Security Firm Pays Fine, Avoids Charges

Apex Security Group admitted it failed to “investigate and/or verify” the employees’ credentials prior to hiring them in December 2015. The complaint against Apex was closed and formal charges were avoided with the consent order closing the case. Nashville Police Chief Steve Andersen was critical of the company in a recent interview with the Tennessean.

“If you’re going to have regulations of statutes, then presumably they exist for a purpose: for protecting the public,” Anderson said.

According to Tennessee law, out-of-town police officers who wish to work Nashville gigs must be full-time officers with proper certification including notification from their local police chief that they will be working in Music City. As the law is written regarding population, it reportedly affects Nashville only.

Anderson told the Tennessean that the law is broken and ignored “routinely” by companies and officers from all over the country as well as in-state. Security guards reportedly illegally worked two Tennessee Titans games last year, and may have worked other major Nashville events.

“When it’s someone from the outside, unless we can gain all of that (required information) and have the same communication and coordination, then obviously, we could get into situations where frankly the public could be abused or the public may not be served correctly because we don’t have that coordinated effort,” Anderson told the Tennessean.