Security guard leaves gun unattended in waiting room at Georgia Department of Labor building
Athens GA October 4 2023
A man took a video of a security guard who left a gun unattended at a Georgia Department of Labor building in Athens.
The gun was sitting on the floor for several minutes before it was found Monday at 4 p.m. in a waiting room where several employees and taxpayers were going about business.
A video showed that the guard left the gun and walked away for several minutes.
Russell Pickron with Georgia Transparency considers himself a type of government watchdog, walking into government buildings recording.
His camera was rolling Monday at the Athens Department of Labor building, when he spotted the gun.
“Take a look in there and tell me what you see is wrong. Holy crap,” said Pickrons.
Pickron said it was in the public waiting area, that had a space for children.
Within seconds, a Department of Labor employee approached Pickron and saw the gun.
“What if a kid went in there,” said Pickron.
It was at least *four* minutes before the security guard returned to retrieve the gun.
“You know you have an unsecured weapon here?” asked Pickron.
She puts the belt with the gun on it, back on, but Pickron keeps questioning them about how this happened.
“We are trying to address why the security officer has left her weapon on the floor. What if a kid, what if a freaking kid went over and got it?” asked Pickron.
The staff tried to get Pickron to stop recording, and even the security guard spoke up.
Georgia Department of Labor and a spokesperson said in a statement:
“The situation at the Athens Career Center is unacceptable. When the career center staff made GDOL leadership aware of this incident on Monday afternoon, we immediately reached out to Dynamic Security to ensure that this officer will no longer work at any GDOL locations.”
