How we operate

The questions procurement asks, answered before you ask them.

Anyone can put a person in a uniform. What separates a security contract from a warm body is the paperwork around it — and that is exactly what nobody in this market publishes.

Who decides what the officer actually does?: Every post gets written orders: what the officer does, what they explicitly do not do, who they call, in what order, and what constitutes an incident. We write them with you and you approve them. A guard without post orders is a guess in a uniform, and the gap shows up on the worst possible night.
How do I know anyone was actually there?: Shift logs for static posts, per-pass logs for patrol routes, per-round logs for fire watch. Each is timestamped. For most clients the log is the product — it is what satisfies your insurer, your fire marshal, or your own management that the coverage you bought is the coverage you got.
What happens when something goes wrong?: Anything beyond routine is written up and sent to your named contact within 24 hours, sooner when it matters. Physical intervention is reported every time without exception. If law enforcement was involved, the report says who, when, and what number was called.
Who is watching the guard?: Recurring posts get a named supervisor who shows up unannounced, not a dispatcher who takes your call. Supervision is the difference between a security contract and a warm body, and it is the first thing that quietly disappears when a company is stretched.
What happens when my officer calls in sick?: The question that loses small security firms the bid. Recurring posts are staffed by a consistent crew with named backup who already know your site and your post orders — coverage does not mean sending a stranger who has never been through your gate.
Can I check that you are licensed?: Security licensing in this region is not one thing, and a single “licensed, bonded and insured” badge would hide that. South Dakota has no state license at all; Rapid City licenses both the company and each individual officer. Montana licenses at state level and publishes a free public lookup anyone can search. Wyoming has no state license, though Cheyenne licenses at city level. Ask us for the certificates that apply to your site and we will send them with the quote.
Can I talk to your other clients?: References on request: a current client, one we have held for years, and — because procurement always asks and it is fair — a client whose contract ended. Any security company that has been operating for a while has lost an account. Companies that claim otherwise are either very new or not being straight with you.

Licensing

Three states, three completely different rules.

Most security sites in this region print one badge reading \u201cLicensed, Bonded & Insured\u201d. In South Dakota that badge cannot mean a state license, because no such license exists. Here is what each jurisdiction actually requires.

We send current certificates and license numbers with your quote rather than printing them here, so what you receive is the document as it stands on the day you ask, not a number on a web page that may have moved on.

Rapid City, South Dakota

City of Rapid City — Finance Office, on the Chief of Police's recommendation

South Dakota does not license security guards at state level, so nobody in this state holds a state license. Rapid City does license, under Municipal Code Ch. 5.52: the security business holds a license, and each individual officer holds their own, renewed every 24 months after a background investigation.

Insurance required by law: None required by ordinance. Any insurance or bond we carry in South Dakota is carried because clients need it, not because the city does.

Our credentials here: Sent with your quote.

Montana — statewide

Montana Board of Private Security, Department of Labor & Industry

Montana licenses at state level and it is mandatory. A private security firm license, a licensed resident manager, a license for every guard, and a firearm endorsement with annual proficiency requalification for anyone armed. Guards complete 16 hours of state-mandated pre-assignment training before they work a post.

Insurance required by law: $500,000 occurrence-form commercial general liability minimum, plus firearms liability coverage for firms employing armed guards.

Our credentials here: Sent with your quote.

Check any Montana security license yourself ↗

Wyoming

No state licensing. Individual cities license — Cheyenne does, under City Code Ch. 5.48.

Wyoming has no statewide security license. Cheyenne requires a city business license for guard services, renewed annually, with a background investigation by the chief of police.

Insurance required by law: In Cheyenne: $100,000 per occurrence and $200,000 aggregate general liability, plus a $10,000 surety bond that must stay in force for the life of the license.

Our credentials here: Sent with your quote.

Next step

Ask us the hard one.

If there is a question on your checklist this page did not answer, it is probably the one worth asking. Call and ask it.

Request coverage (605) 786-7263