Armed security pays more than unarmed security. That is the honest reason most people look into Level 3, and there is nothing wrong with it.

In Texas, a Security Officer Commission, the credential that lets you carry a firearm on duty, requires the Level 3 course. Level 2 gets you working. Level 3 gets you armed.

How the course splits

Level 3 comes in two parts, and we have deliberately built them so that the part you can do from your couch, you do from your couch.

Part 1: online, $99.99. The classroom portion. Video-based, self-paced, any device, unlocks the moment you enroll.

Part 2: in person, $149.99. The hands-on day: defensive tactics, handcuffing, baton, firearms handling and the firearms proficiency exam. This is the part that cannot be done over video, and we do not pretend otherwise.

What Part 1 actually covers

The classroom portion is not filler. It is the legal and decision-making half of carrying a firearm on duty: the law governing a commissioned officer’s authority, use of force and its limits, the circumstances in which force is and is not justified, and the professional standards expected of an armed officer.

This is the material that keeps officers out of trouble, and it is the half that most people underestimate. The range day teaches you to shoot safely; Part 1 teaches you when not to.

The date is not a mystery

Here is what used to make Level 3 stall for people: they would finish the classroom portion, and then the range day was an open question. A phone call, a text, a "let me see what I can put together."

Level 3 Part 2 is a full day at the East Texas Rifle and Pistol Club in Longview, including the range qualification. Open dates are published on our calendar. You can look at them before you enroll in Part 1 and pick the date you are going to finish on.

It is a long day. It is one day.

What to expect on the range day

Plan for the full eleven hours and eat beforehand. You will cover defensive tactics, handcuffing, baton and firearms handling, and you will shoot the proficiency exam. Bring whatever the course page specifies and arrive early.

If you are not a confident shooter, that is worth saying out loud when you arrive rather than hiding. Instruction is the point of the day.

Seats are capped

Level 3 Part 2 holds 15 students. That is not a scarcity tactic, it is what the hands-on portion requires if the instruction is going to be worth anything. One Sunday a month times fifteen seats is a finite number, so the students who book early get the date they wanted.

After you pass

You receive your certificate of completion to submit with your commission application to the Texas DPS. DPS commission and licensing fees are separate from the course price.

If you also want OC certification and the Level 4 Personal Protection Officer credential, check the Security Career Fastrack first: it bundles Level 3 with Level 2, OC and Level 4 for $500 instead of $569.95 separately, and delivers all the hands-on training in one three-day block instead of separate trips.

Otherwise, start with Part 1 and pick the Sunday you want.