Security company urges Kingstree to require licensed guards at town‑permitted events

Kelly Bivins, owner and operator of First Defense, Inc., told the Kingstree Town Council on Aug. 18 that she wants the town to require licensed security officers at all town‑sponsored or town‑permitted public events.

Bivins said she became a security instructor after being held up at gunpoint, founded First Defense, Inc., and now offers licensed armed and unarmed officers in South Carolina and North Carolina who are trained under the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) standards. She told the council the company carries required insurance and bonding and would provide staffing levels based on an event's size, nature and assessed risk, with a minimum two hours of service per officer.

Under Bivins’s proposal, event organizers — not the town — would pay for security. She described a streamlined payment process through the company's Square payment platform and said First Defense would serve as a liaison to law enforcement, observing incidents, reporting them, and calling for police assistance when necessary. Bivins argued professional officers would deter crime and allow local law enforcement to remain on patrol rather than be diverted to event security.

Council members thanked Bivins for the presentation and for her emphasis on public safety; several members repeated their appreciation but did not move to adopt a policy or place an ordinance on a future agenda during the meeting. No vote or formal direction to staff was recorded on the proposal.

The council meeting record shows the proposal was presented for council consideration; any change to town permit rules or event requirements would require a formal council action in a later meeting.