Omar moved to Fort Worth in September with two suitcases and a cousin’s couch. He figured a quick search would sort out the rules for security work here. Instead he found a pile of vague pages, each promising fast results. Where do you even start? Turns out, with the levels, and only two of them matter at first.
Texas splits security officers into Level II, unarmed, and Level III, armed. Nighthawk Alliance, a Texas DPS licensed academy in Fort Worth, teaches both. For anyone new to Security Guard Training Texas, Omar’s week works as a decent map. He kept notes, and honestly they’re pretty useful.
Monday and Tuesday: Sorting Out the Basics
Picking a level
Level II covers unarmed, noncommissioned officers. It costs $50 and it’s 100% online. Level III covers commissioned, armed work and costs $200. Omar assumed he’d need both, one after the other. He didn’t. The academy says you can start at Level II or go straight to armed, so he picked based on the posts advertised near his cousin’s place.
The combo exists too. Level II plus Level III is $230, compared with $250 if you buy them separately. Omar wasn’t sure how far he’d go, so the combo looked like a safe bet. The twenty dollars he saved went toward a haircut he badly needed before any interview.
Where the license comes from
Here’s the part he nearly missed. Taking a course doesn’t hand you a license. Once training is finished, you apply to Texas DPS through the TOPS portal. Anyone looking into Security Guard Training Texas should know that the school prepares you and the state decides. Omar wrote that on a sticky note and stuck it to the fridge.
He didn’t own a gun, which worried him for about an hour. The academy says you don’t need one to start, and it suggests checking your employer’s requirements before buying anything. It even has guides on choosing a duty handgun and on holster retention levels, which he read on the bus while a stranger’s music leaked out of cheap headphones.
Wednesday and Thursday: Thinking About the Range
Online first, range second
Level III is online plus in person range time in the Dallas Fort Worth area, and the range fee is included. For Omar, who was counting every dollar, that was the line that sold him. He’d been hit with add on charges at a different school once. The academy also mentions next day range booking, so he wasn’t stuck waiting around.
He’d expected a fixed class calendar, the way most places do it. Instead he found a slot that fit around his part time job at a hardware store. A small thing, sure. But when you’re new to a city, small things that go right feel enormous, and Omar needed a few of those.
Why the instructor mattered to him
Keith Gilbert founded the academy. He served ten years in the Navy, from 2008 to 2018, as a Gunner’s Mate, and earned the Master Training Specialist designation, the Navy’s highest instructor qualification. Omar read the bio on his phone and caught himself nodding at the bus window.
Keith is a Texas DPS licensed Level II, III and IV instructor, an NRA instructor, and a Texas License to Carry instructor. He also built the security program at Ariat Arena in Fort Worth from scratch. For a newcomer who didn’t know a single local name, a long and specific record felt like solid ground.
Friday: The Road to a Texas Armed Security License
Who actually issues it
Omar learned that a Texas Armed Security License comes from DPS, not from the school. That sounds obvious written down, but it wasn’t obvious to him on Monday. The academy’s job is training. It doesn’t submit the application for you, and it doesn’t hire out guards either, since it’s a training academy and consulting firm only.
So the job hunt was his. Omar didn’t mind. He’d rather hear that plainly than hope for something nobody promised. He started asking around the hardware store, where a customer happened to manage a warehouse and told him to come back once he was licensed.
The last checks
Before paying, he verified the academy. Nighthawk Alliance holds Texas Security Academy License #F31198401, and its credentials page lets anyone check it. It was founded in 2021 and is veteran owned. Omar checked the number twice, partly out of habit and partly because he’s new here and doesn’t trust easily.
When he finally sat down with the TOPS portal on Sunday, he went through every field slowly. A Texas Armed Security License isn’t something you want delayed by a misspelled name. He also noted the recertification and continuing education course, which costs $65, and put it on his phone calendar.
What Omar Would Tell You
By Friday, Omar had a plan. Pick Level II or Level III, finish the online work, book the range, and apply to DPS. That’s Security Guard Training Texas in one breath. And when the card finally shows up, a Texas Armed Security License is only the start. The job search comes next, and that part’s up to you.
FAQs
What are the two main levels in Texas?
Level II is unarmed and noncommissioned. Level III is commissioned and armed.
Do I need to own a gun to start?
No. Check your employer’s requirements before you buy one.
How do I get a Texas Armed Security License after training?
You apply to Texas DPS through the TOPS portal.
Is Security Guard Training Texas fully online at this academy?
Level II is 100% online. Level III is online plus in person range time in the Dallas Fort Worth area, with the range fee included.
Does the academy place guards in jobs?
No. It’s a training academy and consulting firm only.
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