Local security company faces allegations it isn't licensed to do business

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A local business is going after a private security company. It claims N.S.A. Security, the company that got media attention for promising to protect the neighborhood around The Olive Street Convenience Store on South Bend's West side, is not licensed.

Aaron Durham, the owner of N.S.A. Security, said he had no idea a complaint had been filed against him with the state. Now he is questioning whether he is actually under investigation, or if this is just a competing company trying to drive him out of business.

Aaron Omanson, the president of Indiana Defensive Firearms, says he filed a complaint with the Private Investigator and Security Guard Licensing Board after Durham came to his store looking to buy equipment, but could not supply proof he had a business license.

"He was asking about purchasing body armor, Mace, tasers, firearms and airsoft guns and he really raised a number of red flags for me," says Omanson.

Omanson says he strictly sells to law enforcement agencies and licensed private security companies, which is why he refused to sell anything to Durham.

After taking a closer look, Omanson discovered Durham's company was not listed among the licensed security businesses that are all listed on the state's website.

That is when Omanson decided to take his findings to the state. However when confronted about it, Durham said he had no knowledge of the complaint.

"Yes. We do not have a company license but that is because it is a very lengthy, extensive, expensive process," says Durham.

Durham says he is in the middle of the application process and that he must wait until the next monthly board meeting to have his application reviewed.  

Another independent security company, The Midwest Community Protection Agency, says what Durham is doing is wrong and unsafe.

Midwest Community Protection Agency's Director of Operations Rod Smith questions anyone who can not pass the application process in place to obtain a valid license for the industry stating, "Well, what you run into is that there are no checks and balances system for the quality of people that are committing this work. What are their qualifications, are they qualified to do this, or is this just someone who woke up one morning and decided I can protect these people?" 

The Indiana Attorney General, who would be in charge of investigating any complaints brought to the licensing board's attention, says that by law they cannot confirm or deny if a complaint has been made or if they are conducting an investigation.