Pets

Secrets California Security Guard Companies Don’t Want You to Know

THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS: Security fees are almost always determined by the hour. Big cities generally cost more for the service. Security guards in Los Angeles, for example, are more expensive than in Fresno. If you intend to hire your own officers (“interns”, as it is commonly called), this is a special license. It is easier, and usually more profitable, to use security companies for security personnel.

Currently, most California security companies charge, on average, $14.00 an hour for an unarmed officer. (note: keep in mind that this $14.00 fee is what a security company will charge, not what the officer actually earns.) Over $15.00 per hour should be considered quite high for a security guard rate, especially in this economy, unless there is unusual training and/or skills required for the job. Few security guard companies will offer $13.00 per hour for their unarmed guards.

Less than $12.00 per hour is very rare and is cause for suspicion, as operating expenses are almost always too high to allow for such a low margin. Unarmed security guards for less than $13.00 an hour should make you ask the guard company how they can operate at such a low rate. What about the guards themselves? Well, unarmed security guards average only about $9.50 an hour for most cities in California.

For armed security officers, security companies will charge, on average, $15.50 per hour. More than $17.00 per hour is expensive, and less than $14.00 per hour is suspiciously low. The average armed security officer earns (himself) $12.00 per hour.

Use the rate information above to negotiate better deals on your security guard vendor contracts. Also consider:

TRAINING: The California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) oversees all training standards for California security guards. They detail specific standards, which can be found on their website.

Officer training must be ongoing, but many security guard companies do not meet the training requirements as they are time consuming and expensive. On-site training is perhaps most important as each account has unique security needs. Make sure your security guard company shows you documentation of ongoing guard training.

Written tests taken by security guards must be completed. Test questions must pertain to both your specific account and general rules and regulations, required by BSIS. Keep in mind that the more trained security guards are, the better prepared they are to protect your business.

THE SITUATION OF SECURITY GUARDS: Because many security officers have low incomes and have limited education, they can be taken advantage of by unethical security guard companies. The most common pay issues include reduced officer hours and failure to pay for overtime, which is a requirement of the Labor Board.

Additional mistreatment of security personnel includes harassment and security violations. To minimize abuse from security guards, consider having an open door policy where officers can speak freely with you about their concerns.

POOR RECRUITING: Because it is expensive and time consuming to hire security, many security companies do not take the necessary steps to properly screen and interview. The customer invariably pays the price. Ask your security company to include in your contract how they do drug screening and background checks, and ask where and how they recruit.

POOR SUPERVISION: Hiring good supervisors is also expensive and shortcuts are sometimes taken. Security personnel must be supervised. Without supervision, security personnel are more likely to make mistakes. Policies and procedures need to be reviewed. Get to know your supervisors. If you are not part of the daily guard team, find out how often supervisors visit. Request supervision reports. When errors occur, find out what corrective actions supervisors took. The more involved you are, the safer you and your workplace are.

NO GUARD CARDS: Security officers must have current BSIS guard cards when on duty. There are no exceptions. Any security staff working without a valid guard card exposes the business to a costly fine. It’s easy to check online to check your security card status. Just google it and it will appear. It’s perfectly appropriate for you to check your security officer’s guard cards. Because guard card forgery does occur, ask your security guards for a second ID so you can cross-reference it.

NO INSURANCE: BSIS requires California armed security personnel to carry a $500,000 general liability insurance policy. In addition, the worker’s compensation policy must be in place for both armed and unarmed officers. Ask your insurance provider to provide you with copies of your workers’ compensation and general liability insurance. To save money, some insurance companies either don’t carry full insurance or insure themselves and then quickly cancel their policies after signing a new contract. You can protect yourself and your business by requesting copies of insurance certification from time to time, without notice. Also, make sure your on-call contract has an indemnity clause.

LICENSING: All California security guard businesses must also be licensed. You can check the status of the license by visiting the BSIS website.

DOCUMENTATION: All security-related issues must be documented. Reports are sometimes used in court and must be well written, complete, and legible. Confirm you have incident reports, know where they are kept, ask to read them. If you work with a security company, it is your responsibility to ensure that all security guards write a competent report, but remember that the more involved you are, the safer you will be.

THERE ARE MANY CHOICES: There are over a thousand California security companies. The fierce competition to win your business allows you many options, so take your time and choose wisely.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *