New Tennessee law boosts security guard training after bar patron death

Gov. Bill Lee signed a law that requires first aid, CPR, restraint and de-escalation training for private guards working in places licensed to serve alcohol.

The new measure, dubbed “Dallas’s Law,” comes after Dallas “DJ” Barrett died last August following a fight with guards at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in Nashville. It applies to both unarmed and armed guards statewide.

Nashville police said Barrett, 22, was held to the ground during the fight at the popular downtown honky tonk last summer. A medical examiner later determined Barrett died of oxygen deprivation and ruled his death a homicide.

Seven people, including six guards and another man, face reckless homicide and aggravated assault charges in Barrett’s death.

All of them are due in court for a hearing on Aug. 18, records show.

Lee signed the bill into law May 25. Barrett’s mother, Tammy Barrett, released a statement Wednesday praising Lee and state legislators for making the law a reality.

“Today, my dream of making the establishments on Lower Broadway safer for all patrons has been fully realized,” Tammy Barrett said in the statement, which was released by her lawyer. “I cannot conceive of a more fitting manner in which to honor the memory of my son, Dallas Jordan Barrett, than passage of Dallas’s Law today.”

LACK OF LICENSING, GUARD RAINING RAISED QUESTIONS

The Tennessean first reported that four of the six guards charged in Barrett’s death were unlicensed. That prompted a series of disciplinary actions and fines from the state.

A Tennessean analysis of state law also revealed unarmed guards employed solely by a proprietary security organization, like Whiskey Row LLC, were not required to complete any training to earn licenses. While armed guards were previously required to undergo training, it did not specifically include first aid or restraint tactics.

Rep. Bill Beck, D-Nashville, said that analysis, along with videos shown on news broadcasts, “horrified” him and inspired him to propose the House bill. Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, sponsored the bill in the Senate.

Beck previously said he hopes the new law prevents a death like Barrett’s from happening again. He was especially moved by Tammy Barrett’s story.

“As a parent myself, my heart just goes out to her,” Beck told The Tennessean in March. “I just can’t imagine your child being out for a night of entertainment and being killed. It’s just horrendous.”