Oregon DPSST to approve intensive private security licenses amid calls for accountability
Some 1,000 private security companies in Oregon will be required to obtain new licenses from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, a committee decided Tuesday.
Private security employers and contractors also will be required to pay fees of up to nearly $46,000 to DPSST by January.
The Private Security and Investigator Policy Committee approved and amended previous revisions to House Bill 2527, which lawmakers passed in 2021 to regulate the private security industry.
"There wasn’t really any standardization, and because of that, we saw reports of excessive use of force, discrimination, sexual assault and harassment, and wage theft,” said Alan Dubinsky, spokesperson for SIEU 49 chapter, a union that represents private security employees.
Before the 2021 law, private security companies were not required to obtain a DPSST license.
The agency previously set standards for armed security professionals, including attending basic unarmed and firearms courses, including an annual refresher course, taking gun safety and marksmanship exams. DPSST also required private security officers to "be of good moral fitness" as determined by a criminal background check, department investigation or other reliable sources.
The companies were not required to provide any training to prevent discrimination, SIEU 49 political organizer Yasmin Ibarra said in a 2021 letter to the Oregon House Judiciary Committee.
Ibarra noted a 2018 case in which a security officer at the Portland DoubleTree “claimed a Black man was ‘loitering’ in the hotel lobby and had him removed.” The man was a hotel guest calling his mother on his phone, Ibarra said.
The year before, Homefront Security private security guard Gregory Capwell shot and killed a man in the parking lot of Best Western Plus Mill Creek in Salem. Capwell was sentenced in 2018 to life in prison. He had certifications dating back to 2010 and had previously been charged in 2011 with fourth-degree assault, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment, the Statesman Journal reported.
Changes for private security companies and their employees, contractors
Public comment on the amendments to the statute created by HB 2527 ends Jan. 24. Unless there are substantial comments that prompt re-examination, the committee will forward the amended rules to the DPSST board.
The board will likely pass the revised law between late April and early May, said DPSST spokesperson Sam Tenney.
In the meantime, Tenney said the following temporary rules become effective Friday when licensing applications will be available.
Private security companies must provide education on preventing sexual assault and discrimination and educate employees on whistleblowing protections.
Armed security officer applicants also must undergo stringent psychological and gun safety training.
The company or its employee must report any criminal charges within two days of an arrest at which point DPSST can immediately request written notification documenting the charges, including the arresting agency and arrest date.
In August, the committee of DPSST decided private security companies and their contractors each must pay either $312 for a six-month license ending June 30, 2024, or $936 for a six-month license with a 12-month renewal ending June 30, 2025.
Private security companies also must prove their ability to pay wages. Depending on the company's size, they must provide between $7,500-$25,000 in proof of wage pay abilities. A $5,000 tier was added for companies that have five employees. Companies can provide proof through an irrevocable line of credit, a cash or cash-equivalent deposit, or a surety bond.
Shelby Wright, the DPSST director's executive assistant, said the rule is intended to "provide protection of private security professionals."
In addition, companies and contractors must carry liability insurance that anticipated to cost up to $20,000 a year.
Members of the committee expressed concerns Tuesday about the financial impact on non-profits and small businesses.
Supporters of the amendment noted the law as it stands could benefit the quality of private security companies.
"Maybe this will be good for the industry, maybe we'll get companies that can hold that irrevocable line of credit and that can afford to pay their employees," committee member Dan Lenzen said.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Christian Willbern at cwillbern@statesmanjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: DPSST to license private security businesses and contractors
