GM kicks security firm's officers off property amid RenCen racism, abuse allegations
General Motors ordered a private security police force to remove from its properties officers accused of acts of racism and abusing Black people at Detroit's iconic Renaissance Center for over a decade, the company told the Free Press on Friday.
General Motors also said it's reviewing its contract with the private security firm and mandated racial sensitivity and de-escalation training for officers assigned to General Motors properties in Detroit.
More: Lawsuits: White officers at RenCen have harassed, assaulted Black visitors for years
The action taken by General Motors came a day after the Free Press first reported the allegations, which date back as far as 2011, against the private security force, Renaissance Center Management Co., and its white officers. Multiple federal lawsuits describe a pattern of white officers assaulting, targeting, harassing and unlawfully detaining Black people in a basement cell of the Renaissance Center that has gone unchecked for years.
The security company was created by General Motors Corp. to patrol the property and is majority-owned by G4S Secure Solutions, an international security company based in Florida, according to court documents filed last year. Allied Universal acquired G4S in April 2021. GM, G4S and RCMC have each been named in various lawsuits.
General Motors said its "disturbed" by the allegations and has "zero tolerance for harassment or discrimination."
"We are taking the matter seriously and are reviewing the alleged incidents where bias and use of excessive force are claimed, Allied Universal’s practices and protocols, and our contractual relationship with the company," General Motors wrote in its statement.
General Motors confirmed that Allied Universal complied with its request, and officers have been removed from the company's Detroit properties, including the Renaissance Center and the Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center.
"Allied Universal has zero tolerance for discrimination and use of force of any kind," the security company said in a Friday statement.
"We were shocked and appalled upon learning of the incidents taking place at the Renaissance Center. The entity that operates the security program at Detroit's Renaissance Center was created and jointly owned by G4S and General Motors. The entity became a subsidiary of Allied Universal when it acquired G4S two years ago. We are taking all allegations involving this site very seriously and are reviewing all of the actions that have occurred during, and prior to, our involvement in this jointly owned entity."
Renaissance Center Management Co. has a state license to operate as a private security police agency through the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards under Public Act 330, giving their officers the legal authority to carry weapons and make misdemeanor arrests.
Joseph Kempa, deputy executive director of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES), confirmed to the Free Press that representatives were on-site at the Renaissance Center on Thursday conducting interviews with RCMC employees. Kempa said the agency is investigating potential licensing issues and other information that could lead MCOLES to revoke to RCMC's licensing.
Kempa said because MCOLES is not a law enforcement agency, it does not have the authority to conduct a criminal investigation into alleged criminal conduct. Michigan State Police confirmed last week its investigators are probing the conduct of officers at the Renaissance Center Management Co.
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442 or asahouri@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM kicks security officers off property amid RenCen racism allegations
