Armed security guards in Gilroy.

Armed security guards for Gilroy properties.

An unarmed officer is the right fit for a typical lobby, desk or gate post. Armed coverage is for the sites where the stakes run higher: a store counting the register after the evening rush, a yard on the south end of town full of equipment, a warehouse that has had its fence cut twice this season. On those properties, an armed officer is a deterrent nobody misreads.

The daily duties match any other post. Your officer watches the gate or entrance, walks the perimeter, checks people in and keeps a timed log. What changes is the weight of the presence. During the free walkthrough we talk through what has happened at the site and what is stored there.

Armed posts can run at closing only, through the night or on a full 24-hour schedule. One armed officer can also work alongside approachable unarmed officers who cover the busy daytime hours.

Is it time for armed coverage?

Right after something has gone wrong is a good moment to ask whether armed officers fit, and to look at the bigger picture. Has the property been targeted more than once? Is cash handled after dark? Is there equipment or stock outside that someone could load onto a truck in minutes? A yes to two or three of those is worth a serious conversation.

During the walkthrough we look at the site with that history in mind.

What armed security costs in Gilroy

Expect to pay more per hour for an armed officer than for an unarmed one. Armed posts in Gilroy run $60 to $75 per guard-hour; simple assignments sit near $60, and the heaviest work reaches $75.

Here’s how the math works. Say a retail store wants an armed officer from 6 p.m. to midnight, Thursday through Sunday, to cover the evening crowd and the register count after close. That’s 24 hours a week, about 104 hours a month. At $60 an hour, you’d budget around $6,240 a month. Adding an unarmed officer for the daytime hours costs less per hour than stretching the armed post across the whole day.

The upper end is for heavier work: cash escorts, a yard full of equipment that has been hit more than once, high-value goods, or armed coverage booked on short notice. Each armed officer holds an exposed-firearm permit on top of a BSIS guard card, and armed work carries a higher liability cost; both are part of the rate. A regular, predictable schedule keeps it lower. At the free walkthrough we’ll tell you straight whether armed coverage makes sense, and your written quote lists the hours, post orders and rate.