Armed or unarmed security: which do I need?

Start with the risk, not the image

An armed officer looks more serious, and that is often the wrong reason to hire one. The question is what the post is meant to stop. Vehicle break-ins, trespass, loitering, propped doors, noise, package theft, site theft and the ordinary disorder of a busy property are stopped by presence, access control and reporting, and an unarmed officer does all of that. Armed robbery, an assault on staff, a specific and credible threat, or a facility whose nature draws violence are different problems, and an armed officer is the answer to them.

When unarmed is right

Apartment communities and HOAs, construction sites, office buildings, warehouses and yards, most retail centers, schools, churches, events and vacant property. The officer’s work on these posts is conversation, observation and the log, and the presence of a firearm adds liability without adding capability. Price Protection’s unarmed officers hold Level II registrations and are trained in customer service, incident reporting, first aid, fire safety and de-escalation; they can typically be on most sites within hours.

When armed is right

Emergency departments and behavioral health facilities with a history of violence, pharmacies, check-cashing and lending offices, jewelers and pawn shops, cash-handling posts, facilities that have received a threat, executive protection, and any client whose insurer, lender or corporate policy requires it. Our armed officers hold Level III commissions after the 45-hour course with firearms proficiency, receive the same company training as unarmed officers, and work under post orders that describe where they stand and when police are called. The firearm is for the defense of life within the law; it does not change the observe-and-report role.

Deciding with us

Describe the property and the problem to dispatch rather than asking for a category. The walk-through settles it, and the proposal records the decision in writing. Some clients run both: an armed officer at a pharmacy counter and an unarmed patrol in the lot. The armed vs unarmed article goes through the decision in more detail.

What changes on an armed post

The officer is a Level III commissioned officer rather than a Level II registrant, the hourly rate is higher, and the post orders carry a section on the firearm: where the officer is positioned, how the officer responds to a threat and when police are called. What does not change is the job. An armed officer at a pharmacy still greets customers, still watches the door and the lot, still writes the report and still calls police for enforcement. Clients who expect an armed officer to behave differently from an unarmed one in ordinary situations are usually surprised; the difference shows only in the situation the firearm exists for.

Mixed posts

Many properties end up with both. A hospital runs an armed officer at the emergency department entrance and unarmed officers in the garage and the medical office building. A shopping center runs an armed officer at the jeweler and an unarmed patrol in the lot. The proposal describes each post separately, and the daily report covers both.