Regulation and Licensing in General

PURPOSE: Under the provisions of sections 84.420 and 84.720, RSMo, the Board of Police Commissioners of Kansas City, Missouri (board) has the authority and duty to regulate and license all private security and proprietary private investigative personnel, serving or acting as such within Kansas City, Missouri (city). This rule establishes procedures, testing requirements, and license fees for those persons required to be licensed. (1) Any corporation, partnership, or other entity that provides private security services and proprietary private investigative services is fully responsible for the acts and omissions of its employees acting in the course and scope of their duties. Training is the responsibility of the entity hiring such employees. The board is a licensing agency, not an employer, and assumes no responsibilities for the acts or omissions of any entity or individual providing such services. The board’s functions are limited to licensing and regulating any entity or individual who performs such services. The board shall have the power and duty to enforce the provisions of these rules and upon complaint of any person or on its own initiative to investigate violations, or to investigate the business, business practices, or business method of any person, firm, company, partnership, corporation, or political subdivision applying for or holding a license for providing private security services and proprietary private investigative services if, in the opinion of board, the investigation is warranted. Each entity or individual applicant shall be obligated to supply the information, books, papers, or records as reasonably may be required concerning proposed business practices or methods. Those licensed must maintain the records that the board requires, which include but are not limited to records of contract accounts, employment records, time records, and assignment records along with records required to be kept by federal and state law. (2) Any license granted under section 84.720, RSMo, shall constitute a privilege to do business and shall not invest the one licensed with any contractual interest or inherent right. (3) Those licensed to perform private security services or proprietary private investigative services have police powers limited to the property which they have been lawfully assigned to protect. With the exception of those licensed as airport police and park rangers, whose authority is set out in 17 CSR 10-2.030(1)(A)4. and 17 CSR 10-2.030(1)(A)5., those licensed under these provisions have no authority to enforce ordinances, statutes, or rules on the public streets of the city or at any location other than on the property they have been assigned to protect. (4) Private Officers Licensing Unit (POLU) is responsible for investigating, processing, licensing, inspecting, and the regulation of all persons working or acting as licensed private security or proprietary private investigators. The POLU is further responsible for issuing and transferring all such licenses, for reinstatements and for periodic inspection of license holders. (5) Private security and proprietary private investigator licenses are required for each of the following: (A) Any individual providing private security services or proprietary private investigative services within the city whether for a licensed private security business or otherwise (collectively a security officer); (B) Any firm, company, partnership, or corporation that provides private security services or proprietary private investigative services (collectively a security firm); (C) Any direct supervisor of a security officer; and (D) Any political subdivision, sole proprietorship, firm, company, partnership, or corporation that employs personnel to provide private security services or proprietary private investigative services. (6) The board’s licensing requirements do not apply to persons acting as bouncers, process servers, bondsmen, surety recovery agents (bounty hunters), or investigators for attorneys unless acting in a private security capacity as defined in these rules. (7) No license is required for any peace officer authorized to exercise police powers in the city who holds a valid Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certificate. (8) The board shall perform its functions under statute and under these regulations through the POLU of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department (department). All private officers and proprietary private investigators are subject to inspection by employees of the board and members of the department. The purpose of such inspections is to ensure that the licensee is in compliance with the provisions of this rule. AUTHORITY: section 84.720, RSMo 2016.* Original rule filed Dec. 5, 1979, effective March 17, 1980. Amended: Filed May 3, 1988, effective Sept. 29, 1988. Rescinded and readopted: Filed May 28, 1993, effective Jan. 31, 1994. Rescinded and readopted: Filed Dec. 15, 1999, effective Aug. 30, 2000. Rescinded and readopted: Filed March 14, 2013, effective Aug. 30, 2013. Rescinded and readopted: Filed March 1, 2021, effective Sept. 30, 2021. Rescinded and readopted: Filed Oct. 20, 2023, effective April 30, 2024. *Original authority: 84.720, RSMo 1939, amended 1943, 1993, 2016.