Milwaukee creates requirements for private security guards after Isaiah Allen’s shooting death

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By Elliot Hughes
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The Milwaukee Common Council passed an ordinance Tuesday (March 19) requiring private security guards to obtain a license and a bonding agreement — legislation crafted in reaction to the shooting death of Isaiah Allen last August.

“Isaiah Allen tragically lost his life at the hands of a person who was acting as a security guard but was not properly permitted to do so,” said Ald. Andrea Pratt, who represents the area where Allen was killed. “It is my hope this legislation provides confidence to the public and business owners that those hired as security are properly vetted to do so and ultimately make our community safer.”

The passage is a victory for community members who were outraged by Allen’s death and frustrated by a history of safety issues at some convenience stores.

Three members of Allen’s family attended Tuesday’s meeting and were moved to tears by the ordinance’s approval. The entire Common Council signed on as a sponsor of the legislation.

“I’m glad, ecstatic, happy,” said Natalie Easter Allen, the mother of Isaiah Allen. “They can’t just hire somebody off the street.”

Here’s what to know about the ordinance:

What does the Milwaukee private security guard ordinance require?
Anyone whose job responsibility is to maintain security of a premise is now required to execute a bond agreement and obtain a license. That includes on-site employees, a contractor of an establishment or an employee of a third-party security firm hired by an establishment.

Applicants for licenses must be 18 or older; have no record of arrests or convictions of a misdemeanor; no felony convictions, unless pardoned; and must not abuse alcohol or drugs. They must also be issued a bond or liability policy in the amount of $2,000, which would require a background check.

Licenses are valid for two years and come with a $100 fee.

The ordinance doesn’t create any standards for armed private security. Wisconsin law requires such personnel to receive 36 hours of firearms training and six hours of refresher training to renew a permit annually.

How was the Milwaukee private security guard ordinance crafted?
The ordinance was proposed in September 2023 by Pratt.

On March 5, the ordinance was quickly and unanimously recommended for approval by the city’s Licenses Committee.

At that meeting, Pratt said the ordinance aligns city and state standards for private security. She thanked Allen’s family for their “steadfast commitment” to making a difference after the shooting. She said the ordinance was made “in Isaiah’s honor.”

What happened to Isaiah Allen?

Natalie Easter Allen, the mother of Isaiah Allen, stands outside the Teutonia Gas & Food gas station at 4295 N. Teutonia Avenue in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, where her son was shot and killed in August by a security guard. Since then, members of his family and the community have camped outside the business to ensure it won’t open again and have pushed city officials to pull its license. A city committee recommended to pull the license last week. The Common Council will take a final vote Oct. 10.

Allen, 29, was shot and killed Aug. 16, 2023, outside the former Teutonia Gas and Food gas station, at 4295 N. Teutonia Ave.

Allen and his family members had visited the gas station for years, were known to employees and used a tab system, they said.

According to a criminal complaint, Allen grabbed a box of snack cakes and left without paying. A man appearing to act as security for the station, William Pinkin, then rose from a chair, followed Allen from behind and shot him in the head, the complaint said.

The store owner, Gurinder Nagra, later told the city’s License Committee he never performed a background check before hiring Pinkin and denied he was acting as security. In 1989, Pinkin was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide and is barred from possessing a gun.

The shooting outraged community members, who said there are too many convenience stores that don’t take safety seriously. Several members of the Common Council also expressed anger at Nagra, who had been instructed multiple times to improve safety precautions at the business, which was labeled a nuisance by police earlier in 2023.

Allen’s family protested outside the business for months afterward, preventing it from reopening. They collected 4,000 signatures and petitioned the city to close it permanently. The Common Council revoked Nagra’s business license for the gas station in October.

Nagra has since filed a lawsuit in Milwaukee County Circuit Court seeking a reversal of that decision on the grounds that the city didn’t properly notice him for the hearing that began the revocation process.

Pinkin, 57, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide. He has a two-week trial scheduled to begin Aug. 19.

This article was originally publication by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and was republished with permission.