New York General Business Law Section 89-F - Definitions.

89-f. Definitions. As used in this article, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

1. "Commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of the division of criminal justice services.

2. "Division" shall mean the division of criminal justice services.

3. "Secretary" shall mean the secretary of state.

4. "Department" shall mean the department of state.

5. "Security guard company" shall mean any person, firm, limited liability company, corporation, public entity or subsidiary or department of such firm, limited liability company, corporation or public entity employing one or more security guards or being self-employed as a security guard on either a proprietary basis for its own use or on a contractual basis for use by another person, firm, limited liability company, corporation, public entity or subsidiary thereof within the state.

6. "Security guard" shall mean a person, other than a police officer, employed by a security guard company to principally perform one or more of the following functions within the state:

a. protection of individuals and/or property from harm, theft or other unlawful activity;

b. deterrence, observation, detection and/or reporting of incidents in order to prevent any unlawful or unauthorized activity including but not limited to unlawful or unauthorized intrusion or entry, larceny, vandalism, abuse, arson or trespass on property;

c. street patrol service;

d. response to but not installation or service of a security system alarm installed and/or used to prevent or detect unauthorized intrusion, robbery, burglary, theft, pilferage and other losses and/or to maintain security of a protected premises.

Provided, however, that a security guard who is otherwise subject to regulation with respect to registration and training by the federal government in the performance of their duties, or a security guard providing such services on a voluntary basis, shall not be subject to the provisions of this article.

7. "Public entity" shall mean:

a. the state of New York;

b. a county, city, town, village or any other political subdivision or civil department or division of the state;

c. any other public corporation, public authority, commission, agency, municipal or other public housing authority, or project organized pursuant to article two of the private housing finance law;

d. any other governmental instrumentality or governmental unit in the state of New York.

8. "Security system" shall mean an assembly of equipment and devices or a single device designated to detect and/or signal an unauthorized intrusion into premises or to signal an attempted robbery, burglary, theft, pilferage or other loss at a protected premises, and with respect to which signal, police and/or security guards are expected to respond. Smoke and/or fire alarm systems are excluded from the provisions of this article.

9. "Applicant" shall mean an individual who has filed an application with the department for a security guard registration card.

10. "Holder" shall mean an individual who has been issued a registration card by the department.

11. "Registration card" shall mean a photographic identification card issued by the department, including a special armed guard registration card signifying that the individual identified thereon has been authorized by the department to perform security guard functions.

12. "Special armed guard registration card" shall mean a registration card issued by the department signifying that the individual thereon has been certified by the department to perform security guard functions and to carry firearms in connection with such functions. Nothing herein contained shall relieve such guard from any provision of law which requires that he or she be licensed to carry such firearm.

13. "Serious offense" shall mean any felony involving the offenses enumerated in the closing paragraph of this subdivision; a criminal solicitation of or a conspiracy to commit or an attempt to commit or a criminal facilitation of a felony involving the offenses enumerated in the closing paragraph of this subdivision, which criminal solicitation, conspiracy, attempt or criminal facilitation itself constitutes a felony or any offense in any other jurisdiction which if committed in this state would constitute a felony; any offense in any other jurisdiction which if committed in this state would constitute a felony provided that for the purposes of this article, none of the following shall be considered criminal convictions or reported as such: (i) a conviction for which an executive pardon has been issued pursuant to the executive law; (ii) a conviction which has been vacated and replaced by a youthful offender finding pursuant to article seven hundred twenty of the criminal procedure law, or the applicable provisions of law of any other jurisdiction; or (iii) a conviction the records of which have been sealed pursuant to the applicable provisions of the laws of this state or of any other jurisdiction; and (iv) a conviction for which other evidence of successful rehabilitation to remove the disability has been issued.

Felonies involving: assault, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment pursuant to article one hundred twenty; vehicular manslaughter, manslaughter and murder pursuant to article one hundred twenty-five; sex offenses pursuant to article one hundred thirty; unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping or coercion pursuant to article one hundred thirty-five; criminal trespass and burglary pursuant to article one hundred forty; criminal mischief, criminal tampering and tampering with a consumer product pursuant to article one hundred forty-five; arson pursuant to article one hundred fifty; larceny and offenses involving theft pursuant to article one hundred fifty-five; offenses involving computers pursuant to article one hundred fifty-six; robbery pursuant to article one hundred sixty; criminal possession of stolen property pursuant to article one hundred sixty-five; forgery and related offenses pursuant to article one hundred seventy; involving false written statements pursuant to article one hundred seventy-five; commercial bribing and commercial bribe receiving pursuant to article one hundred eighty; criminal impersonation and scheme to defraud pursuant to article one hundred ninety; bribery involving public servants and related offenses pursuant to article two hundred; perjury and related offenses pursuant to article two hundred ten; tampering with a witness, intimidating a victim or witness and tampering with physical evidence pursuant to article two hundred fifteen; criminal possession of a controlled substance pursuant to sections 220.06, 220.09, 220.16, 220.18 and 220.21; criminal sale of a controlled substance pursuant to sections 220.31, 220.34, 220.39, 220.41, 220.43 and 220.44; criminal sale of marijuana pursuant to sections 221.45, 221.50 and 221.55; riot in the first degree, aggravated harassment in the first degree, criminal nuisance in the first degree and falsely reporting an incident in the second or first degree pursuant to article two hundred forty; and crimes against public safety pursuant to article two hundred sixty-five of the penal law.

14. "Peace officer" shall mean a peace officer as defined by subdivision thirty-three of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, who is employed full-time as a peace officer and who has successfully completed the training requirements as set forth in subdivision one of section 2.30 of such law.

15. "Police officer" shall mean a police officer as defined by subdivision thirty-four of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law.


Last modified: February 3, 2019