Law that would close loophole for security guard training passes Tennessee Senate - WZTV
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Less than seven months after a grieving Tennessee mother called for tighter regulations among security guards in downtown Nashville, a bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday aims to do just that.
“Dallas’s Law” is a direct response to Dallas Jordan Barrett’s death. The 22-year-old Smyrna man, nicknamed DJ, died in August 2021 at the hands of security guards on the rooftop of Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row on Lower Broadway.
On the night of Aug. 16, 2021, bar staff told detectives Barrett had become unruly and was asked to leave. Officers were told that Barrett began to fight with security, who reportedly pulled him to the ground and held him on the floor.
Video taken by a bystander that night shows DJ being restrained on the ground. Moments later, he stopped moving.
“He begged to get up,” his mother, Tammy Barrett, told FOX 17 News back in September. “You could hear him say he can’t breathe. You can see him tapping to get out and they did not let him up.”
A medical examiner determined DJ died of asphyxiation. In early November, DJ's death was ruled a homicide. Six of the seven men indicted in DJ’s death were working at the honky tonk that night.
In March 2022, Whiskey Row voluntarily paid the state of Tennessee a $26,000 fine as part of a consent order to avoid administrative action and a contested case, attorneys for Tammy Barrett said. Her lawyers provided documents showing the state investigated the incident and determined that four of the guards employed by Whiskey Row did not have proper registration cards to work as security guards at the time.
Since DJ’s death, Tammy Barrett says she has received messages from complete strangers describing violent encounters among security staff in downtown Nashville.
“These are people that I don’t know from Adam,” Barrett said. “So, I need to fight for this somehow. They killed my son for no reason. I want justice for my child.”
And justice has come full circle. Dallas’s Law will now close a loophole in security guard training by reducing the time from 15 to 10 days of employment wherein an unarmed security guard or officer applicant must complete general training and pass an examination. Current law exempts those employed as an unarmed security guard/officer by a proprietary security organization from such requirement. This amendment removes the exemption.
“People who visit the state expect to be safe and expect those who are providing security to be actual trained professionals,” said bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Yarbro.
Dallas's Law also requires training in de-escalation techniques and proper and safe restraint techniques. It further requires certification from the American Red Cross, or another qualified certifying agency approved by the commissioner, qualifying the applicant to administer emergency first aid and CPR.
“This bill is in direct response to the death of Dallas Jordan Barrett at Whiskey Row,” said Sen. Bill Beck. “During my investigation into the incident, I learned there is currently a loophole in the law that allows unarmed security guards employed by proprietary security organizations to be employed without any training. This bill intends to close that loophole.”
SB2514 passed the Senate 28-1. Sens. Jeff Yarbro and Bill Beck spearheaded the legislation.
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source: https://fox17.com/news/local/law-that-would-close-loophole-for-security-guard-training-passes-in-tennessee-dallas-dj-barrett-tammy-barrett-nashville-whiskey-row-broadway
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