A Carrollton security company can like you, interview you well and want you on the schedule Monday — and still not be able to put you on a post. In Texas the licence comes before the assignment, not after it.

Why the Job Offer Waits on the Paperwork

Private security in Texas is a regulated occupation, and the regulator is the Texas DPS Private Security Bureau. An employer that staffs an unlicensed person on a security post is the one holding the risk, which is why hiring managers in this industry ask about your licence status in the first two minutes of a phone screen rather than at the offer stage. It is not a preference and it is not a formality they can waive for a strong candidate.

The training that unlocks the entry-level licence is Level 2. Under 37 TAC §35.141(a)(1) it must be completed by anyone applying for a non-commissioned security officer licence — the unarmed credential that covers the overwhelming majority of security work in North Texas. It is also the required first step for anyone who eventually wants a security officer commission.

The Order Things Actually Happen In

1. You complete the Level 2 course and receive a certificate of completion — the form referred to on this site as PSP 36.
2. That certificate is submitted with your licence application. It is not optional supporting material; it is part of what makes the application complete.
3. Your licence status is what an employer verifies before you are scheduled on a post.
4. Only then does the shift, the site and the badge desk become real.

People reverse steps one and three in their heads constantly. They apply for jobs, get told to come back licensed, and lose three weeks they did not have to lose. Getting the training done first is the single thing that turns a Carrollton security job search from months into weeks.

What the Course Actually Teaches

Level 2 course material is prepared or approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety, so the content is not a school’s invention. It covers Texas security law, the professional responsibilities of a security officer, emergency procedures, and ethics. That is the whole scope, and it is worth being clear about what is not in it: Level 2 contains no firearms training and no firearms qualification. It is an unarmed course from start to finish. Anyone who tells you Level 2 lets you carry on duty is describing a different licence.

Two Places You Can Legally Get It

This is a genuine quirk of Level 2 that trips people up when they compare notes with coworkers. The rules allow it to be taught either by the licensee’s own designated person or by a DPS-approved school with a DPS-approved instructor (§35.141(a)(1), §35.142, §35.143). So some Carrollton officers were trained in-house by their employer and some went to a school — both are valid routes. The practical difference is that the school route belongs to you and travels with you when you change companies, while the in-house route depends on being hired first. You can read the rule language yourself in 37 TAC Chapter 35.

What Unarmed Work Looks Like Around Carrollton

Carrollton sits in the middle of the northwest Dallas industrial belt, with a heavy concentration of distribution, light manufacturing and logistics operations wrapped around the I‑35E and President George Bush corridors. That mix generates exactly the kind of posts a non-commissioned licence covers: warehouse and yard gates, shipping office access control, corporate reception and badge desks in the office parks, apartment community patrols, and retail centres. Add the medical offices and municipal facilities that come with a city this size and there is a steady base of unarmed work that does not require you to ever touch a firearm.

One more thing worth knowing before you start: noncommissioned security officers are specifically exempt from continuing education requirements under §35.161(b). Officers in the commissioned ranks owe ongoing hours; you do not. That surprises almost everyone.

If You Want to Carry Later

Level 2 is the floor, not the ceiling. When you want armed posts, the commission comes through the Level 3 commissioned security officer course, and once you hold a commission the armed security renewal course is what keeps it current. Plenty of officers work the unarmed side for a year first, which is a reasonable way to find out whether the industry suits you before investing in the armed track.

East Texas Security Training Academy delivers Level 2 100% online, so a Carrollton applicant never has to drive anywhere to finish it. If you are not sure which class your situation calls for, the FAQ page answers the common ones and the full class list shows everything we run.