Easthampton DMV security officer to keep the peace, not enforce immigration laws
EASTHAMPTON MA June 27 2018 — An armed security guard at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Easthampton helps stop fighting and generally keeps order, but does not enforce immigration laws as some on social media have speculated in recent days.
The security officer, Frantz Etienne, said he was hired in April to provide security for the RMV after state troopers stopped conducting driving tests.
“I’m just here to stop people from fighting,” Etienne said, while on duty Monday. “I have absolutely nothing to do with any immigration enforcement.”
Originally, state troopers were on-site providing armed security as well as driving tests, but now the tests are conducted by an RMV examiner. Etienne was hired to provide security, direction and assistance in de-escalating incidents, including one earlier this month when a man became angry with a clerk at the Easthampton RMV and began yelling racial epithets at the clerk.
When escorted out by RMV security, the man started physically fighting with Etienne and directing racial epithets toward him, according to Easthampton police, who were called to the scene. The tussle had ended and no fighting took place by the time police arrived and no charges were filed.
Etienne said that was the first major incident he’s experienced at the RMV since he was hired. He said the man was “angry and aggressive,” but that after the incident, several members of the community concerned about the incident came into the RMV with flowers and apologized to the clerk and to Etienne for the man’s comments and behavior.
Andrew Tacy, of Northampton, was waiting in line at the RMV on Monday.
“Tempers get pretty high with the whole process at the RMV,” Tacy said. “I think it’s good to have an armed guard here, especially with the increase in mass shootings around the country.”
Easthampton Police Officer Chad Alexander said the Easthampton Police Department received a recent memo from the RMV informing the department that there would be armed security guards posted at full-service RMV locations around the state. The RMV in Easthampton is the state agency’s only branch in Hamsphire County.
“The presence of security personnel has nothing to do with immigration or lawful presence,” RMV spokeswoman Judith Riley said. “The RMV for several years has deployed security as a routine policy decision.”
Other RMV branches, such as the one in Springfield, have armed security in place. Etienne said he was unsure whether there was an armed guard at the Easthampton branch prior to his employment.
Etienne is a trained security guard with G4S Custom Protection Division, a British multinational security services company headquartered in Crawley, England. According to G4S, security officers in the company’s Custom Protection Division must be either a college graduate with a degree in criminal justice, police science or security administration, or formally qualified in law enforcement or the military.
Etienne said he underwent firearms training, first aid training and conflict resolution training for his post at the RMV. Typically, he said, he spends most of his time directing people to the correct line or helping them find the right forms.
Emma Findlay, also of Northampton, said the guard’s presence didn’t make her feel uncomfortable as she waited at the RMV Monday, and as long as the guard is trained, she said she’s fine with him being armed.
“You’d be surprised how upset people get with licensing things,” Findlay said, mentioning that she herself had experienced difficulties providing the right documentation to renew her license. “The documentation you need to provide is inconvenient and also seems inconsistent, even for me as a legal U.S. citizen.”
In March, Massachusetts RMVs instituted new changes to the driver’s licensing process. Now, residents must choose whether to apply for a REAL ID, which meets federal security standards, or standard state ID cards. To renew or apply for either one, as of March, residents must provide proof of citizenship.
REAL IDs began in 2005 to create more stringent security measures after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Standard IDs may be used to get passengers onto planes or inside federal buildings until October 2020. After that, residents will need to have a REAL ID, passport, military ID or global entry card.
REAL IDs have a small white star in a gold circle, while standard state IDs state “NOT FOR FEDERAL ID.”
As for proof of citizenship, the Easthampton RMV offers a handout entitled “Identification Documents Checklist,” which lists documents that can be used to show “proof of lawful presence.”
These documents include a U.S. passport or U.S. birth certificate issued from a municipality with a raised seal — hospital certificates are not accepted — or certificates of citizenship or naturalization, re-entry permit or refugee travel document. A note states that “all immigration documents must show a valid 12-month stay in the U.S.”
