Next month I will be starting training for an armed guard certification.(Ohio) Here they call it the 130 hour certificate. I have a million questions and havent thought this post out, just started typing...anyway, once I get this certificate what are the chances of me getting on a tactical team (SWAT,HRT,and so on)? I'm 35(to old for military) and realized this is something I really want to do for a living. Is it to late for me to get into something like this, and just realize I'll be stuck patrolling the parking lot at Barmitzfah's or can I take this and turn it into an exciting career as all of you have. TIA

We have several aux. officers on our department  which have the 130 hour certificate. I hate to break your bubble but you are going to be nothing more than an armed security guard. You have no greater arrest powers than that of an average joe citizen. You are not a sworn LEO officer. You have no CCH capacity.
    The guys that are on our department's aux program do not count as sworn officers but may carry a sidearm while on duty; hence they are armed security guards for my city. As far as PDs go I believe mine is unique in this respect; many places require you to have your LEO OPOTA certificate to be armed. You are not going to get hired by many PDs in the area where I work although the city of Cleveland, CHMA and Cuyahoga County Protective Services do employ armed guards just as armed guards.Not LEOS.
     AS for SWAT, HRT, etc... that would really depend on the private company that you work for. None of the above listed outfits have a "security" guard SWAT, HRT team or anything like that. Most of the private companies in the area give you your weapon for show and if you draw it there had better be a very F**king good reason. To the best of my knowledge none of the companies in the Greater Cleveland area have anything like that. They are quite anal as well (this from guys and gals who used to work and still work for them) about firearms use. Many companies require you to purchase your own weapon from an authorized list. Mostly straight 38s (which is all the City of Cleveland allows for its guards that work for the city proper, the County is the same way) or 9mms (private).
   Last but not least don't get too excited about the training. It is very similar to the training that LEO's get when they go through the academy. It's very basic.

If you have anymore questions just email me and I will ask some of the guys who have the 130 certificate any questions you might have. My place is done hiring auxs for the year (we just hired six).

Thanks MHPDBlue, I'm sure I will have questions for you in the near future. And thanks to Glock918