The head of U.S. Bank Stadium's Chicago-based security firm made a rare public appearance in Minnesota to speak to a regulatory board minutes before the panel postponed a vote on renewing a license for Monterrey Security.
Monterrey President Juan Gaytan Jr. spoke for several minutes to the Minnesota Private Detective and Protective Agent Services Board, which meets at the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Accompanied by lawyers, a lobbyist and another company official, Gaytan — who founded the firm in 1999 — provided a primer on the firm's history and his family's roots in Mexico.
The firm's license to run U.S. Bank security is up for renewal. A recent report by KSTP-TV quoted unidentified sources as saying the company's hiring practices, background checks and training are under federal investigation. The state board, citing the need to review recently submitted papers, delayed a vote on renewal.
"What the board needs to do is absorb everything you've submitted," Chairman Richard Hodsdon told Gaytan. The chairman also noted that many of the documents were recently submitted, so staff had not had time to review them and make a recommendation.
Monterrey lawyer David Aafedt told the board, "We believe we are in compliance."
After the meeting, Hodsdon said the information submitted by Gaytan is the same that all firms must submit, verifying hiring and training dates as well as background checks. Because of Monterrey's size, the paperwork is more voluminous, he said.
The information is not public because it's protected by data practices laws, Hodsdon said.
Gaytan was unwilling to release the documents himself, saying after the meeting that he would let "the process" proceed in private and that he is "cooperating."
