(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure the safety of students, staff, and the public on or near California’s community colleges, by providing community college security officers with training that will enable them to deal with the increasingly diverse and dangerous situations they encounter.

(b) (1) Every school security officer employed by a community college district shall complete the latest course of training developed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs in consultation with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training pursuant to § 7583.45 of the Business and Professions Code. If a community college security officer subject to the requirements of this subdivision is required to carry a firearm while employed, that security officer shall additionally satisfy the training requirements of § 832 of the Penal Code.

(2) A community college district shall provide the training required pursuant to this subdivision to all school security officers who are employees of the community college district. A community college district shall provide the training during the employee’s regular work hours, unless otherwise negotiated and mutually agreed upon with the employee’s exclusive representative.

(3) This subdivision does not require a community college district to provide training to security guards who are not employees of the community college district, including security guards who work on the property of the community college district pursuant to a contract with a private licensed security agency. A community college district that contracts for security services shall comply with the requirements of Section 88003.1.

(4) This subdivision shall not apply to a school security officer employed by a community college district who works 20 or fewer hours per week as a school security officer until July 1, 2021.

(c) For purposes of this chapter, “security officer” means any person primarily employed or assigned pursuant to subdivision (b) to provide security services as a watchperson, security guard, or patrolperson on or about premises owned or operated by the community college district to protect persons or property or to prevent the theft or unlawful taking of community college district property of any kind or to report any unlawful activity to the community college district and local law enforcement.

(d) (1) A security officer shall not be employed and shall not continue to be employed by a community college district until both of the following conditions have been met:

(A) (i) The applicant or employee has submitted to the community college district two copies of their fingerprints on forms or electronically, as prescribed by the Department of Justice. The community college district shall submit the fingerprints to the Department of Justice, which shall submit one copy of the fingerprints to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(ii) An applicant or employee who holds a permanent registration with the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs as a security guard need only submit one copy of their fingerprints, which copy shall be submitted to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(iii) An applicant or employee who is registered by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs, and who holds a firearms qualification card as specified in § 7583.22 of the Business and Professions Code, is exempt from the requirements of this subdivision.

(B) The applicant or employee has been determined not to be a person legally prohibited from employment by the community college and has been determined by the Department of Justice not to be a person prohibited from possessing a firearm if the applicant is required to carry a firearm.

(2) The Department of Justice may participate in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in lieu of submitting fingerprints to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to meet the requirements of this subdivision relating to firearms.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 475, Sec. 3. (SB 390) Effective January 1, 2020.)