Utah lowers training requirements for armed security officers
Salt Lake Utah June 23 2018
Training instructors and law enforcement agree that the current security guard training requirement sin the State of Utah are too low.
In fact, the training requirements for armed security guards in Utah is going down, a development that could draw new attention after a guard was arrested for shooting a man in the back, killing him.
“I was extremely upset,“ said firearms instructor Steve Marquardt, of the shooting. “It was very unfortunate. “
Marquardt, an ex-Marine and former security guard himself, estimated he’s trained hundreds of guards in Utah, and said a new state law has cut training licensing requirements for armed and unarmed guards.
SB-196, which passed the Legislature unanimously last session, dropped the amount of time for “basic” instruction for security guards from 24 to just eight hours. Even coupled with firearms training, an armed guard applicant could complete all the education in a total of 20 hours.
Marquardt said he doesn’t think 20 hours is enough.
Private Officer International, an association of private security and law enforcement professionals say that they recommend a minimum of sixty hours for any security officer carrying a firearm and would like to see that increased even more to around 100 hours.
“Learning techniques of how to draw that firearm, and use that firearm and shoot, need to be expanded instead of just a basic we have to quickly get you through to get your license,” Marquardt
A spokesperson for the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, which regulates the security industry, said no one was available to comment on Thursday. A request for licensing information was directed to the DOPL website.
Police said the shooting by armed guard Timothy Lutes was on a plaza right outside the division offices, on 300 South, east of State Street. Officers booked Lutes into jail for murder. Thomas Stanfield died in the shooting, which followed an altercation between the two men.
State licensing records show Lutes had been an unarmed guard starting in 2015, but was only licensed to carry a gun on the job since last November.
This is the third shooting incident by private security guards in Utah in the past two years.
After votes in the Senate and House, Governor Herbert signed the bill to reduce guard training.
