(a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, an applicant, or his or her manager, for a license as a private investigator shall have had at least three years’ experience in investigation work. One year’s experience shall consist of not less than 2,000 hours of actual compensated work performed by each applicant preceding the filing of an application.

(1) An applicant who holds a law degree or bachelor’s degree in police science, criminal justice, criminal law, or the equivalent thereof from an accredited college shall be credited with 2,000 hours of experience in investigation work.

(2) An applicant who holds an associate degree in police science, criminal justice, criminal law, or the equivalent thereof from an accredited college shall be credited with 1,000 hours of experience in investigation work.

(3) The total amount of time credited to an applicant for degrees described in this subdivision shall not exceed 2,000 hours of experience in investigation work.

(b) An applicant shall substantiate the claimed years of qualifying experience and the exact details as to the character and nature thereof by written certifications from the employer or qualified manager, subject to independent verification by the director as he or she may determine.

(1) Notwithstanding any other law, only an employer, qualified manager, or his or her designated agent may certify experience for purposes of this section.

(2) For purposes of this section, the term “employer” shall mean only those persons, corporations, partnerships, proprietorships, or other associations which, in the employ of the designated individual, regularly and routinely withheld income taxes and other payroll deductions for direct forwarding to governmental taxing authorities.

(3) For the purposes of this section, the term “qualified manager” shall mean only a manager who has qualified pursuant to Section 7536, who has directly overseen the work and experience of the applicant, and is under an employment or contractual arrangement to provide primary supervision of the applicant.

(c) An employer who is a licensee or qualified manager shall respond in writing within 30 days to an applicant’s written request for certifications of the applicant’s work experience as an employee and either provide the certifications or the reasons for denial. If the applicant notifies the director in writing, under penalty of perjury, that the applicant is unable to obtain the required written response from a licensee or qualified manager, or provides the licensee’s or qualified manager’s written denial and states, under penalty of perjury, that the licensee’s or qualified manager’s reasons for denial are invalid or insufficient and the director concurs, the director may require the licensee or qualified manager to provide the bureau with all relevant employment records maintained pursuant to Section 7531.5 regarding the applicant for evaluation in substantiating the applicant’s employment experience.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 569, Sec. 31. (SB 559) Effective January 1, 2018.)