By Nicole Perez / Journal Staff Writer of The Albuquerque Journal:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Stephen Wills was not supposed to be working as a security guard the morning he was gunned down in the parking lot of a Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex earlier this month.
The 46-year-old had never been licensed by the state to do that job, but was patrolling nonetheless, a violation of state law. His employer, however, said Wills had completed the required training by a state-certified instructor. The company, International Strategic Partners, is now under state investigation for allegedly allowing guards such as Wills to work without licenses. The Regulation and Licensing Department announced the investigation Thursday evening.
“Security guards cannot legally work without a license and the Regulation and Licensing Department will take action against any company that practices without a license or hires security guards who are unlicensed,” spokesman Ben Cloutier said in an email Friday.
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People who want to become security guards must go through training from a state-certified instructor, then must submit a registration application to the state. ISP owner William Albrecht said that Wills completed the required training and that Albrecht provided a copy of a training certificate for Wills dated January 28, 2016.
In an interview with the Journal on Thursday evening, Albrecht said he was not aware that Wills was not licensed. He claimed that paperwork for Wills’ license was submitted, and said there’s a backlog at the licensing department that could have contributed. He also said the licensing department may have lost it.
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