MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — The loss of life and property are certainly top concerns following a hurricane, but looting is another one.
A Middle Tennessee security firm with multiple clients in western Florida had a team of more than 50 people in place at the height of Hurricane Milton .
Jack Byrd is the CEO of Solaren Risk Management, a security company based out of Mt. Juliet. He told News 2 his people were stationed in Florida’s Sarasota County, Polk County, Manatee County, and Hillsborough County to defend against looters and protect people.
According to Byrd, when the evacuation orders came out, looters moved in. However, his team detained seven people, including someone who reportedly entered a facility through an ADA-compliant lift gate.
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“That’s our primary objective is looting and then life safety, of course. When mandatory government evacuation notices go out, certain people take that opportunity to capitalize on it because everyone had to evacuate…I mean, you’re catching someone at their most vulnerable. They’ve left everything that they had valuable besides their lives and their loved ones, and then someone comes in and capitalizes. It is just terrible,” Byrd explained.