Under existing law, the State licenses private security agencies to be responsible for fingerprinting employees and verifying a required personal history statement. One set of the fingerprints is sent to the Department of State (DOS) for a routine criminal record check. In reality, the overwhelming numbers of security guard applicants -- over 30,000 per year -- and budgetary restraints prevent the State from performing detailed background investigations of even determining if a firm performs any work. Furthermore, the DOS has no way of determining when a licensee or employee is convicted of a crime, and its records are limited to New York State arrests and convictions. New York City requires a State license holder to obtain a separate city permit to carry or possess a weapon and has successfully closed loopholes in its licensing system and increased the resources devoted to monitoring and detecting abuse. A State investigation of selected security firms uncovered one company, System VII, which simply served as a front organization for persons who sought an expedited means of obtaining a pistol license. Another, 1900 Special Services, triggered alarms of businesses they were hired to protect, used this to justify entry, and then burglarized their own clients. The Commission proposed a restructuring of the State supervisory policy to increase emphasis on security guards, the licensing of security guard employees, a requirement that a guard firm prove it is actually operating a business, and reform in current pistol licensing procedures mandating training and periodic recertification.