                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DEFINITIONS (§ 9.1-138)

In addition to the definitions set forth in § 9.1-101, as used in this article,
unless the context requires a different meaning:
		&#8220;Alarm respondent&#8221; means an individual who responds to the signal
of an alarm for the purpose of detecting an intrusion of the home, business or
property of the end user.
		&#8220;Armed&#8221; means a private security registrant who carries or has
immediate access to a firearm in the performance of his duties.
		&#8220;Armed security officer&#8221; means a natural person employed to (i)
safeguard and protect persons and property or (ii) deter theft, loss, or
concealment of any tangible or intangible personal property on the premises he
is contracted to protect, and who carries or has access to a firearm in the
performance of his duties.
		&#8220;Armored car personnel&#8221; means persons who transport or offer to
transport under armed security from one place to another, money, negotiable
instruments or other valuables in a specially equipped motor vehicle with a high
degree of security and certainty of delivery.
		&#8220;Business advertising material&#8221; means display advertisements in
telephone directories, letterhead, business cards, local newspaper advertising,
contracts, and any electronic medium, including the Internet, social media, and
digital advertising.
		&#8220;Central station dispatcher&#8221; means an individual who monitors
burglar alarm signal devices, burglar alarms or any other electrical, mechanical
or electronic device used (i) to prevent or detect burglary, theft, shoplifting,
pilferage or similar losses; (ii) to prevent or detect intrusion; or (iii)
primarily to summon aid for other emergencies.
		&#8220;Certification&#8221; means the method of regulation indicating that
qualified persons have met the minimum requirements as private security services
training schools, private security services instructors, compliance agents, or
certified detector canine handler examiners.
		&#8220;Compliance agent&#8221; means an individual who owns or is employed by
a licensed private security services business to ensure the compliance of the
private security services business with this title.
		&#8220;Computer or digital forensic services&#8221; means the use of highly
specialized expertise for the recovery, authentication, and analysis of
electronic data or computer usage.
		&#8220;Courier&#8221; means any armed person who transports or offers to
transport from one place to another documents or other papers, negotiable or
nonnegotiable instruments, or other small items of value that require
expeditious services.
		&#8220;Detector canine&#8221; means any dog that detects drugs or explosives.
		&#8220;Detector canine handler&#8221; means any individual who uses a detector
canine in the performance of private security duties.
		&#8220;Detector canine handler examiner&#8221; means any individual who
examines the proficiency and reliability of detector canines and detector canine
handlers in the detection of drugs or explosives.
		&#8220;Detector canine team&#8221; means the detector canine handler and his
detector canine performing private security duties.
		&#8220;Electronic security business&#8221; means any person who engages in the
business of or undertakes to (i) install, service, maintain, design or consult
in the design of any electronic security equipment to an end user; (ii) respond
to or cause a response to electronic security equipment for an end user; or
(iii) have access to confidential information concerning the design, extent,
status, password, contact list, or location of an end user&#8217;s electronic
security equipment.
		&#8220;Electronic security employee&#8221; means an individual who is employed
by an electronic security business in any capacity which may give him access to
information concerning the design, extent, status, password, contact list, or
location of an end user&#8217;s electronic security equipment.
		&#8220;Electronic security equipment&#8221; means (i) electronic or mechanical
alarm signaling devices including burglar alarms or holdup alarms used to
safeguard and protect persons and property; or (ii) cameras used to detect
intrusions, concealment or theft, to safeguard and protect persons and property.
This shall not include tags, labels, and other devices that are attached or
affixed to items offered for sale, library books, and other protected articles
as part of an electronic article surveillance and theft detection and deterrence
system.
		&#8220;Electronic security sales representative&#8221; means an individual who
sells electronic security equipment on behalf of an electronic security business
to the end user.
		&#8220;Electronic security technician&#8221; means an individual who installs,
services, maintains or repairs electronic security equipment.
		&#8220;Electronic security technician&#8217;s assistant&#8221; means an
individual who works as a laborer under the supervision of the electronic
security technician in the course of his normal duties, but who may not make
connections to any electronic security equipment.
		&#8220;Employed&#8221; means to be in an employer/employee relationship where
the employee is providing work in exchange for compensation and the employer
directly controls the employee&#8217;s conduct and pays some taxes on behalf of
the employee. The term &#8220;employed&#8221; shall not be construed to include
independent contractors.
		&#8220;End user&#8221; means any person who purchases or leases electronic
security equipment for use in that person&#8217;s home or business.
		&#8220;Firearms training verification&#8221; means the verification of
successful completion of either initial or retraining requirements for handgun
or shotgun training, or both.
		&#8220;General public&#8221; means individuals who have access to areas open
to all and not restricted to any particular class of the community.
		&#8220;Key cutting&#8221; means making duplicate keys from an existing key and
includes no other locksmith services.
		&#8220;License number&#8221; means the official number issued to a private
security services business licensed by the Department.
		&#8220;Locksmith&#8221; means any individual that performs locksmith services,
or advertises or represents to the general public that the individual is a
locksmith even if the specific term locksmith is substituted with any other term
by which a reasonable person could construe that the individual possesses
special skills relating to locks or locking devices, including use of the words
lock technician, lockman, safe technician, safeman, boxman, unlocking
technician, lock installer, lock opener, physical security technician or similar
descriptions.
		&#8220;Locksmith services&#8221; mean selling, servicing, rebuilding,
repairing, rekeying, repinning, changing the combination to an electronic or
mechanical locking device; programming either keys to a device or the device to
accept electronic controlled keys; originating keys for locks or copying keys;
adjusting or installing locks or deadbolts, mechanical or electronic locking
devices, egress control devices, safes, and vaults; opening, defeating or
bypassing locks or latching mechanisms in a manner other than intended by the
manufacturer; with or without compensation for the general public or on property
not his own nor under his own control or authority.
		&#8220;Natural person&#8221; means an individual person.
		&#8220;Personal protection specialist&#8221; means any individual who engages
in the duties of providing close protection from bodily harm to any person.
		&#8220;Private investigator&#8221; means any individual who engages in the
business of, or accepts employment to make, investigations to obtain information
on (i) crimes or civil wrongs; (ii) the location, disposition, or recovery of
stolen property; (iii) the cause of accidents, fires, damages, or injuries to
persons or to property; or (iv) evidence to be used before any court, board,
officer, or investigative committee.
		&#8220;Private security services business&#8221; means any person engaged in
the business of providing, or who undertakes to provide, armored car personnel,
security officers, personal protection specialists, private investigators,
couriers, security canine handlers, security canine teams, detector canine
handlers, detector canine teams, alarm respondents, locksmiths, central station
dispatchers, electronic security employees, electronic security sales
representatives or electronic security technicians and their assistants to
another person under contract, express or implied.
		&#8220;Private security services instructor&#8221; means any individual
certified by the Department to provide mandated instruction in private security
subjects for a certified private security services training school.
		&#8220;Private security services registrant&#8221; means any qualified
individual who has met the requirements under this article to perform the duties
of alarm respondent, locksmith, armored car personnel, central station
dispatcher, courier, electronic security sales representative, electronic
security technician, electronic security technician&#8217;s assistant, personal
protection specialist, private investigator, security canine handler, detector
canine handler, unarmed security officer or armed security officer.
		&#8220;Private security services training school&#8221; means any person
certified by the Department to provide instruction in private security subjects
for the training of private security services business personnel in accordance
with this article.
		&#8220;Registration&#8221; means a method of regulation whereby certain
personnel employed by a private security services business are required to
register with the Department pursuant to this article.
		&#8220;Registration category&#8221; means any one of the following categories:
(i) unarmed security officer and armed security officer/courier, (ii) security
canine handler, (iii) armored car personnel, (iv) private investigator, (v)
personal protection specialist, (vi) alarm respondent, (vii) central station
dispatcher, (viii) electronic security sales representative, (ix) electronic
security technician, (x) electronic technician&#8217;s assistant, (xi) detector
canine handler, or (xii) locksmith.
		&#8220;Security canine&#8221; means a dog that has attended, completed, and
been certified as a security canine by a certified security canine handler
instructor in accordance with approved Department procedures and certification
guidelines. &#8220;Security canines&#8221; shall not include detector dogs.
		&#8220;Security canine handler&#8221; means any individual who utilizes his
security canine in the performance of private security duties.
		&#8220;Security canine team&#8221; means the security canine handler and his
security canine performing private security duties.
		&#8220;Supervisor&#8221; means any individual who directly or indirectly
supervises registered or certified private security services business personnel.
		&#8220;Unarmed security officer&#8221; means a natural person who performs the
functions of observation, detection, reporting, or notification of appropriate
authorities or designated agents regarding persons or property on the premises
he is contracted to protect, and who does not carry or have access to a firearm
in the performance of his duties.

HISTORY: 1976, c. 737, § 54-729.27; 1977, c. 376, § 54.1-1900; 1980, c. 425,
cc. 57, 779; 1988, c. 765; 1992, c. 578, § 9-183.1; 1994, cc. 45, 335, 810;
1995, c. 79; 1996, c. 541; 1997, c. 80; 1998, cc. 122, 807; 1999, c. 33; 2001,
cc. 821, 844; 2003, c. 124; 2004, c. 470; 2005, c. 365; 2008, c. 638; 2009, c.
375; 2011, c. 263; 2017, c. 85.