Prepare for 2027: Has Your Security Been Vetted?

Most organizations vet their security company once: the day they sign the contract. After that, the guards show up, the invoices arrive, and nobody checks again until something goes wrong.

That habit got riskier in 2026. Maryland changed how security guard certifications are renewed, and one of the changes removed a step that used to catch lapsed guards automatically. If you buy security in Maryland or Pennsylvania, the end of the year is the right time to confirm that the people standing at your doors are licensed, trained, insured and supervised the way the law and your contract say they should be.

Defender One is led by a 30-year law enforcement veteran, and that experience shows a clear pattern: most security failures don’t start with a dramatic event. They start with a gap nobody noticed, such as a certification that expired, a post that went unchecked or an insurance policy that lapsed. This guide shows you how to find those gaps before 2027 does.

What Changed in Maryland Security Law Before 2027

Maryland has tightened its security guard rules three times in two years. If your provider’s process hasn’t changed since 2024, it’s worth asking why.

The practical takeaway: every guard renewal in 2027 has to show documented continuing training, and the agency filing that used to flag a lapse is gone. Ask your provider to show you their system.

Your own insurance renewal is the third reason not to wait. Carriers may ask who provides your security and how that company is insured. When your provider’s certificate of insurance and licensing are already on file, that conversation is a short one.

What “Vetted” Actually Means: A 2027 Checklist

“Licensed and insured” is printed on almost every security company’s website. Vetting means asking for the proof behind those words. Here is what to request, and what a good answer looks like.

1. The agency license

Any company that provides security guards for hire in Maryland must hold a security guard agency license from the Maryland State Police. The license runs three years. Ask for the license number and expiration date, and confirm it is current.

2. Certification for every guard on your post

Maryland requires each security guard to be certified by the Secretary of State Police. Licensed agencies may place only certified guards. Ask for a roster of the guards assigned to your site with each guard’s certification expiration date.

This matters more in 2027. Under a law that took effect October 1, 2026, a certification lasts three years and expires on the last day of the guard’s birth month. The same law removed the declaration agencies used to file 90 days before a guard’s certification expired. That filing was a built-in checkpoint. Now the burden of tracking sits with the agency’s own systems, so ask how they track it.

3. Training, not just a background check

Since 2025, a new guard in Maryland must complete 12 hours of initial training approved by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission, unless they served as a police officer in the prior three years. Every renewal requires 8 hours of continuing training.

Those are minimums. Ask what training your provider adds for your setting. A guard at a hospital emergency entrance needs different preparation than one at a construction site. Our healthcare security and school security guards in Marylandpages explain what those settings require.

4. Liability insurance at or above the state minimum

Maryland requires commercial general liability coverage, including errors and omissions, for anyone who employs security guards. The minimum is $1,000,000 in total aggregate for five or more guards and $500,000 for fewer than five. Ask for a current certificate of insurance and ask to be named as an additional insured.

5. Armed guards: the handgun permit

If your guards carry firearms, each one must hold a valid Maryland handgun permit. Ask for permit status for every armed guard on your roster, not just a statement that the company is “armed-certified.”

6. Supervision you can see

Paperwork proves a guard is qualified. It doesn’t prove the post is covered. Ask how often a supervisor visits or checks your site, how incidents are reported to you, and how quickly. If you don’t receive a regular report, read what your weekly security report should show.

7. In-house guards count too

If your organization employs its own security staff or loss prevention personnel, Maryland treats you as a “security guard employer.” Since January 1, 2025, that means registering with the Maryland State Police, hiring only certified guards and carrying the same insurance minimums.

Not in Maryland?

The rules differ by jurisdiction. Check with your local jurisdiction for the most up-to-date regulations. 

The second test is a call to your provider’s after-hours line. Pick a late hour and act as if a guard has just called out sick. Notice how long it takes someone to answer, whether that person knows your site, and how quickly they say a replacement will arrive. If a post goes empty in the middle of the night, this is the number that matters, and it’s better to test it now than to find out during a real call-out.

Write down what you find. If both tests go well, you have reassurance to carry into 2027. If they don’t, you have specific examples to bring to your provider, to your budget planning or to the next contract renewal.

Start 2027 Knowing Where You Stand

You don’t need to wait for a problem to find out whether your security holds up. Take ten minutes with our free Site Security Assessment scorecard to see where your site has gaps. If you’d rather have a second set of eyes on your current provider’s documents, talk with our team. We’ll go through the checklist with you, line by line.

Defender One provides on-site security guards across Maryland and Pennsylvania. Never Off Guard.

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