May 12, 2008
Bouncer Bill Signing, House File 901

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Iowa State Representative Wayne Ford is pleased to announce that Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed House File 901, which Representative Ford introduced, into law, at 3:30 p.m. today. On July 1, 2008, Polk County, Iowa, will become the only county in the nation in which bouncers must be trained.

Ford said, "I've been working on this issue ever since 2000, when Charles Lovelady died of suffocation after untrained bouncers put him in a choke hold, working to make Iowa a leader in requiring bouncer training."

Under the law, a pilot project is established in Polk County requiring bars and taverns with an occupancy of at least 200 and which charge a cover charge of at least $5.00 to employ at least one person trained in security techniques. The training will cover techniques for safely removing people from the premises, de-escalation, use of force, anger management, civil rights, and recognition of fake ID's. The project will end on June 30, 2011, and a report will be due to the legislature on January 1, 2011.

Charles Lovelady died in 2000. He'd been told to leave a bar even though he had been admitted and had been in it for a period of time because he was wearing a "hoodie," a shirt with a hood attached to it. His death resulted from the actions of the bar's security personnel.

Representative Ford said, "Governor Culver's recent signing of a bill requiring new legislation and state contracts include an analysis of its impact on the state's minorities and the signing of this bill exemplify Iowa's state motto, 'One Iowa, One Unlimited Future.'"

Charles Lovelady's parents, JoAnn Hughes and Lamont Lovelady, and other family members, attended the ceremony and were very moved by it.