Security Firm From Drill Site Has Its Wisconsin License Application Contested

The state’s licensing agency has been sent two complaints asking it not to permit Bulletproof Securities from operating in the state.

The Arizona-based security firm had until recently been guarding a potential northern Wisconsin mining site.

Both complaints cite a state law that says anyone who operates a security agent without a Wisconsin license could face jail time, fines, and will not be eligible for a license for one year.

Bulletproof Securities was operating without a Wisconsin license when it was guarding a potential mining site until last week. Its guards wore paramilitary-style uniforms and carried semi-automatic rifles, attracting more attention than your average security team. Bulletproof has since been removed from the site and has applied with the State Department of Safety and Professional Services for a license.

Among those contesting its application is the John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club, which opposes the mine proposed by Gogebic Taconite (GTAC). Director Shahla Werner says these are only the preliminary stages of GTAC’s mining application.

“It just seemed like some formal action was necessary to send a message that our laws are important and they need to be followed now and in the future,” says Werner.

The Department of Safety and Professional Services website says it won’t comment on pending applications. Its website shows that Bulletproof applied for its license on July 10, which was after it had already been operating in the Northwoods for at least a few days.

GTAC has stood by its decision to hire Bulletproof, pointing to a recent incident where several masked mining opponents converged on a test drill site to harass workers. Katie Kloth, a Stevens Point woman,was charged with stealing one of the worker’s cameras during the encounter.