MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance fined a Memphis area security company nearly $200,000 after documents showed it hired more than 300 unlicensed guards.
According to documents, the state launched the investigation into Allied Universal Security Services after multiple complaints claimed the company hired unlicensed guards.
The TDCI report summary found the company hired 309 unlicensed guards in a six-month period, and were fined $600 for each offense, totaling more than $185,000.
The company made headlines in 2021when Memphis Police said unlicensed guard Gregory Livingston shot and killed Alvin Motley Jr. at the Memphis Kroger gas station at Poplar and Kirby.
The TDCI sent the following statement to ABC24 about the fines against the company:
“The public puts its trust in the educational and ethical standards required to earn a professional license in the State of Tennessee. The Department is committed to upholding the licensing requirements for all companies and individuals who provide security services in the State of Tennessee to fairly and equitably protect the public and the hard-working Tennessee professionals who comply with licensing requirements.
When TDCI's Division of Regulatory Board team discovered unlicensed activities related to hundreds of individuals working as security guards without proper licensure, we investigated the matter, we asked hard questions of their employer, and we took disciplinary action that is equivalent to the severity of the violations that occurred.
We urge Tennessee consumers who have information related to illegal and unlicensed activity to file complaints with us at tn.gov/commerce.”