If you need private security services for your business in Seattle, it’s important to secure services that fit your budget. Whether you’re interested in security consulting or digital forensics, establishing a realistic amount of money to spend is essential. While it’s impossible to put a price tag on the safety of your personnel, clients, and property, determining how much you can afford to pay a security company doesn’t have to be difficult. Keeping the following tips in mind can help you establish a realistic budget.
Research Average Pricing
First, spend some time researching the average cost of private security services in your area. Pricing can vary by location, but details are usually easy to find online. Knowing the average helps you know what to expect moving forward and you’ll be able to spot higher-than-normal estimates more easily.
Request Multiple Quotes
You should also plan to request quotes from two or three different private security companies. This information will help you compare estimates and ensures you aren’t overcharged.
Consider More Than Cost Alone
The cost of private security services is an important factor that should weigh heavily in your decision-making process, but it’s not the only one. Make sure you look at each company as a whole. Keep the company rating, client feedback and worker experience in mind as well.
Private Security Specialists in Seattle
Now that you know how to establish a realistic budget, it’s time to discuss options with a professional. The security specialists at Premier Risk Solutions are capable of providing a wide variety of services, including executive protection, private investigation, and business integrity assessment. Whatever your unique needs, we have the knowledge and skills to address them. Contact us with questions or to schedule an appointment to discuss your security needs with a professional.
Experienced Private Security Services in Seattle
Serving the Seattle area and providing services all over the world through strong vendor partner relationships
PRS remains committed to our clients, staff, and community. During this difficult time, we stand at the ready to support you and your needs. While we are balancing the safety & security of our team members in collaboration with our clients, we realize security is an essential need to business operations. We keep regular tabs on what the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are recommending for guidance in safe practices and employing said recommendations as necessary.
We have deployed team members to healthcare institutions to help facilitate expedited security screenings in helping the community stay as healthy as possible and our client delivers their essential life-safety services to their patients. We have deployed team members to offices and facilities that have been closed due to the shelter in place orders in select locations as well. PRS remains available to and for you as we navigate the “new normal” that COVID-19 has brought on. Please don’t hesitate to reach out should you have any questions.
Red Team testing, also known as physical security penetration testing (pen test), occurs more often than is typically discussed amongst perhaps more sexy topics in the security industry, such as Executive Protection, Workplace Violence Prevention, or Event Security. However, the benefits of red team testing done well can help solidify the essential elements of a good security program.
Having administered 200+ red team tests over the course of the last half dozen years, I can say that no two exercises often happen to be the same. Varying days of the week and times of the day that tests are conducted will help ascertain the most robust, holistic information regarding a security program. And just because you might test one day at one time does not necessarily make the result of that particular test the definitive answer and solution; it could have been a case of the personnel working that specific day & time having a good or a bad day. You will want to test that day and/or time more than once to ensure the same pattern is in place before jumping to a conclusion…not too dissimilar to surveillance in workers comp cases to refute the “Good Day” defense by the injured party.
The personnel conducting/administering the red team test should also be generally creative people in their approach and mindset in undertaking the assignment. Given creative freedom (within reason) could yield surprising results from the red team test. For example, in one instance our agent was assigned a red team test in the San Francisco Bay Area for a client. Through his advance research on the location and company, we created a cover story where he was a journalist from the local newspaper who desired to print a story regarding the client company in which he would provide very positive press for their philanthropic endeavors. This client location had security officer personnel in place and restricted elevators to each floor.
The agent approached the security officer personnel at the lobby desk explaining his cover story and requested to meet with an individual (whom he had located in his advance open source research) who was a C-suite person for the company in that location. Within 10 minutes the agent was sitting across a conference room table from this C-suite executive. His credentials were not checked. No screening mechanism was enacted. All because the company strongly desired very positive press to be published on them and the opportunity was presented for just that. This is a very good learning experience for the company. No one has to lose their job nor should they be disciplined. It should be used as a learning experience to grow from for all parties involved. Having a creative agent in place who understands security programs while pushing boundaries in an authorized manner can achieve such objectives.
To summarize what steps were taken from the example above to get to the end result:
1. Agree upon a specific statement/scope of work (SOW) between the service provider and the client.
2. Resource/assign an agent that is creative in their approach.
3. SOW should have had an allowance for advance research time prior to the read team test to be conducted. I would generally recommend up to 5 hours of time for this in most circumstances but can change based on scope, square footage needing to be tested, and other factors.
4. Expect about the same amount of time on-site for conducting the red team test plus a couple of additional hours for report writing time.
5. Expect to have near real-time communications between the agent/service provider and the client during the operation being conducted to ensure clarity of the exact timing of the red team test. Doing so will help avoid any potential “bad actor” confusion with the operation.
6. Depending on the company’s goals and objectives of the red team test operation, consider having a tracking tool in place that is shared between the service provider and the client representative that is available on a moment’s notice. It could be an Excel sheet or other software that details dates, times, locations as well as names and contact numbers for each respectively should a timely call or note have to be placed. An effective tool will allow for filtering and sorting the content uploaded to moderate varying forms of data for different parties who might desire to see it.
7. While testing people and their practices is the most common denominator in physical security red team tests, there is a component of testing the company’s security technology as well. How well the agent can be seen on camera while conducting the test, any bypassing of access control systems in place that might have been had, or any alarm systems that might have (or should have) been activated when accessing a more vulnerable area of the company’s space are all aspects of security technology that should be looked at while the red team test was conducted. This can be done after the fact, it doesn’t have to be real-time, but doing so ensures the company equipment is also functioning properly.
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Managing Director | Consulting, Joe Zaccaria, was interviewed by SecurityGuyTV.com while attending the annual ASIS International Conference in Dallas, TX on September 26, 2017. Learn more insights on our knowledge base and offerings by watching his 5-minute interview!
How prophetic of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during his inaugural address in 1933, when he uttered those famous words, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance…” While the context at the time was far different than our experiences today, these words aptly describe how workers are feeling in 2019. I have been fortunate to work in the public and private sector for over 30 years. Never in my career have I experienced the level of fear in the workplace I see today. While there is cause to be concerned about violence, the challenge for security professionals is mitigating this concern before it elevates to fear.
I believe there is little debate anymore about the impact of violence on the American worker’s psyche. The recent incident in Virginia Beach serves as yet another example of why American workers are frightened. While information is still being gathered, we know a “veteran city engineer” used a firearm to target people he worked with for years. If the investigation runs its typical course, facts and other information will surface that will provide some insight; but, like many incidents of this nature, will fall far short of painting a complete picture. Tragic incidents like this defy understanding and leave a lasting imprint in our minds.
Organizations, especially ones open to the public, feel the tension. I have directly experienced circumstances where fear becomes so compounded, some staff feel the need to go home even when the threat is benign. In other words, “…paralyzing the ability convert retreat into advance.” From my perspective, “instant” knowledge fuels this fear. For example, we immediately know when an active assailant has occurred. Due to mandated reporting laws in many states, we can also easily find out the latest trends in workplace violence. The perception of one’s safety can instantly elevate based on what is read online during lunch.
What can be done to provide workers comfort when they experience fear? Security professionals know some peace of mind can be found in a strong security posture and training. A properly trained and staffed security team serves as a deterrent to violence and enhances the overall feeling of safety. Conflict resolution training, a strong zero-tolerance stance on workplace violence, mandated reporting and active-assailant training are all helpful because it enhances communication, threat recognition, reaction time and response. Engineering strategies such as video systems, electronic access, employee identification, and duress alarms have preventative benefits as well. Unfortunately, these barriers can be easily defeated. For example, a threat received via the telephone instantly touches the interior of the organization and sends the message that the threat is close-by when it could be hundreds of miles away.
The challenge is providing comfort to people who are in fear based on what they have experienced, even if minor. Common and vague threats such as, “I’ll be back” or “I’ll make you pay” often produce terror and a leap in thought to they are definitely coming back with a gun. I have experienced staff who simply cannot work and need to go home because of the strong, but misplaced belief violence is about to occur. It is important as security professionals to seize this moment and leverage it to produce comfort.
Trust, Credibility & Comfort
The power of trust, credibility and comfort when trying to calm a fearful employee or when influencing an entire organization cannot be overlooked. A comparison can be found in healthcare. We can become very fearful when experiencing symptoms that could be serious. A subsequent examination by a physician leads to the conclusion that we have nothing to worry about. The doctor’s opinion gives us comfort because it is based on their experience and training. In other words, their word gives us comfort because we trust them. We trust the expert, and it is this trust that gives us comfort.
The challenge for security professionals is providing this same level of comfort when an employee or organization is experiencing fear. For security entities who provide a human behavioral threat assessment, we want the fearful employee to trust us, to believe in our opinion, based on science, (threat assessment software program, training, and experience) that the threat is minor. To develop this trust and to provide comfort, the security professional needs to:
Establish a strong partnership between security and staff – share your experiences, make yourself available, provide safety presentations, conduct human behavioral and physical threat assessments, active-assailant defense, and other safety presentations.
Market your services and expertise – prepare security articles for internal publication; personal and professional safety tips, home safety, and others.
Security staff and their leaders need to exude confidence – professionally dressed, clean uniform (for those with a uniformed security presence) free of damage and avoiding unprofessional language.
Be a fast problem-solver – our critical stakeholders expect problems to be addressed; what leaves a lasting impression is when problems are solved quickly.
Promote credibility – based on training and experience; many have opinions but know you are the expert.
Familiarity breeds trustworthiness – they will come to trust and believe you.
Follow-through on commitments and bring resolution for those initially involved.
Speak to their fear. Know a rational appeal will probably not work because they are afraid. Assess appropriately. What services can you provide?
Check-in for the next several weeks. Let them know you have not forgotten. For example, one employer experienced thefts from their parking lot. Track how many patrols and contacts security made for two weeks and report back to the victims what you did and the results.
Sustain absolute trust through consistency each and every time.
For further information on how to build a strong and competent security team and how to have your word provide comfort, contact Premier Risk Solutions at www.premierrisksolutions.com.
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