Who We Are (Frequently Asked Questions)
ELITE Universal Security is a Full Service Private Security Provider
As a Professional Security Company, we realize that as a business owner, your time and money are valuable to you. We take pride in our history of working with each and every individual client in custom tailoring a security service that is right for you and your business, saving you valuable time and money!
"Your rates seem to always be higher than everybody else in the area. Why?"
By far, this is the most often asked question we get, and its not something we apologize for.
In this day and age, the old slogan, "You Get What You Pay For" means more now than ever before. Sure, you can hire a security company that will overwhelm you with all kinds of modern equipment, tell you how cutting edge their services are and then tell you they can provide these services for literally pennies on the dollar. However, the truth of the matter is that you will find that these companies will raise your rates every 6 months to a year or go out of business entirely within 2-3 years because they cannot afford to meet their basic overhead costs. All Security Companies have to pay the same amount for liability insurance, workers compensation and other expenses, and this is BEFORE you take into account officer pay, vehicle and uniform upkeep, equipment repair and replacement and incentives and benefits packages, which most security companies do not offer its officers.
When we quote you a rate for patrol or a standing officer, that is the price it will cost us to perform the job you have asked us to do for you, and the majority of that money is earmarked for the officer in the form of pay raises and benefits. We firmly believe that a well-paid officer is a productive officer. When we do renegotiate a contract with a client, it is usually due to cost of living adjustments outside the scope of our control.
"But I already use another Private Security Provider, or I have "In-House" Security"
We feel that once you see the professionalism in our Officers, our high standards for training, our demand for excellence from every one of our Officers, and how our Officers interact with the general public at your facility, you'll wonder how you ever got by!
We also feel that using a Contract Provider as opposed to "In-House" Security adds a level of safety because all Contract Security Officers are mandated by California State Law to undergo mandatory training, local, state and federal background investigations and licensing, whereas "In-House" Security Guards are NOT, unless they are going to carry a baton or firearm while on duty.
Another advantage by outsourcing your security needs to a dedicated Contract Security Provider such as ELITE, is that instead of you having to pay their wages in addition to uniforms, background investigations, payroll deductions, and other fees, you pay one rate and we take care of the rest!
"I used a Security Company once, and I was extremely disappointed with the service!"
Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence with many business owners. Not all Security Providers are created equally, and more often than not, it's the "Fly-By-Night" operations or "Big Impersonal Corporations" that leave people with a bad feeling about their experience.
ELITE Universal Security has taken Customer Service to a whole new level. All our management staff at our local offices are residents of the community that they work in, so they have a vested interest in ensuring that you are satisfied with your service. In addition, our local management staff are available at any time, day or night to answer your questions and should they not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction, a member of the corporate staff will personally make contact with you, many times face-to-face, to ensure that the situation is understood, handled, and learned from so that measures can be taken to ensure that it does not happen again.
"So what sets ELITE Officers apart from other Contract Security Providers?"
We hold our officers and management staff to a high expectation of excellence and professionalism, both in appearance and work ethic. Our officers mean more to us than merely a "Warm Body in a Uniform making Minimum Wage", which is exemplified in their overall appearance, demeanor and attitude towards their job that simply demands respect from everybody that they encounter. When you see an ELITE Officer standing post at your place of business or patrolling your property, you see a Professional at work, ready to give 110% to their job.
We also provide encouragement and incentives to our officers to continue their secondary education in the form of pay raises, potential for advancement and a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacations, health insurance, a retirement plan, flexible schedules and much more that is almost unheard of in the Contract Security Industry. Several of our officers also have previous experience in Law Enforcement and/or Military Service, and entry level officers have used their experience with ELITE to go on to careers in Law Enforcement and/or Military Service.
You may have noticed that you never see advertisements for ELITE on the television, radio or even the phone book. This is because we feel that the money we would spend on such things is better spent on our officers in the form of pay increases, on uniforms and equipment, training and investing in the most up to date technological advances in the security industry. Even this website you are looking at now is not something that was outsourced, but one that was designed and maintained by our own officers!
The end result: A employee turnover rate substantially lower than the national average and numerous satisfied clients in both the public and private sectors.
"I heard that a lot of officers don't even get out of their vehicles and check property?"
Oh yes, we've heard those ads too :)
The truth is, we are going to do EXACTLY what a client wants us to do. We have several clients that do not want us touching their doors or windows. You see, in a lot of municipalities, the local law enforcement agency will charge you if you have too many false alarms, usually within a 365 day period, with the median cost for their response being around $150-$200. By not having us physically check their doors and windows, they know if an alarm is activated, that the chance is better that it is an actual crime in progress and therefore keeps law enforcement doing the job that they need to be doing: protecting and serving the public
"What about using a Closed Circuit Television System that I can monitor via the Internet?"
If this is the route you wish to go, we can certainly work with you on setting this up. We generally discourage this in practice as an effective form of security for a number of reasons, one of the most obvious being that CCTV is usually only productive AFTER a crime has been committed unless you are paying someone to watch those cameras 24/7/365, and even then, without a physical presence on site, most criminals know that cameras aren't that effective and don't worry about them
Why is this? Have you ever seen pictures of a bank robbery suspect on your local news, or watched a police series such as "Cops" where they show CCTV footage? Not very well defined, is it? With most of the CCTV systems only being effective during daytime hours and the video quality being moderate at best, you are going to be fortunate if you can ever get any sufficient details that will result in a successful arrest and prosecution.
With a Standing Officer or Mobile Patrol Officer on site, you have a actual witness. You have someone who is right there and may even deter the criminal from committing the crime in the first place. If this fails, you have someone who is going to be able to relay the make, model and license plate information directly to law enforcement, be there to identify the suspects and testify in court as to what they actually saw, as opposed to having a mediocre video that a good defense attorney will have little trouble discerning.
"What kind of equipment do you use for my contract?"
Elite Universal Security, we are using different devices depending on your needs. We have officers in Highly Marked Patrol vehicles, Laptops for reports, tags for tracking progress of the guard on your property, GPS in the vehicles, Body Cameras for the officers and in some cases in car video systems. We are now in the 21st Century and feel the company's need to move that direction as well.
"How do I go about contacting you for more information?"
You can simply call our 24 Hour Dispatch Center at (530)749-0280 or send us an EMAIL and we will be happy to answer all of your questions!