Security Guide
Security Officer Career Path in Washington: Pay, Training, and Advancement
From first application to Supervisor — requirements, training progression, and what advancement actually looks like.
Getting In
The barrier is lower than most people assume and the standard is higher than most people expect. You need to be 18, pass a background check, and be someone a Client would want walking their property at 2 a.m. We hire unarmed Officers only, and we help candidates obtain a guard card — no card is required to apply.
What We Require of Everyone
- A valid driver's license and a clean driving record
- A reliable vehicle with current insurance
- Dependability on the schedule you commit to
The Training Progression
OIP 1 is four days: legal authority, patrol methodology, Fire Watch standards, radio discipline, and report writing. OIP 2 adds de-escalation scenarios, site-specific post orders, and supervision fundamentals. Probation completes the thirteen-day path and ends with duty belt issuance — earned, not handed out on day one.
What the Work Is Actually Like
Most shifts are quiet, and quiet is the product. You will run patrol routes across multiple properties, stand On-site posts, cover Fire Watch assignments on short notice, and work events. The Officers who advance are the ones whose reports a Supervisor never has to rewrite.
Advancement
Field Training Officer, then Supervisor, then account oversight. Every Supervisor here started on a post. Our core values — Dependable, Ethical, Adaptive, Diligent — are the promotion criteria, not a poster.
Where We Hire
Across Pierce, King, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Thurston Counties. Apply through Careers.
Work With Diligence Security
Diligence Security LLC protects people across King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Thurston Counties. Explore our Patrol Officer programs, On-site Security posts, Emergency Fire Watch, and Event Security, or review the Service Areas we cover. Contact us for a site evaluation, or see our Officer training and guard card certification if you are staffing a Team of your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What do you need to become a security officer in Washington?
- You must be 18 or older, pass a background check, and hold a private security Guard license. Diligence Security also requires a valid driver's license, a clean record, and a reliable, insured vehicle.
- Do I need a guard card before applying?
- Not with us. Diligence Security helps candidates obtain a guard card as part of onboarding.
- How do you advance from Officer to Supervisor?
- Through demonstrated reliability on post, completion of OIP 2, and consistent report quality. Supervisors are promoted from within.
Protect your people with a Team you can trust and verify.
Request a professional site evaluation or immediate emergency deployment. Local Supervisors respond fast across the Puget Sound.