Assemblymember Holden Introduces Legislation to Establish Use of Force Training for Private Patrol Operators

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Assemblymember Chris Holden introduced, AB 229, legislation that establishes use of force trainings within the existing courses provided by the California Private Security Services Act. Under current laws, no use of force trainings exist for Private Patrol Operators.

“When private security are responsible for the safety of the general public, those private operators must have the proper training in order to apply the appropriate use of force in any particular situation,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “We put a lot of attention on our State’s peace officers, but private security, who sometimes are in similar circumstances, need comparable training.”

In 2019, Mario Matthews was restrained face-down on the floor at Golden 1 Center by two security personnel after he ran on to the court following an NBA exhibition game. According the lawsuit filed by his parents, his hands were handcuffed behind his back and the two security personnel got on top of his back.  One security guard used his right knee to apply pressure to the side of Mario’s neck for approximately four and a half minutes.  In addition to the initial two Universal Protection Security personnel, a third security officer placed himself on Mario’s back. 

After approximately ten minutes, several Sacramento Police Department officers arrived and used maximum restraints; they tied his legs together with one strap and another strap around his waist.  For a total of 20 minutes, Mario was facedown with as many as four people on top of him. Mario became unresponsive and was taken to the hospital.  He passed away two days later.  The lawsuit claims that the Sacramento County Coroner acknowledged that restraint was a cause of Mario’s death. 

“What happened to Mario is unacceptable, and proper training will play big role in avoiding unnecessary harm or death to others,” said Holden.

AB 229 requires the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) to develop curriculum and training courses on the appropriate use of force for private security services employees in consultation with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.