At the July 10, 2012 Stand Your Ground Task Force meeting in Arcadia, KC Poulin along with Patty Schmitt, CEO of Aegis Protective Services, sat as invited panelists and offered perspective regarding the relationship between Florida’s Stand Your Ground law and the private security industry as well as insight on the concerns surrounding amendment to the law from the industry’s viewpoint.
The 19-member Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection, convened by Governor Rick Scott, is charged with conducting a full-scale examination of Florida’s controversial law and reporting recommendations to the Governor and lawmakers prior to the start of the next legislative session in March of next year. The Florida law has come under intense nationwide scrutiny in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting in February. Enacted in 2005, Stand Your Ground permits the use of deadly force if a person fears imminent serious injury or death and imposes no duty to retreat.
During the meeting, Poulin and Schmitt provided the Task Force with an overview of the services provided by the private protection industry, along with relevant industry data and statistical information and fielded specific questions that provided “food for thought” on this important and contemporary issue. Florida’s Stand Your Ground law is widely debated for its ambiguity, application and the surprisingly different results it yields when proffered as a defense. Any revision of the law is likely to impact the private security industry and operating procedures. To view Poulin and Schmitt’s discussion with the Task Force in its entirety, click on the links below.
ABC Action News
The Florida Channel