Louisville councilwoman files bill requiring new licensing, training for security officers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville Metro councilwoman filed a bill that would create licensing and training requirements for security officers.

The legislation, filed earlier this month by Councilwoman Jennifer Chappell, is known as "Christopher's Law," named for Christopher McKinney, who was killed after an altercation with a bouncer at Nowhere Bar on Bardstown Road in Louisville.

Sgt. Lamont Washington with the Louisville Metro Police Department said investigators determined that McKinney and the bar employee got into a fight after McKinney was "escorted out of the business due to unruly behavior." Police found McKinney unresponsive outside the bar just after 1 a.m. Jan. 5.

McKinney, 35, died of blunt force injuries after the altercation in early January, according to the Jefferson County Coroner's office. Witnesses said the incident happened near the front door of the bar. The Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office ruled that the bouncer acted in self-defense.

"Although my husband was fatally injured by a nightclub security guard, this ordinance goes beyond just nightclub or bar security," Nick Clark, McKinney's widower, said in a news release Tuesday. "While standards and training are required for armed security in the city of Louisville, unarmed security is just as important – especially as it relates to bars and nightclubs, where just about anything can happen in an alcohol-driven environment. Bars that hire unarmed security to protect their patrons should be trained in areas of de-escalation tactics, crowd control, emotional regulation techniques, bomb or armed shooter threats, and more, as research shows that many bars hire security by word of mouth, physical stature or on social media."

Since McKinney's death, Clark has pushed for stricter training for bouncers. "Christopher's Law" was first filed in Frankfort in January 2021, but it's since been revised and reintroduced at the state level.

But now, Chappell has filed the law at the city level, a bill that would require licenses and training for unarmed security.

"It's paramount to the safety of our community to require unarmed security officers with safety standards to adhere to. I'm working with local government agencies to ensure another preventable tragedy doesn't happen again in our city. I encourage my colleagues to join me in this effort, and sign on as co-sponsors to this vital legislation," said Councilwoman Chappell.

To read the bill, click here.

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