Philadelphia, PA – Last week, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled that the state Private Detective Act’s lifetime employment ban barring people with criminal records from working as private unarmed security guards was unconstitutional on its face and could no longer be enforced.
This ruling means that employers in Philadelphia can no longer deny people jobs as unarmed private security guards because of old, minor, and irrelevant convictions.
Two Philadelphia workers who lost jobs as unarmed security guards due to convictions from more than 15 years ago sued to challenge the Private Detective Act in July 2023. They are represented by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and the Public Interest Law Center…