Unarmed officers licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) for stores, strip centers and malls across Southern California: an officer at the store door, patrols of the center's lot and walkways, and reports police can use.
Retail and shopping center security guards serve different clients. A store officer works for the merchant, stands near the front door and the high-value aisles, and follows the store's stop policy. A center officer works for the owner or property manager and covers everything outside the tenant spaces. In Southern California that usually means an open-air center on a boulevard, with a grocery anchor, restaurants, a gym open late and a parking lot that stays busy after the shops close.
CAL Security Group staffs both posts with unarmed officers across Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino counties and the San Fernando Valley. What the officer does about theft, and where the landlord's job ends, goes in writing before the first shift.
Shrink and liability come from several directions, and each post sees only part of it.
Door officers handle deterrence inside. Patrols cover the lot and the building backs.
Loss prevention officers who watch for theft patterns and document cases for police.
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A uniformed door officer for a store, or a foot officer for center walkways and restrooms.
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Marked-vehicle checks of the center lot, loading areas and building backs, day or night.
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Extra officers for holiday weeks, grand openings, remodels and inventory counts.
↗Stores and lots fill up between Thanksgiving and New Year. Call the 24/7 line early to book extra officers for those weeks.
This is a common observe-and-report sequence. Your policy may differ, and the post orders follow yours.
The officer watches the concealment, keeps the person in view, and notes clothing, height and what was taken.
A radio call or code phrase brings the manager. The manager decides what the store does next.
Under observe and report, the officer does not chase or touch anyone. If your written policy allows a stop, it has to stay inside California Penal Code Section 490.5(f): probable cause, a reasonable time and a reasonable manner.
Time, description, direction of travel, vehicle and plate, items taken, and camera numbers with time stamps so the video can be pulled for police.
The most exposed hours at a center come after the shops close while restaurants, bars and gyms stay open.
A lot check for cars left overnight, fresh damage, people sleeping in doorways and open trash enclosures.
Walkway patrol, restroom checks and a visible presence near the busiest entrances and bus stops.
Escorts for tenant staff to their cars, attention on the lot as it thins out, and checks on tenant back doors.
Patrol of the lot and building backs, roof ladders, docks and enclosures. Trespassers are asked to leave under your written trespass authorization.
We write these with your store or property manager before the first shift, including the stop policy in plain words.
Door alarms. What the officer says when the anti-theft pedestals sound.
Bag checks. Only if the store has a written policy, and always voluntary.
Tenant calls. Whether a center officer answers a call from inside a store, and what the officer may do there.
Trespass authorization. A signed letter on file with the police department, where your city uses one.
A store report counts door alarms and lists each incident with time, description and camera number. A center report lists lights out by pole, graffiti, encampments, vehicles left overnight, spills and broken pavement, which managers turn into next-morning work orders.
From Ventura to San Bernardino, our licensed officers and 24/7 dispatch protect five Southern California regions. Click a pin or county on the map to see every city we cover.
Pull recent incident logs, shrink numbers, your stop policy and, for a center, a site map with lot lights marked. We walk the property with you at no charge.
Tell us whether you run a store or a center, your hours and what is going wrong. We walk the site and quote each post in writing.
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