Lack of training put security guard in dangerous situation
security guard at the city parking garage last week.
“This person didn’t know what they were doing,” said Central Business District Commander, Lt. Larry Faulkner.
Around 3 a.m. July 10, a 20-year-old security guard, on her second night on the job, was beaten and robbed at the garage next to City Hall. The Richmond, Ind., woman was semiconscious when she was found by officers and later told police that two men in a Red Pontiac attacked her after she approached them to see if they needed assistance. The two men, who have not been caught, allegedly struck her in the face, kicked her while she was on the ground, and slammed her head into the concrete floor.
“If you’re by yourself without any means to defend yourself, you need to call police and tell them what you observed,” Faulkner said. “Even if one of my police officers approached those guys without letting dispatch know, they’re putting themselves in danger.”
A representative for Ampco System Parking, which manages the garage and others downtown, said they leave security training to a hired firm, Brantley Security, which could not be reached for comment.
“We work in conjunction with the city to determine what the security needs are,” said Tony Mitchell, Ampco spokesperson.
Faulkner said he was under the impression that the city told the security company when they started that this was a place where a guard would need to pay close attention to safety.
City spokesman Tom Biedenharn said the city’s contract with the parking management firm states that they must provide adequate security. He said the city doesn’t work directly with the security company.
Although there have only been two other crimes reported in the 24-hour garage in the past two years — a vandalized car and a trespassing charge — a look at eight other downtown garages revealed that only one other facility has filed a police report in that time period, a theft from a vehicle.
Faulkner said last week’s incident emphasizes the need to properly match the level of security to a specific location.
Biedenharn said Dayton police are currently performing a security assessment of the garage, stopping by often to determine if changes in the level of security need to be made.
