California security guard software
for PPOs that answer to BSIS
CGuardPro is security guard management software for California private patrol operators: scheduling and relief coverage, GPS and selfie clock-in, QR and NFC guard tours, incident reports, guard card and firearms permit tracking, and a client portal, with guard, supervisor and client apps for iOS and Android. US companies can send approved hours to Gusto already split under California’s daily overtime rules. It costs $5 per user per month with a 7-day free trial.
What running guards in California actually involves
One bureau, two licenses
The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services licenses the company as a Private Patrol Operator (PPO) and registers each officer with a guard card. A licensed PPO with no registered guards has nobody it can legally put on a post.
Training runs on a clock after hire
Before the card is issued: 8 hours of Power to Arrest and Appropriate Use of Force. After that: 16 hours of security officer skills within 30 days, 16 more within six months, then 8 hours every year. Each deadline belongs to one officer, on one date.
Armed posts add a firearms permit
An armed officer needs a BSIS firearms permit on top of the guard card, with its own training, range qualifications and renewal. Since AB 229, that training also covers appropriate use of force and de-escalation.
California overtime is daily, not just weekly
Time and a half after 8 hours in a workday, double time after 12, and special rules on the seventh consecutive day. A 12-hour guard shift is overtime on day one, so the schedule has to show the cost while it is being built.
Distance and density at the same time
A Los Angeles operation can spend more time on the freeway than on post, while the Bay Area packs dozens of sites into a few miles. Supervisor visits logged from the phone with position and time make both reviewable.
Ports, warehouses and the Inland Empire
The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports and the distribution belt inland put officers on yards, docks and gates where a timestamped tour and a vehicle log are the only proof a client accepts.
Tech campuses, studios and offices
Corporate campuses and studio lots want access control, visitor logs and incident reports their own security team can read in a portal, not a PDF that arrives a week later.
Retail, residential and construction
Retail centers, apartment communities and construction sites fill most guard rosters in the state, each needing post orders written for that post and patrols the client can verify.
What a California guard operation runs on
Every module stands on its own, and together they are the operations picture your dispatcher works from.
Guard card tracking
Guard cards and firearms permits on the officer record, with alerts before they expire.
Gusto with California overtime
Approved hours to Gusto, already split under California’s daily overtime rules.
Labor cost while scheduling
See accumulated hours and overtime as the week is built, not after payroll.
Time and attendance
Geofenced clock-in with a selfie at the post and server time on every punch.
QR and NFC guard tours
Checkpoints scanned from the officer’s phone, verified on the server with time and position.
Incident reporting
Photographed, timestamped and in front of the account manager and the client.
Gatehouse and vehicles
Entries and exits with the plate read from a phone photo.
Client portal
Each client sees their own sites, patrols and incidents.
The rules behind a California roster
Training figures come from the BSIS security guard fact sheet and its AB 229 notice. Confirm current requirements with BSIS before you act on them.
How to get a California guard card
Training hours, the BreEZe application, Live Scan and renewal, step by step.
Starting a security company in California
The PPO license and the guard card are two tracks; run them in parallel.
Security guard licenses by state
The regulator and the officer credential in each state, side by side.
Payroll with Gusto
Federal or California overtime rules applied before the hours reach payroll.
Cities in California
Los Angeles
Port complex, LAX, studios and stadiums across a freeway-sized metro, with California daily overtime.
San Diego
Biotech campuses, defense contractors near the bases, the bay waterfront, convention crowds and border logistics.
San Francisco Bay Area
Tech campuses from San Francisco to San Jose, Port of Oakland, three airports, bridges between posts.
Sacramento
State Capitol and public buildings, valley warehouses, BSIS training deadlines and California daily overtime.
Inland Empire
Warehouse belt of Ontario, Fontana and Moreno Valley, rail intermodal, desert festivals and daily overtime.
The accounts California guard companies hold
California questions, answered plainly
Does using CGuardPro make us BSIS-compliant? +
No. CGuard Pro LLC sells software; it is not a BSIS licensee and has no role in the Bureau’s process. Your PPO license, every guard card and every firearms permit stay yours to hold and renew. CGuardPro keeps the records underneath: who worked which post, when, and which credential was on file.
Can we track guard card and firearms permit expiry? +
Yes. Each officer record holds the credential type, number, issue and expiry dates and a photo of the card, and a daily check warns the office on a window you choose, from 7 to 120 days ahead, repeating weekly until it is renewed. It warns rather than blocks and does not verify cards with BSIS, so check the official record too.
Does it handle California daily overtime? +
For US companies on Gusto, yes: approved hours go to Gusto already split into regular, overtime and double overtime under California’s daily rules, and a per-post rule applies them only to California posts if you also work in other states. Payroll itself is run in Gusto. Without Gusto, hours export as CSV, Excel or PDF.
Can we prove a patrol happened at a warehouse in the Inland Empire at 3 a.m.? +
Yes. Checkpoints are QR codes or NFC tags scanned from the officer’s phone, each scan verified on the server with time and position, with an optional photo or note. A tour that is not completed raises an alert, and the tour history is what you show the client.
Can our client see their own sites? +
Yes. The client portal and client app show each client their own sites, patrols, incidents and reports, and only theirs. Client logins are users like any other, at the same price.
How is it priced? +
It is $5 per user per month, one plan with every feature, plus an optional one-time implementation package of $299.99. A user is anyone with a login. There is a 7-day free trial.
See it against your own California roster
Bring one site and one week of 12-hour shifts. We will show you the overtime before payroll does.