Dragon BodyguardsTo choose licensed unarmed security in California, confirm the company holds a current Private Patrol Operator (PPO) license, confirm each guard holds a current BSIS guard card, and get a certificate of insurance. Then look at how the firm supervises its guards, how it takes your instructions, and how it communicates during the job. If those pieces are solid, unarmed coverage handles most events, homes and venues well.
1. Licensing: the non-negotiables
Only a licensed PPO may contract to provide security guard services in California, and every guard working for a PPO must hold a current BSIS security guard registration and carry it on duty.
- Get the PPO license number in writing.
- Look it up free at search.dca.ca.gov and confirm a current status, a future expiration date and the absence of unexplained discipline.
- Ask for each assigned guard's registration number and check those too.
- Make sure the company name on the license matches the business you are paying.
Our step-by-step guide, How to Verify a California Guard Card or PPO License, walks through the search.
2. Insurance: ask for the certificate
A PPO must carry liability insurance, and firms with employees carry workers' compensation. Do not settle for "we're insured."
- Request a certificate of insurance showing general liability coverage and the policy dates.
- Confirm workers' compensation coverage for the firm's employees.
- If your venue or your own insurer requires it, ask whether you or the venue can be named as an additional insured. Many venues around the convention center and the waterfront have their own vendor requirements, so check with your venue directly.
3. Supervision: who is in charge
A PPO must have a qualified manager who passed the BSIS exam. In practice you want to know who supervises your guards on the day.
- Who do you call if a guard is late or a post needs to change?
- Does the firm track arrival and departure? GPS check-in and check-out is a good sign.
- How does the firm handle a guard who cannot make the shift?
- Are the guards the firm's employees, or is the work being passed along to someone else?
4. Post orders: your instructions in writing
Post orders are the written brief for each position. They turn your expectations into something a guard can follow. A good provider will ask for this information, and you should be ready to give it:
- Exact location, posts and start and end times.
- What the guard should do: check a list, watch a gift table, keep a door, walk a lot.
- What the guard should not do.
- Your on-site contact and their phone number.
- Dress expectations and how visible the guard should be.
- When to call you and when to call police.
5. Communication and documentation
- Will you get confirmation of who is coming and when?
- Can you see a timeline of the job as it happens?
- Does the firm write incident reports, and will you receive them?
- Is there one clear point of contact before, during and after?
6. Is unarmed the right fit?
Most private events, residences, hospitality settings and executive appearances call for presence, observation, access control and calm de-escalation. Unarmed guards do all of those. Armed coverage requires a separate BSIS exposed firearm permit and changes the risk profile of a room, so think carefully about whether you truly need it.
Keep expectations realistic either way. California guards have the same arrest powers as any private person under Penal Code 837. They are not police. The best ones solve problems early with words and positioning, document what they see and bring in law enforcement when a situation calls for it. See Executive Protection Basics for how this applies to close protection.
Red flags
- Reluctance to share a license or registration number.
- A license that does not match the company name, or that is expired.
- No certificate of insurance, or one that will not arrive until "after the event."
- No questions about your event, posts or contacts.
- Promises that guards will "handle anything" physically.
How Dragon fits the checklist
Dragon Bodyguards is a booking platform launching in San Diego County. Dragon is not a security company or a PPO. Licensed partner PPOs accept bookings and employ, insure and supervise the guards through their qualified manager. Every Dragon holds a current BSIS guard card, verified on the state license site before approval, and partner licenses are verified before a firm joins. Partners use GPS check-in and check-out, a job timeline you can see, and incident reports. Coverage is unarmed only. When you are ready, Summon a Dragon.
This is general information. For legal specifics, check BSIS or consult an attorney.