About
Palo Alto Private Security: discreet officers for research, office and residential properties.
Palo Alto Private Security is a guard company based in Palo Alto. It supplies posted officers, mobile patrol and remote video monitoring to offices, research buildings, shops, residential communities and private events across Palo Alto and the neighboring towns.
Where we work.
Our officers stand post and drive patrol routes throughout Palo Alto: the storefronts and upper-floor offices around University Avenue, the shops and restaurants on California Avenue, the lab and office buildings near Stanford Research Park, the medical suites along El Camino Real and the residential streets of Midtown, Barron Park and Crescent Park. Each part of the city keeps different hours, and in practice that decides where an officer stands, when a patrol car comes past and which entrances matter most after dark.
The same coverage extends into Menlo Park, Mountain View, Los Altos and East Palo Alto. A facilities lead with buildings in more than one of these towns can keep every site under one plan, one set of post orders and one reporting format.
The coverage we provide.
A plan usually starts with an officer on the property. Our security guard services place an officer at a reception desk, a loading area or a garage entrance to register visitors and vendors and walk timed rounds. Where the risk warrants it, armed security guards with exposed-firearm permits take the post; for a quieter front-of-house presence, unarmed security guards are the usual choice. Executive protection covers a principal on foot and at venues.
Buildings that sit empty overnight rarely need a standing officer. Mobile patrol visits at unscheduled times, alarm response sends an officer when a system trips, and remote video monitoring watches the cameras between visits.
Some needs have an end date. We staff fire watch while sprinklers or alarms are out of service, construction site security once the trades leave, event security for galas, launches and private gatherings, temporary security guards for a gap in coverage, and school crossing guards for the morning and afternoon rush.
How we run a post.
No officer takes a post until they have cleared a background check and hold a current BSIS guard card. Written post orders set out the rounds, the doors, the escalation contacts and what goes in the log, so a weekend relief officer follows exactly what the weekday regular follows.
Supervisors visit posts for quality inspections. They compare the logged rounds against the post orders, check that keys and access lists are in order and see how the officer handles a visitor who arrives without an appointment. You receive shift and incident reports, so nothing that happened overnight reaches you secondhand.
On the paperwork side, we hold insurance and a bond, workers’ compensation extends to every officer, and your risk or facilities file gets a certificate of insurance before coverage begins. Our office can be reached 24/7, and messages sent through our contact form get an answer within one business day. Agreements run month to month, so coverage can grow or shrink with the property.
Property types we cover.
Palo Alto’s mix of research buildings, venture offices, boutique retail and established neighborhoods shapes the work. We provide security for offices and corporate campuses, retail and shopping centers, apartments and HOAs and medical offices, as well as hotels, event venues, schools, banks, data centers, parking garages, warehouses and vacant properties awaiting redevelopment.
Each property type brings its own priorities, from lobby visitor control in a lab building to overnight checks of a vacant parcel. The property types page walks through what each one usually needs.
Getting started.
Begin with a short message through our contact page: the address and type of property, the hours you want covered and anything that prompted the inquiry. Next comes a no-cost visit to the property on a day that suits you, where we review entrances, lots and blind spots together, and follow up with a written quote setting out the coverage we recommend.
If you prefer to prepare first, the walkthrough checklist lists what to have ready, and our security guides compare patrol, posted officers and remote cameras.
A few useful answers
Common questions
What area does Palo Alto Private Security serve?
All of Palo Alto, from downtown and California Avenue to the research district and the residential neighborhoods. We also place officers and run patrols in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Los Altos and East Palo Alto.
Which services can be combined in one plan?
Posted officers, armed or unarmed, can be paired with mobile patrol, alarm response and remote video monitoring. Fire watch, event coverage, construction site security and temporary officers can be added for a defined period.
How are your officers screened, and is the company insured?
Each officer passes a background check and holds a BSIS guard card before working a post, and armed officers also carry exposed-firearm permits. We are insured and bonded with workers’ compensation in place, and every client receives a certificate of insurance.
What does starting coverage involve?
A message through the contact page, a free walkthrough of the property and a written quote. Once you approve it, officers begin on your chosen date. For urgent needs, fire watch and temporary officers can often be in place within 24 hours.
Who do we contact with questions about an existing post?
Send a note through the contact form. Our office is staffed 24/7, every request is answered within one business day, and supervisors follow up on any concern raised about a post.