Taking your renewal training online removes the classroom scheduling problem. It does not remove the range, and it does not remove the paperwork. Officers who understand that split going in have a clean renewal. Officers who assume “online” means the whole thing is done from a laptop tend to discover the gap late. Here is how the online renewal actually runs, and what has to be in your hands when you are finished.

What the online portion covers

The online portion is the classroom work. You work through it at your own pace, on your own schedule, from whatever device you have. That is the practical appeal for working officers, because posts do not stop for a training weekend. What the online portion does not do is put rounds downrange. Firearms qualification happens in person, with a range officer watching you shoot, and no online course substitutes for it.

Treat the two as separate items on a list. Classroom hours online. Qualification at a range. Both have to be complete before you are done, and they do not have to happen on the same day.

The buckshot familiarisation

One range item catches people who have only ever qualified with a handgun. Under 37 TAC §35.146(b), a commissioned security officer completes a six-round familiarisation with “00” buckshot on a biennial basis in connection with the officer’s renewal. It is six rounds, and it is tied to the renewal cycle. If you have never fired the shotgun course, plan for it rather than finding out about it while you are standing on the line. Ask your range or your school whether the buckshot familiarisation is built into the qualification you are scheduled for.

Do not submit the application early

§35.161(a) is specific about sequence. The renewal application may not be submitted until the continuing education hours have been earned. Finish the training first, then file. An application filed ahead of the hours is out of order, and fixing it costs more time than doing it in the right order would have.

The same subsection puts a duty on the employer: proof of the continuing education is kept in the employee’s personnel file. That is the company’s record, not yours, so do not assume it replaces your own copy. It also means your employer has a reason to want your certificate promptly. Send it to whoever handles your file as soon as you have it.

Your own copies, for two years

§35.161(m) requires the attendee to retain continuing education certificates for two years. That is you, personally. The school has records and the employer has a file, but the rule puts a retention duty on the officer as well. Scan the certificate the day you get it and keep the paper somewhere you will still be able to find it after a job change. Certificates have a way of living in a truck console until they do not.

Check the certificate before you file it

A continuing education certificate is not just a nice page with your name on it. §35.162(b)(3) says what it has to show. Read yours against this list when it arrives:

• Your name
• Your licence number
• The date
• The number of hours and the courses completed
• The signature of the school director

If something is missing or a licence number is mistyped, that is a five-minute fix while the class is fresh and a much bigger problem weeks later. The renewal certificate is designated PSP 31, so that number is what you should see on the document. Take thirty seconds and confirm the details rather than filing it unread.

Who may deliver the hours

Online delivery does not loosen the approval requirement. Under §35.161(g) the renewal training may be taught only by department-approved schools and department-approved instructors, and the hours are earned by completing the renewal portion of the Level 3 or Level 4 course, depending on which credential you hold. A self-study packet from an unapproved source is not continuing education for a commission, and neither is a company in-house session, because §35.162(d) excludes commissioned security officers and personal protection officers from the in-house exemption and §35.162(f) closes off outside-entity credits for them too. We cover those limits in more detail in the companion post on our blog.

A working order of operations

Look up your expiration date. Register for the online armed security renewal class and finish the classroom hours. Book your range date and complete qualification, including the buckshot familiarisation if it applies to your cycle. Confirm your certificate carries everything §35.162(b)(3) requires. Then file the renewal application, get proof to your employer for the personnel file, and keep your own copy for two years.

Officers who also need to review commission-level material can do that through our Level 3 class, and personal protection officers should work from the Level 4 PPO class. Everything we run is listed on our classes page. If you are unsure which renewal portion applies to you, get in touch and tell us what credential you hold before you register.