Texas DPS operation targets unlicensed security guards
Laredo Texas October 26 2023
Eight people have been arrested in an operation targeting unlicensed security guards, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
As part of a complaint investigation, the DPS Regulatory Services Division initiated an investigation at several locations in Laredo where security guards were employed.
With the assistance of troopers, the DPS Regulatory Services Division visited several locations on Oct. 17 to investigate a formal complaint that was filed claiming several security officers were working without an official state-issued security license.
“During the investigation, six males and one female were found to be impersonating security guards. Another male subject was arrested for hiring a person who does not have a security license,” DPS said in a statement.
Authorities identified the suspected security guard impersonators as Ernesto Gonzalez, 73, Jonathan Alexander Martinez, 32, Lazaro Raul-Zambrana-Hernandez 36, Miguel Angel Coral-Padron, 62, David Abraham Espinoza, 21, Hugo Eduardo Magallanez, 24, and Elsa Lopez, 59.
All were charged with impersonating a security guard, a Class A misdemeanor. Furthermore, Jaime Galvan Diaz, 54, was arrested for unauthorized employment of a private security agency, a Class A misdemeanor.
The investigation continues.
