Controversial security company applies for permit to boot cars in Nashville

A large security company that has been accused of hiring unlicensed guards, including some that reportedly posed as police officers, is hoping to get into the car booting business, records show.

Solaren Risk Management, which employs hundreds of security guards at businesses and parking lots throughout Nashville, has filed an application with the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission for a license to boot cars on private property.

If approved, Solaren would join eight other Nashville booting businesses in an industry that has its own share of controversy with residents complaining of predatory practices, system glitches and no grace period for parking violations.

Solaren last year was at the center of a WSMV news investigation that revealed how the company was accused of hiring guards that were not state-certified law enforcement but wore police identification.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance is currently investigating multiple complaints against the company, agency spokesman Kevin Walters said Tuesday.

Solaren CEO and founder Jack Byrd in a statement called the allegations false and said the company has cooperated with all investigations.

“Through this process we have seized the opportunity to improve our processes by adding additional layers of authentication and compliance to employment practices,” he said.

In an interview, Byrd said he decided to apply for a booting license with the city after several clients asked if his security guards could also enforce parking violations.

Byrd said the guards could double as booting technicians and could quickly remove boots once fines are paid since they’re already on the property.

“One of the biggest challenges we’ve heard is getting people to remove the boots in a timely manner, so this was a quick solve for us because we’ve got people who are already in these facilities,” he said.

State and local lawmakers have been working on stricter regulations for the car booting industry this year following a barrage of complaints over concerning practices.

The problem was especially acute at the Inglewood post office in East Nashville, where a company was accused of lying in wait to boot unsuspecting vehicles that were parked in the wrong lot.

Last month, state lawmakers passed a bill that would prohibit unlicensed companies from booting vehicles and cap the fee to remove a boot at $75.

The bill, which awaits the governor’s signature, also requires companies to remove the boot within 45 minutes after a driver has paid the fee.

Nashville city leaders are considering additional regulations, including a 15-minute grace period for drivers.

Byrd said his company would have a grace period, as well as better billing technology and transparency for drivers who question their tickets.

As for any possible confusion over identification, he said the guards that boot cars would wear uniforms with reflective markings that are different from other security or law enforcement employees.

“I truly do think we can do it better,” he said.

The commission is set to consider the application in a public hearing on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Controversial security company applies to boot cars in Nashville