Requests Increase For Licensed Security Guards In Denver To Be Armed, Work In Plain Clothes

DENVER (CBS4) - Following the deadly shooting after protests in Civic Center Park earlier this month and the arrest of an unlicensed security guard, the City of Denver saw an increase in already licensed guards seeking permission to be armed and work in plain clothes.

According to data released by the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses, 28 amendment applications for security guard individual licenses came in between Oct. 12-18. Of the 28 amendments, 7 were to add firearm certification and 9 were to allow the guard to work in plain clothes. These numbers were higher compared to data from a month earlier and the same week in 2019.

Matthew Dolloff was arrested at the scene of a shooting on Oct. 10. He was working as a contracted agent for a security firm, protecting a crew of journalists from a Denver TV station. Investigations are underway to see why Dolloff wasn't licensed to be a security guard in Denver and if the firms' employing Dolloff should be held accountable.

Applications for new security guards was slightly up for the week of Oct. 12-18 according to city data. Sixty-nine people applied for the license, while the 2020 weekly average has been 63 applications. Denver has seen a 44% decrease in new security guard applications in 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019.

Denver, Glendale, and Colorado Springs are the only cities in the state that require security guards to be licensed.