Local Florida leaders are seriously considering armed bicycle guards in Ybor City
Tampa FL March 8 2020 During the January meeting of the Ybor City Development Corporation (YCDC), safety was the main topic. One of the seriously considered solutions was to pay more security guards to ride around on bicycles, with loaded guns.
“I’ve been in conversation with YCDC about starting a pilot program with our contractor, Allied Universal Security, for a bike patrol,” Parking Division Manager Kelly Stephens announced to the room, “We would have armed security officers on bicycle responsible for patrolling our city assets, our lots and garages, residential parking programs and anything else in between.”
The security guards would also have the ability to patrol Centennial Park, which is bordered by Eighth and Ninth Avenues to the South and North, and 19th and Angel Oliva Senior Streets to the East and West.
At the meeting Stephens said these “officers” are intended to be extra eyes and ears for the community and ensured that they would only use force if a situation was life threatening. He went on to explain that because car traffic can become congested in Ybor at certain times, having guards on bikes would allow them to navigate traffic easier.
YCDC members listened, and a discussion ensued about ways to pay for the armed guards, along with strategizing to expand the guard’s coverage to more parts of Ybor. One member suggested that the YCDC could use a combination of the guards and increased police coverage. But the YCDC board decided to discuss the option more before making a decision.
“I think armed security guards on bike is a really bad idea,” Tom DeGeorge, owner of Crowbar told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I had to leave the January meeting before it came up, but that seems like a disaster.”
DeGeorge and other business owners have been asking for more police communication and coverage in the area, not armed security guards. But Stephens made clear at the meeting that he had been in discussion with YCDC staff Corrine Linebrink and Courtney Orr about the bicycle guards as another solution.
In Florida, the required amount of training to become an armed guard is a 28-hour course. The other requirements are: not being convicted of felonies or misdemeanors involving drug, theft or “moral turpitude”, submitting to finger printing and being over 21 years old. Many advertisements for armed security guard jobs indicate that ex-military personnel are preferred. The average pay for armed security guards in Florida is $13.58.
In 2016, security guard Everoy Farqharson opened fire on two men in the Palm Avenue parking garage in Ybor City. He was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and battery. In 2017, he skipped his court date and a warrant was issued. The city no longer contracts with Farqharson’s employer at the time, Iron Eagle Security.
Prior to the discussion about the armed guards, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan along with three police officers discussed their action plan for 2020 in Ybor. That plan includes a request for funding for 10 more police cameras in the Ybor area. Dugan assured the meeting’s attendees that the cameras would help prevent and solve crime. Another officer in the room chimed in to add that police are constantly watching the cameras in Ybor. He said that he occasionally watches from his laptop at home, which made some attendees break out into laughter.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reached out to an official at the Tampa Police Department to see if TPD had any additional thoughts about the armed bicycle guard proposal.
On Tuesday, City of Tampa’s Marketing and Communications Director Ashley Bauman cleared things up.
“As part of the discussion on public safety in the Ybor parking areas and in 7th Avenue Corridor and adjacent streets, the Parking Division brought up the possibility of expanding their private security from the parking garages and lots into the residential parking areas,” Bauman wrote in an email. “While there were discussions regarding this option, mostly due to the reduced cost of the private security vs. extra TPD officers the decision was made to not move forward.”
After the police discussion and the presentation by Stephens, some YCDC members spoke in favor of a hybrid plan of more police cameras along with armed guards, especially because the security guards are a cheaper option.
According to the approved minutes from the January meeting, “The YCDC is interested in implementing the proposed bike patrol program, if funding is available as well as research other options for the city-armed security.”
This includes exploring the possibility of off-duty nightclub security being part of the armed guards, and the YCDC potentially “piggybacking” off of the city’s current security guard contract with Allied, which started in 2017 at a cost of $2.1 million a year. They plan to discuss these options as well as funding before Allied Security’s contract renewal in May.
The next public YCDC meeting is tomorrow, Feb.25 at 4 p.m., where the discussion about the armed bicycle patrol will be on the agenda. The YCDC Office is at 2015 E. 7th Ave. in Ybor City. All meetings are open to the public. Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to YCDC.
Creative Loafing
