Fresno Municipal Code Art. 12 Private Patrols

This article shall be known as the Private Patrol Ordinance of the City of Fresno.

(Rep. and Added Ord. 71-13, 1971).

For the purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) "Chief of Police" shall mean the Chief of the Fresno Police Department or designee.]

(b) "Private patrol operator" means any person, other than an armored contract carrier, who, for any consideration whatsoever, agrees to furnish, or furnishes, a watchman, guard, patrolperson, or other person to protect persons or property or to prevent the theft, unlawful taking, loss, embezzlement, misappropriation, or concealment of any goods, wares, merchandise, money, bonds, stocks, notes, documents, papers, or property of any kind, or performs the service of a watchman, guard, patrolperson, or other person for any of these purposes.

(c) "Private Security Services Act" means Chapter 11.5 of the Business and Professions Code, as amended.

(d) "Registration card" means a registration card issued pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 7583.17, and a temporary registration card issued pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 7583.11.

(Rep. and Added Ord. 71-13, based on former Sec. 6-1201; Am. Ord. 2004-117, § 5, eff. 12-21-04).

Every private patrol operator located or operating within the City shall register their name and the names of their employees and file a copy of their registration card with the Police Department.

(Rep. and Added Ord. 71-13, 1971, based on former Sec. 6-1202; Am. Ord. 73-110, § 1, eff. 8-19-73; Am. Ord. 2004-117, § 6, eff. 12-21-04).

No private patrol operator shall employ any person as a uniformed employee which person is unable to furnish evidence of a current registration card.

(Added Ord. 73-110, § 3, eff. 8-19-73; Am. Ord. 2004-117, § 7, eff. 12-21-04).

Any private patrol operator located or operating within the City shall comply with the following regulations:

(a) Comply with all terms, conditions and requirements of the Private Security Services Act.

(b) Comply with all lawful orders and decisions of the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.

(c) All uniforms and insignias worn by any private patrol operator or employee thereof shall not resemble and shall be readily distinguishable from any uniform or insignia worn by any law enforcement agency of the City or County of Fresno. The Chief of Police shall inspect and approve of all such uniforms and insignias to ensure compliance with these requirements.

(d) Any motor vehicle or motorcycle used by a private patrol operator or employee thereof for purposes of security patrol activity shall bear in distinct lettering the name of the private patrol operator. Such vehicles shall not resemble but shall be readily identifiable from distinctively marked motor vehicles used by any law enforcement agency of the City or County of Fresno. The Chief of Police shall inspect and approve of all such vehicles to ensure compliance with these requirements.

(e) The decision of the Chief of Police regarding those matters addressed in Subsections (c) and (d) of this Section may be appealed pursuant to Chapter 1, Article 4 of this Code. (Added Ord. 71-13, 1971; Am. Ord. 71-118, 1972; Am. Ord. 73-110, § 5, eff. 8-19-73; Am. Ord. 2004-117, § 8, eff. 12-21-04).

If any subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this article is for any reason held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this article. The Council of the City of Fresno hereby declares that it would have passed this article and each section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that one or more of the subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases may be held invalid or unconstitutional. (Added Ord. 2004-117, § 9, eff. 12-21-04).