Montgomery considers requiring licenses for club security privateofficeer Montgomery AL March 7 2014 The issue of using off-duty police officers as security outside nightclubs has been set aside for now, but the city is moving forward on plans to regulate private security at those clubs. Mayor Todd Strange has asked Police Chief Kevin Murphy to draw up a proposed ordinance that would require all security that is hired for bars and clubs in the city to be licensed by the state. District 6 Councilman John Dow has been pushing for the city to look into using off-duty officers for security, but Strange said that the Police Department, the Public Safety Department, the city’s attorneys and his senior staff all have advised against it. Dow pointed out that both Mobile and Birmingham use off-duty officers for that purpose, and Strange agreed to talk to officials in those cities about how their systems work. Murphy, meanwhile, said requiring security to be licensed will make for a much safer environment. “None of the clubs where trouble has occurred had licensed security,” he said. Murphy said he also would like to ban security guards’ use of rifles or shotguns in parking lots. In a recent shooting near the Mansion nightclub on East South Boulevard, security guards fired AK47 rifles, “making a bad situation even worse,” Murphy said. No one was hurt by the gunfire from those rifles, Murphy said, but it did create a dangerous situation and would not be the protocol of a trained security guard. “If you are in a crowded parking lot, shotguns and rifles are ineffective,” he said. “That is too much firepower for that situation.” Murphy said he was not sure yet whether the ordinance would require clubs to hire security if they don’t have security now, adding that it could be taken on a case-by-case basis. “One-size-fits-all might not work here,” he said. Dow said that what he had proposed was to have police officers outside clubs on holidays and when large events are planned, adding that he hopes Strange will give the idea a chance. “We need to at least be open to it,” Dow said. Montgomery Advertiser
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 11:23:58 +0000
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