Community meeting to be held following Chase Bank shooting

Keely Arthur by Keely Arthur

Community leaders will host a meeting with Chase Bank officials to discuss safety concerns at the company’s Milwaukee Street branch on Madison’s East Side on Thursday.

The meeting comes two weeks after a deadly shooting at the branch. A guard shot an unarmed robbery suspect in the back while the man was demanding money from a teller, according to police.

Chase has already made changes since the March 2 shooting. The security guard was employed by Off Duty Services, a company that said it uses active-duty officers. It’s unknown, however, if the guard at Chase Bank was a trained officer.

Since the shooting, Chase has cut ties with Off Duty Services and is now using off duty Madison Police Officers, said Rico Sabatini, head of the Rolling Meadows Neighborhood Association.

Police officers are required to have 720 hours of academy training and four to six months of field training. An armed security guard needs 36 hours of training to get a firearm license, said Brian Landers, a police trainer and consultant.

A meeting discussing security at @Chase bank’s Mil. St. branch is set for 7:00 pm Thursday following a deadly robbery. More info on news3

— Keely Arthur (@news3keely) March 14, 2018

“There is a huge difference between the amount of required training for law enforcement and security,” Landers said. “There’s no requirement of any type of scenario or decision-based training for security guards.”

The community meeting is happening this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the New Beginnings Alliance Church on Acewood Boulevard.

News 3 also contacted the Wisconsin Bankers Association to see what security precautions banks take outside of hiring security guards.

“Every Wisconsin bank has someone who fulfills the role of a security officer, which is very different from a “security guard.” From bank to bank, the security officer’s specific duties may vary slightly, however, their primary responsibility is the security of the bank. This includes, but isn’t limited to, developing, implementing and administering policies to ensure the safety of all customers and staff.

“The bank security officer also ensures the bank’s security program follows all the state and federal regulations including the Bank Protection Act.

The No. 1 priority for a bank is the safety of its staff and customers. The bank security officer plays a critical role in this effort,” Eric Skrum, a WBA spokesperson said.

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