearm. The bill would authorize the Director of begin delete Consumer Affairs end delete begin insert the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services end insert , through his or her designee, to assess an administrative fine of up to $1,000 against a PPO begin insert or a security guard end insert for each willful violation of these and other provisions of the bill relating to firearms. The bill would require a security guard, upon request by the PPO, or upon separation of employment or revocation of the security guard’s firearm qualification card, and within 48 hours, to return the assigned firearm to the PPO. The bill would provide that the failure of a security guard to return an assigned firearm as required would be a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 7583.32 of the Business and Professions
Code is amended to read:

7583.32.  

(a) A firearms qualification card expires two years
from the date of issuance, if not renewed. A person who wishes
to renew a firearms qualification card shall file an application for
renewal at least 60 days prior to the card’s expiration. A person
whose card has expired shall not carry a firearm until he or she
has been issued a renewal card by the bureau.

(b) The bureau shall not renew a firearms qualification card
unless all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The cardholder has filed with the bureau a completed
application for renewal of a firearms qualification card, on a form
prescribed by the director, dated and signed by the applicant under
penalty of perjury certifying that the information on the application
is true and correct.

(2) The applicant has requalified on the range and has
successfully passed a written examination based on course content
as specified in the firearms training manual approved by the
department and taught at a training facility approved by the bureau.

(3) The application is accompanied by a firearms requalification
fee as prescribed in this chapter.

(4) The applicant has produced evidence to the firearm training
facility, either upon receiving his or her original qualification card
or upon filing for renewal of that card, that he or she is a citizen
of the United States or has permanent legal alien status in the
United States. Evidence of citizenship or permanent legal alien
status is that deemed sufficient by the bureau to ensure compliance
with federal laws prohibiting possession of firearms by persons
unlawfully in the United States and may include, but not be limited
to, Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service
Form I-151 or I-551, Alien Registration Receipt Card,
naturalization documents, or birth certificates evidencing lawful
residence or status in the United States.

(c) An expired firearms qualification card may not be renewed.
A person with an expired registration is required to apply for a
new firearms qualification in the manner required of persons not
previously registered. A person whose card has expired shall not
carry a firearm until he or she has been issued a new firearms
qualification card by the bureau.

(d) Paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) shall not apply to a duly
appointed peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing
with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code begin insert who is
authorized to carry a firearm in the course of his or her duties and
has completed requalification training for another agency end insert .

SEC. 2.  

Section 7583.39 of the Business and Professions Code
is repealed.

SEC. 3.  

Section 7583.39 is added to the Business and
Professions Code, to read:

7583.39.  

The bureau shall require, as a condition precedent to
the issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, renewal, or continued
maintenance of a license, that the applicant or licensee file or have
on file with the begin delete bureau the following: end delete

begin delete (a) end delete begin delete   end delete begin delete An end delete begin insert bureau, an end insert insurance policy, as defined in Section
7583.40.

begin delete

(b) A certificate of workers’ compensation coverage for its
employees issued by an admitted insurer.

end delete

SEC. 4.  

Section 7583.40 of the Business and Professions Code
is amended to read:

7583.40.  

“Insurance policy,” as used in this article, means a
commercial general liability policy of insurance issued by an
insurance company authorized to transact business in this state
that provides minimum limits of insurance of one million dollars
($1,000,000) for any one loss or occurrence due to bodily injury,
including death, or property damage, or both.

SEC. 5.  

Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 28010) is added
to Division 6 of Title 4 of Part 6 of the Penal Code, to read:

 

Chapter  4.1. Registration and Assignment of Firearms
by Private Patrol Operators

 

28010.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that current
practices and statutes authorize the purchase, registration, and
ownership of firearms by an individual, but not by a business entity.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to
allow business ownership and registration of firearms in the case
of licensed Private Patrol Operators (PPOs) who are actively
providing armed private contract security services. It is further the
intent of the Legislature to establish procedures whereby a PPO
may assign firearms it owns to its employees who are licensed to
carry firearms and that assignment of a firearm by a PPO to that
employee would not constitute a loan, sale, or transfer of a firearm.

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature to require notification of
the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services any time a
security guard is listed on the Prohibited Armed Persons File so
that the bureau may proceed with appropriate action regarding the
licensing of the employee.

begin delete

(d) For purposes of this chapter, “private patrol operator” or
“PPO” means a private patrol operator licensed pursuant to Chapter
11.5 (commencing with Section 7580) of Division 3 of the Business
and Professions Code.

end delete begin delete

(e) For purposes of this chapter, “bureau” means the Bureau of
Security and Investigative Services within the Department of
Consumer Affairs.

end delete begin delete

(f) For purposes of this chapter, “department” means the
Department of Justice.

end delete begin insert

(d) For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

end insert begin insert

(1) “Bureau” means the Bureau of Security and Investigative
Services within the Department of Consumer Affairs.

end insert begin insert

(2) “Department” means the Department of Justice.

end insert begin insert

(3) “Director” means the Director of the Bureau of Security
and Investigative Services.

end insert begin insert

(4) “Private patrol operator” or “PPO” means a private patrol
operator licensed pursuant to Chapter 11.5 (commencing with
Section 7580) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code
whose license is not suspended, revoked, delinquent, or canceled.

end insert begin insert

(5) “Security guard” means a security guard registered pursuant
to Chapter 11.5 (commencing with Section 7580) of Division 3 of
the Business and Professions Code whose registration is not
suspended, revoked, delinquent, or canceled.

end insert

28012.  

(a) A PPO may be the registered owner of a firearm if
the PPO is registered with the department pursuant to procedures
established by the department.

(b) The department shall modify the department’s Dealers’
Record of Sale (DROS) form to allow a PPO to be listed as the
purchaser and registered owner of a firearm. The form shall also
require the PPO to identify its type of business formation and to
include any tax identification number or other identifying number
of the PPO that may be required by the department.

(c) (1) The department shall modify the department’s DROS
form to require the PPO to designate a “firearms custodian” for
the firearm owned by the PPO that is listed in the DROS. A
firearms custodian shall possess a valid firearms qualification
permit issued by the begin delete Department of Consumer Affairs end delete begin insert bureau end insert . A
firearms custodian is responsible for the tracking, safekeeping,
and inventory of those firearms of the PPO for which the custodian
is designated, and shall serve as a point of contact for the
department regarding the firearms for which the custodian is
designated.

(2) If a firearms custodian is no longer employed by the PPO
in that capacity, or otherwise becomes ineligible to be the firearms
custodian, the PPO shall notify the department of that fact within
seven days in a manner prescribed by the department, and the PPO
shall notify the department of the designated replacement firearms
custodian within begin delete 30 end delete begin insert 20 end insert days of the original notice.

(d) A security guard shall possess a valid firearm qualification
permit begin insert issued by the bureau end insert prior to receiving a firearm from a
PPO pursuant to a Certificate of Assignment (COA). A firearm
shall be assigned by a PPO to a security guard who is begin delete assigned end delete
begin insert employed end insert to work for the PPO only when that employment requires
the security guard to be armed.

(e) (1) (A) The department shall prescribe a “Certificate of
Assignment” or “COA.” The COA may include fields that are in
the DROS form, and shall be used to identify the employee of the
PPO who has been assigned a PPO-owned firearm by the PPO
pursuant to this chapter.

(B) The COA shall also be used to identify an employee of the
PPO who will use his or her own firearm in the course of his or
her duties as a security guard. The COA shall not require specific
information regarding an employee-owned firearm.

(2) A PPO shall register a PPO-owned firearm acquired prior
to July 1, 2016, as a PPO-owned firearm in a manner prescribed
by the department prior to filing a COA for that firearm.

(3) Upon the PPO assigning a firearm to an employee who is a
security guard begin delete registered pursuant to Chapter 11.5 (commencing
with Section 7580) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions
Code end delete , the PPO shall complete the COA and file it with the
department in a timely manner as prescribed by the department.

(f) The department shall cause the information contained on the
COA to be entered into the Automated Firearms System in a timely
manner. begin insert Upon termination of the employment assignment that
requires the security guard to be armed and the transfer of the
firearm from the security guard back to the PPO, the PPO shall
complete a COA indicating that the firearm is no longer assigned
to the employee and that the firearm is in the possession of the
PPO. end insert

(g) If a security guard becomes listed on the Prohibited Armed
Persons File, the department shall immediately notify the bureau
of the listing by secured electronic delivery. Upon that notification,
the bureau shall take appropriate action regarding the security
guard. In addition, the department shall notify the PPO, in the
manner the department deems appropriate, that the PPO employee
is prohibited from being armed. This chapter does not prohibit the
department from also notifying the bureau if a security guard has
been arrested and charged with an offense that, upon conviction,
would constitute a basis for revocation of a firearms qualification
permit or security guard registration.

28014.  

The department shall charge a fee not to exceed the
reasonable costs to the department for filing and processing a COA,
and for the costs incurred in the implementation and administration
of this chapter, including, but not limited to, entering information
obtained pursuant to this chapter into the Automated Firearms
System and other databases as deemed necessary by the
department. The fee shall be deposited in the Dealers’ Record of
Sale Special Account.

28016.  

(a) If the PPO ceases to do business, ceases to possess
a valid PPO license as determined by the begin delete Director of Consumer
Affairs end delete begin insert director end insert , ceases as a business entity, or changes its type of
business formation, the PPO shall, within 30 days and unless
otherwise prohibited by law, lawfully sell or transfer all
PPO-owned firearms.

(b) A PPO shall notify the department of the sale or transfer of
a PPO-owned firearm within five business days of the transaction
in a manner prescribed by the department. This subdivision shall
not apply if the sale or transfer was made to or through a licensed
firearms dealer pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section
28050).

28018.  

Notwithstanding any other law, an assignment of a
firearm pursuant to this chapter shall not constitute a loan, sale, or
transfer of a firearm.

28020.  

(a) Within 48 hours of the PPO’s request, for any
reason, or within 48 hours of separation of employment or
revocation of the firearm qualification card, the security guard
shall return to the PPO the firearm owned by the PPO and listed
on a COA.

(b) The failure of a security guard to comply with subdivision
(a) is a misdemeanor.

(c) If a security guard employed by a PPO does not comply with
subdivision (a), the PPO shall notify the bureau within seven
business days after the PPO becomes aware of the violation of
subdivision (a).

(d) This chapter does not limit the right of a begin delete registered end delete security
guard to use, possess, or otherwise lawfully carry a firearm owned
by that begin delete registered end delete security guard.

28022.  

(a) The begin delete Director of Consumer Affairs end delete begin insert director end insert , through
his or her designee, may assess an administrative fine of up to one
thousand dollars ($1,000) against a PPO begin insert or a security guard end insert for
each willful violation of this chapter. All fines collected pursuant
to this chapter shall be deposited in the Private Security Services
Fund.

(b) An assessment imposed pursuant to this section may be
appealed pursuant to Section 7581.3 of the Business and
Professions Code.

28024.  

This chapter shall become operative on July 1, 2016.

SEC. 6.  

Section 28235 of the Penal Code is amended to read:

28235.  

All moneys received by the department pursuant to this
article shall be deposited in the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special
Account of the General Fund, which is hereby created, to be
available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditure
by the department to offset the costs incurred pursuant to any of
the following:

(a) This article.

(b) Section 18910.

(c) Section 27555.

(d) Subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 27560.

(e) Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 28010).

(f) Article 6 (commencing with Section 28450).

(g) Section 31110.

(h) Section 31115.

(i) Subdivision (a) of Section 32020.

(j) Section 32670.

(k) Section 33320.

SEC. 7.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.