Someone broke into your warehouse in the middle of the night. Or a patient got aggressive with staff at your medical center. Maybe you're the new property manager at a shopping center where tenants keep complaining about theft, and you realize there's no security plan at all. Whatever brought you here, you need guards. You're smart to want answers before you sign anything.
Here are nine things we wish every first-time buyer knew — from a company that's been doing this since 1997.
What You'll Learn
- California Requires a PPO License — And You Should Verify It Before Anything Else
- Armed vs. Unarmed Isn't About "Toughness" — It's About Your Facility's Risk Profile
- Insurance and Workers' Comp Aren't Optional — They Protect Your Business
- The Cheapest Bid Is Almost Always the Most Expensive Mistake
- "Same-Day" Deployment Matters — But Consistency Matters More
- Your Guard Should Have a Post Order — Not Just a Chair
- Technology Has Changed the Game — Ask About Guard Monitoring
- The Contract Should Protect Both Sides — Read the Cancellation Clause
- The Best Security Company Will Ask YOU More Questions Than You Ask Them
1. California Requires a PPO License — And You Should Verify It Before Anything Else
If someone's going to stand outside your property and provide security, California law requires them to work for a licensed Private Patrol Operator. That's not a suggestion. That's the law. The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), which is part of the Department of Consumer Affairs, issues and oversees these licenses.
What does this actually mean for you? It means the company you hire has been vetted, that they carry specific liability insurance, that their staff have background checks, and that there's a regulatory body standing behind them. If something goes wrong, there's accountability. An unlicensed operator? There's nothing. No oversight. No recourse.
Here's what to do: Before you sign anything, ask for the PPO license number. Then go to search.dca.ca.gov and search it yourself. Don't just take their word for it. Our license is PPO-12958 — that's the kind of thing you're looking for. Check the expiration date. Check to make sure there are no unresolved complaints.
Why does this matter for long-term contracts? Because if you hire an unlicensed operator and something happens on your property — an injury, a crime, a lawsuit — you could be liable. The guard company might disappear, but you're still there. You're still responsible. Don't let that happen.
Learn more about California security licensing requirements →
2. Armed vs. Unarmed Isn't About "Toughness" — It's About Your Facility's Risk Profile
Every property owner and manager we talk to starts with the same question: "Should I get armed guards?" The answer is almost never yes just because you think you sound tough. The answer comes from looking at your actual risk.
Let's say you're managing a warehouse in City of Industry that stores high-value electronics or pharmaceutical inventory. You're in a commercial area. High theft risk. Late-night unloading activity. Limited visibility. That's a situation where armed security makes sense. An armed guard changes the equation. Criminals know that. Or maybe you're on a remote construction site in the Central Valley where your equipment is the target and response times are long. Armed makes sense there.
Now picture a different scenario: You run a medical office in Torrance or a shopping center in Garden Grove. Your guards are greeting people, watching for shoplifters, keeping things calm. You need presence and a professional demeanor. You don't need a firearm. In fact, having one creates more liability. Unarmed is the right call. It's also cheaper and simpler to staff.
Armed guards cost more — sometimes 50-60% more. They require additional licensing, more training, more oversight. Your insurance costs go up too. Unarmed guards are less expensive and absolutely appropriate for most retail, office, and medical facility work. The best providers will walk your property with you and tell you which actually makes sense for your situation, not try to upsell you on armed just because it sounds more impressive.
Armed Security Services → | Unarmed Security Guards →
3. Insurance and Workers' Comp Aren't Optional — They Protect Your Business
Here's a scenario that keeps property managers up at night: Your security guard gets injured on your property. He's on a warehouse floor when he twists an ankle badly. Or she has a slip-and-fall in the lobby you're managing. If the security company doesn't carry workers' compensation insurance, guess who pays? You do. Your business becomes liable for their medical bills, lost wages, and anything else that comes with a workers' comp claim.
This is non-negotiable. Before you sign a contract with any security company, ask them for three things: A Certificate of Insurance (COI), proof of workers' compensation coverage, and their General Liability (GL) minimum amounts. Standard GL minimums are $1 million per incident, $2 million aggregate. If they can't provide those documents immediately, that's a red flag.
Why? Because if they don't have it, they're not running a legitimate operation. A real security company carries these policies because it's the law (at least for workers' comp) and because it protects everyone involved. If they're operating without it, they're either cutting corners or they're unstable.
This matters especially for longer-term placements at warehouses, construction sites, and medical facilities where the guard is on your property every day. The longer they're there, the higher the chance something could happen. Proper insurance means your business is protected.
4. The Cheapest Bid Is Almost Always the Most Expensive Mistake
You get three quotes. The first is $22 an hour. The second is $24 an hour. The third is $28 an hour and includes a dedicated supervisor. Your instinct says go with the cheapest. Don't.
Here's what you're actually paying for at $15-18 per hour: Minimum wage guards with minimal training. No insurance — or insurance that's about to lapse. No real supervision. High turnover — we're talking 200-300% annually at those price points. That means a different person at your property every few weeks. A new face who doesn't know your building, your systems, your procedures, your problem areas.
That's not security. That's bodies in uniform. It's a revolving door. Your employees have to explain the same things over and over. Your property stays vulnerable because nobody develops continuity. And when you need consistency most — during off-hours, in bad weather, when things are quiet — that's when you get the worst guards.
Guard costs vary for a reason. A company paying $26-30 per hour can hire better people, retain them, invest in training, and provide actual supervision. The difference between a mediocre guard and a really good one is often just a few dollars per hour. But the difference in your property's security? Huge.
Understanding Security Guard Costs →
5. "Same-Day" Deployment Matters — But Consistency Matters More
You call at 9 AM because there's a situation. A good security company tells you they can have someone there by noon. That's valuable. There are times when same-day emergency deployment is the difference between a problem and a crisis. But here's the thing: that should be the exception, not the standard.
For the actual work of protecting your property — the 6 PM to 6 AM shifts, the five days a week, the months and years of regular coverage — what matters most is consistency. The same guard who knows your medical center. The person who understands that the back entrance gets locked at 8 PM. The guard who recognizes the regular faces and knows when someone doesn't belong. That familiarity is security.
Before you sign a contract, ask the company about their guard retention rates. How long does the average guard stay assigned to a single account? If the answer is "3-4 months," that's not great. If they say "we aim for long-term assignments, usually 6-12 months or more," that's better. Ask about assignment stability. What does their process look like when a guard has to take time off? Do they rotate in someone new each time, or do they have a backup person who knows the property?
Same-day is nice to have. Consistency is what you actually need. A good provider can do both — emergency deployment when needed, stable ongoing coverage that doesn't change every month.
Learn about same-day security deployment →
6. Your Guard Should Have a Post Order — Not Just a Chair
A post order is a written set of instructions for every shift. It says: Here's where you patrol. Here's when. Here's what you watch for. Here's how you report. Here's who you call if something happens. It's specific to your property. It's the difference between a guard who knows what they're supposed to do and one who just sits there hoping nothing bad happens.
For a warehouse, the post order includes patrol routes, how often to check specific areas, what to look for (broken locks, signs of entry), and procedures for reporting suspicious activity. For a medical center lobby, it covers check-in procedures, how to handle aggressive situations, what areas to monitor, and emergency contact protocols. For a shopping center, it specifies parking lot patrol timing, tenant communication procedures, and incident response.
When you're interviewing security providers, ask them to walk you through their post order process. Can they explain exactly what your guard will do on each shift? Can they show you a sample post order from a similar facility? If they can't articulate this clearly, if they seem vague about what the guard will actually be doing, that's a warning sign. They're not selling security. They're selling bodies.
A professional company will want to work with you to build a post order that makes sense for your property. They'll ask questions. They'll walk it with you. They'll make sure the guard understands it. That's the difference between adequate coverage and actual security.
Warehouse Security → | Medical Center Security → | Shopping Center Security →
7. Technology Has Changed the Game — Ask About Guard Monitoring
Five years ago, if you wanted to know what your guards were doing, you had to drive by or trust them to file reports. Now there's technology. GPS tracking on guard phones. Real-time patrol verification systems. Digital incident reports that get timestamped automatically. Video check-ins. This isn't spyware on your guards — it's accountability that protects both sides.
If you're a property manager overseeing facilities in Fullerton, Commerce, and Long Beach, you can't be everywhere. But if your security provider has modern monitoring tech, you can at least know that your guards are actually there at 3 AM when the warehouse should be locked down. You can see their patrol routes. You can get automatic alerts if something unusual happens.
For the security company, it's better too. They can prove their guards showed up and did the work. They can respond quickly if there's an incident. They can identify training needs. They can optimize deployment. Modern security accountability looks like a real-time view into what's happening on your property.
When you're comparing providers, ask about their monitoring systems. Do they have GPS? Can you see reports in real-time? Is there a dashboard you can access? Not every small job needs high-tech monitoring, but for any long-term contract or sensitive facility, it should be standard. If a provider can't tell you what technology they use, that's a problem.
Learn about security guard monitoring technology →
8. The Contract Should Protect Both Sides — Read the Cancellation Clause
Security contracts have killed more relationships than you'd think. You sign a deal. Six months later, something changes — your needs shift, the relationship doesn't work, the guard company isn't delivering. Now you want out. But the contract says 90 days' notice. Or it auto-renews every year. Or there's a rate escalation clause that doubles your cost in year three. You're stuck.
Before you sign anything, read the full contract. Yes, the whole thing. Here's what to look for: What's the cancellation clause? 30 days is standard for a fair contract. 60 days is reasonable. 90+ days is a trap, especially if you're unsure about the relationship. What happens when the contract renews? Does it auto-renew, or do you have to agree to new terms? Are there rate escalation clauses, and if so, are they reasonable? If the contract says they can raise rates 15% every year without your consent, that's not fair.
What's the scope of service? Is it vague ("general security duties") or specific ("two guards, patrol between X and Y, report all incidents within 30 minutes")? Vague is dangerous. You think you're getting one thing; they think you're getting something else. Specific protects both sides.
Don't be afraid to push back on unfavorable terms. A good security company will work with you because they want a long-term relationship built on trust, not a contract that locks you in. If they won't negotiate, that's telling you something.
9. The Best Security Company Will Ask YOU More Questions Than You Ask Them
You call a security company. You explain what you need. They quote you on the phone and say "great, we can start Monday." That should worry you. A good provider won't do that. They'll want to visit. They'll walk your property. They'll ask questions: What time do your employees leave? Where's the most vulnerable entry point? What incidents have you had before? What's your current alarm system? What's your insurance carrier? How many entry/exit points? Who else has keys?
When a security company quotes you on the phone without visiting, they're doing it wrong. They're guessing. They don't know your property. They don't understand your risk. They're just selling a standard package. That might work for an event with 500 people, but for an ongoing contract at your warehouse or medical center? You need someone who's invested enough time to understand your situation.
The companies that ask the most questions are usually the ones who do the best work. They're thinking about your property. They're trying to solve your actual problem, not just sell you hours. When you're ready to move forward, use our Build-a-Guard tool to get an instant quote — but understand that we'll always follow up with a detailed site visit before we finalize any ongoing contract. That's how you know we're serious about getting it right.
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What to Do Next
If you're reading this, you're already ahead of most first-time security buyers. You're asking the right questions instead of just going with the cheapest quote or the company that calls the most. Now take the next step: Talk to someone who knows your market, your property type, and your actual risk. Get a quote. Better yet, get three quotes and compare them on the things that matter — licensing, insurance, retention rates, monitoring technology, and how seriously they take the time to understand your property. Then make a decision based on real information, not just price.
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