D.C. security guard software
for agencies licensed through DLCP and MPD’s SOMB
CGuardPro is security guard management software for agencies working in Washington, D.C.: scheduling and relief coverage, GPS and selfie clock-in, QR and NFC guard tours, incident reports, visitor logs, post orders, license tracking for security officers and special police officers, and a client portal, with guard, supervisor and client apps for iOS and Android. It costs $5 per user per month with a 7-day free trial. Licensing runs through DLCP with final signoff by MPD, so the software keeps the records; the licenses stay yours.
What running guards in the District actually involves
DLCP processes, MPD signs off
In the District, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection runs the Security Program that licenses security agencies, security officers and special police officers. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Officers Management Branch (SOMB) gives the final signoff on each application and still licenses firearms instructors itself.
Security officer or special police: two different jobs
A special police officer (SPO) has arrest authority on the property they are contracted to protect. A security officer has none. MPD’s own guidance says security officers may not carry firearms, handcuffs or self-defense spray, only a wooden baton. Which credential a post needs is a contract decision you make before you staff it.
The patch tells the public which one it is
Security officers wear a half-moon red patch with the company’s name in white. SPOs wear a full-circle patch that says “Special Police”. Clients notice, and so do the people an officer has to deal with at the door.
Two renewal clocks, one hard deadline
A security officer license now runs two years from issuance or last renewal; an SPO license runs one year. DLCP must receive the renewal at least 15 days before expiry. Miss it and the license is set to expired and the officer has to apply as new, so the officer drops off your roster for that whole time.
Every license hangs on an agency
Renewal requires a drug screen, a physical, a notarized arrest affidavit, a fingerprint receipt and affiliation with an active licensed security agency. Armed SPOs also need a range certification. The paperwork comes from your office, not just from the officer.
Federal buildings, embassies and institutions
Much of the District’s guard work sits in federal and contractor-occupied buildings, embassies and international organizations, museums, universities and hospitals. Those clients ask for logs and incident reports they can hand to their own security office, often within hours.
Events that reshape the city
Inaugurations, marches, state visits and stadium events close streets and change access to posts with little warning. Knowing who is on which post right now, and messaging them by group, matters more on those days than any schedule drafted the week before.
District wage law, weekly overtime
The DC Department of Employment Services requires time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, and the District minimum wage rose to $18.40 an hour on July 1, 2026. Long SPO shifts and holdovers are where those 40 hours run out first.
What a D.C. guard operation runs on
Every module stands on its own, and together they are the operations picture your dispatcher works from.
License tracking
Security officer and SPO licenses on each record, with the different one- and two-year expiry dates.
Post orders
Per-post instructions, so an SPO post and a security officer post each carry their own rules.
Guard scheduling
Rotations, relief coverage and the uncovered post you see before the client does.
Time and attendance
Geofenced clock-in with a selfie at the post, with weekly hours visible before they turn into overtime.
Visitor logs
Lobby and front-desk entries recorded on the phone at the post.
Incident reporting
Photographed, timestamped and in front of the client’s security office.
Team messaging
Reach every officer in a building or a zone when access changes on an event day.
Client portal
Facility managers see their own posts, reports and incidents.
The rules behind a D.C. roster
Licensing details come from DLCP’s Security Program and MPD’s published guidance; wage rules from the DC Department of Employment Services. Confirm current training hours and requirements with DLCP and SOMB before you rely on them.
DLCP Security Program
The official license types, fees and applications for agencies, security officers and SPOs.
MPD security personnel FAQs
Arrest authority, permitted equipment and uniform patches, as MPD explains them.
Security guard licenses by state
The regulator and the officer credential in each state, side by side.
Payroll with Gusto
Approved hours sent to Gusto as time sheets for payroll.
Step by step: DC Security Guard Company License Guide
The accounts D.C. guard companies hold
D.C. questions, answered plainly
Who licenses security officers in Washington, D.C.? +
The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) Security Program licenses security agencies, security officers, special police officers and campus special police. MPD’s Security Officers Management Branch gives each application its final signoff. CGuard Pro LLC is not part of that process; the software keeps your records, and the licenses stay yours.
Can a D.C. security officer carry handcuffs or pepper spray? +
According to MPD’s security personnel guidance, no: security officers may not carry firearms, handcuffs or self-defense spray and may carry only a wooden baton, and they have no arrest authority. Special police officers have arrest authority on their contracted property and, if armed, need a range certification at renewal. Write the difference into each post’s orders so the officer on site knows which one they are.
Can CGuardPro track a two-year security officer license and a one-year SPO license side by side? +
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. Because DLCP needs the renewal at least 15 days before expiry, set the window well ahead of that. It warns rather than blocks, and it does not check DLCP’s records for you.
How does overtime work for guards in D.C.? +
DOES requires time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. CGuardPro tracks each officer’s hours against a weekly threshold so you can see overtime coming before you approve a holdover; the pay calculation itself happens in your payroll, or in Gusto if you use the integration.
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, including client logins. There is a 7-day free trial.
See it against your own D.C. roster
Bring one building and one week of posts, an SPO lobby or a front desk, and we will set it up the way you run it.