Security Guard FAQ

Unarmed security guards in California generally bill $22 to $40 an hour, and the same range covers fire watch, patrol and event work. Those are market ranges from our security guard cost guide, not CAL's rates. Where a post lands depends on the hours, how many of them fall on nights, weekends and holidays, the number of posts, and the duties.

Call (323) 792-3061, email calprivatesec@gmail.com, or use the quote form. We walk the site for free, then send a written quote broken out post by post, so each post's hours and cost sit on their own line.

A bid far under the market range is usually missing a cost the others carry: payroll taxes, workers' compensation, the required liability insurance, supervision, or a properly registered officer. Ask the low bidder for its certificate of insurance and look up its license before you compare prices.

Yes. CAL Security Group Inc. holds a Private Patrol Operator (PPO) license from the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). We send written proof of licence and insurance before anyone starts a shift.

No. A guard card is one officer's registration. The company supplying the officer needs its own PPO license. Check both: the company on the DCA search, and each officer's guard card number from the shift report. The licensing page explains the difference.

Yes. CAL sends a certificate of insurance naming you before the first shift. California requires every licensed patrol company to keep general liability coverage of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence on file with BSIS (Business and Professions Code Sections 7583.39 and 7583.40).

No. CAL Security Group staffs unarmed officers only. Carrying a firearm on duty in California takes a separate BSIS firearm permit on top of the guard card, and CAL does not take armed posts.

Every CAL officer is registered with BSIS, which means fingerprints checked by the California Department of Justice and the FBI. State-required training totals 40 hours: 8 before registration and 32 more within six months of employment, followed by 8 hours of continuing education every year.

You get a written report after every shift. It lists the officer's name and guard card number, the post, time on and off, each patrol round with its time, and any incident with the time and the action taken. Maintenance and safety problems are noted, vehicles and visitors are logged where the post calls for it, and photos are added where they help.

CAL field supervisors visit posts during shifts without notice, and every shift report records the time of each patrol round. Compare those times with your own cameras or gate logs whenever you like.

The CAL dispatch line answers 24/7 at (323) 792-3061. Officers on post use the same line, so a call at 3 a.m. reaches a person rather than a voicemail box.

No. Central-station alarm monitoring requires a separate Alarm Company Operator license, and CAL does not sell it. CAL does respond to alarms and handle lock-ups as a patrol company, alongside the monitoring provider you already use.

CAL covers Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley, for commercial and residential property. The office is at 1208 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007.

Yes. CAL staffs short-term posts as well as ongoing ones, including events, temporary coverage and fire watch. Call with the dates, the hours and the address.

You need a fire watch when the fire code official or your insurer requires one, most often while a sprinkler or fire alarm system is out of service, or during hot work such as welding and cutting. A fire watch officer patrols the affected area on a set schedule and logs every round.