Unlicensed Georgia and South Carolina security guards put people at risk
AUGUSTA, Ga. Feb 17 2019 — Our I-team found dozens of security companies, security guards, and private detectives caught operating illegally in Georgia.
The Georgia Board of Private Detectives and Security Agencies tell us it’s a problem they see all the time.
Our I-team found a security company that works for nearly all of the big venues in the CSRA still working, despite this cease and desist they signed promising they would not.
And, they could be putting you at serious risk.
Joni Coward has lived in the Augusta area for 40 years. She brings her grandchildren to events at the James Brown Arena, like the monster truck show, all the time. The more security guards she sees, the safer she feels.
“I think it’s more important than ever with everything that’s going on,” Coward said.
At least, that’s how she felt until we told her the security guards working the monster truck show did not have a license to do business as a security company, were not background checking their employees, and could not provide proof of proper training.
“I find that very disappointing. You’ve got to wonder what is behind the scenes and what is going on. And, exactly why that isn’t happening. Why would they not have people who have background checks?”
This particular company is called ‘The Security Guys.’ They’ve worked events all over the CSRA for big venues like the Lady Antebellum Amphitheatre, Miller Theatre, James Brown Arena, USC Aiken, Bell Auditorium, and the Western Carolina State Fair.
We also found them working security at Kids Prompt Care on Walton Way.
In October, SLED shut them down at the Western Carolina State Fair. A report says agents saw a guard ‘holding a walkie talkie wearing a red t-shirt with ‘security guys’ displayed on the front and ‘security’ on the back.’
They asked them to leave, contacted fair officials, and told them ‘the Security Guys could not be contracted as a security company, because they are not licensed to work security in the state of South Carolina.’
Gene Staulcup is a former Richmond county investigator. He’s now a private detective, and he served on the state board that licenses private security companies for years. He says a security company license is a lot more than a fee and a piece of paper.
“Public safety is the number one issue. Knowing that the person that’s acting as a security guard does not have a criminal history…someone that shouldn’t exercise control over other people that security guards may exercise,” Staulcup explained.
And, here’s why you should care that security companies are licensed. The state checks to make sure they are doing background checks, have a surety bond or insurance, and proper training.
Georgia requires a minimum of 24 hours of classroom instruction in a basic training program. Look at this list of minimum training requirements for security guards:
(1) Role of Private Security
(a) Crime Awareness and Prevention
(b) Private Security and the Criminal Justice System
(c) Ethics and Professionalism
(2) Legal Aspects
(a) Principal Misdemeanors and Felonies
(b) Overview of Title 43-38 as it relates to the Security Profession
(c) Overview of Board Rules 509 et al
(d) Arrest and Proper Use of Force
(e) Liability
(f) Courtroom testimony
(3) Patrol and Observation
(a) Patrol techniques
(b) Information gathering
(c) Crimes in progress
(d) Officer Safety
(e) Note taking and Report Writing
(4) Incident Response
(a) Responding to Emergencies
(b) Crowd control and evacuation
(c) Fire control and Prevention
(d) Hazardous Materials
(e) Bomb Threats and Terrorism
(5) Security Resources
(a) CCTV Operation and Video Documentation
(b) Alarm systems
(c) Access Control
(d) Electronic Article Surveillance
(6) Customer Service Issues
(a) Public relations
(b) Interpersonal Communications
(7) First Aid Overview
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