Free red flags sheet · Before you hire
Hiring a security company? Red flags you can check yourself
For warehouse, DC, 3PL, yard and plant buyers in Los Angeles and Orange County. Ten questions to ask every company you compare. Most you can check yourself, before anyone visits.
Most security quotes look alike on paper. The differences show up in the first weeks of service. These questions bring them out before you sign. Under each one, Galaxy's own answer is listed where it applies, so you can hold us to it too.
Get the full Hiring red flags sheet, free
Three quick answers open it right here, with the PDF.
License and guard cards.
Can they give you a California PPO license number, and does it check out?
Red flag: no number, or a different company name on the license. Look it up free at search.dca.ca.gov before the first meeting.
Galaxy: Licensed California PPO #120873.
Does every officer on your site carry a current California guard card on duty?
Red flag: no names you can look up on the same state site.
Galaxy: Every officer holds a California guard card. You see each officer's license status.
For armed posts: does each armed officer hold a state firearms permit?
Red flag: "armed" on the quote, with no permit to show.
Who answers.
Who picks up at 2 a.m. when something goes wrong at your site?
Red flag: a call center or voicemail, with no one who can decide.
Galaxy: A direct line to the owner.
Are the officers at your gate their own employees?
Red flag: they are sent by a company you never checked.
What you get in writing.
What do you get in writing after every shift?
Red flag: "We'll call you if anything happens."
Galaxy: A summary every morning.
After an incident, when is it written up, and can the report be changed later?
Red flag: reports that show up days later, or that anyone can edit.
Galaxy: Incidents written up the same shift and locked.
Will they send proof of liability insurance before the first shift?
Red flag: a stall, or an expired certificate. The state requires every licensed PPO to carry general liability insurance.
Before they quote.
Will they walk your site before they quote?
Red flag: a quote from someone who has never seen your gate, yard or docks.
Galaxy: A free Blind Spot Hunt walk. You keep the written Blind Spot Report.
Does the quote spell out the posts, hours and reports, line by line?
Red flag: one line that just says "security services".
What this looks like with Galaxy.
Every truck is logged in and checked against the records you give us. Matches go in. The rest get pulled over. You see it live from your phone or laptop, and you get a summary every morning. You also get a direct line to the owner, and every officer holds a California guard card.
Want to see where your own gate, yard and docks stand before you compare quotes? Take the Gate Scorecard (ten questions, two minutes) or book a free Blind Spot Hunt. Prefer paper? Download the one-page PDF. Read next: is your warehouse security company actually working? and warehouse security in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Questions buyers ask.
How do I check a security company's license in California?
Search the company on the state's free license lookup at search.dca.ca.gov, run by the Department of Consumer Affairs. A private patrol operator should show a PPO license number under the same company name on the quote. Guard cards for individual officers can be looked up on the same site.
What should a security company give me in writing?
A summary after every shift, and an incident report written up the same shift that cannot be changed later. Ask for both before you sign. A promise to call you if something happens is not a record.
Should a security company walk my site before quoting?
Yes. A quote from someone who has never seen your gate, yard or docks is a guess. Galaxy offers a free Blind Spot Hunt walk, and you keep the written Blind Spot Report even if you never hire us.
Who answers when something goes wrong at night?
Ask who picks up at 2 a.m. and whether that person can decide. A call center or voicemail is a red flag. At Galaxy you get a direct line to the owner.
Is the red flags sheet free?
Yes. Leave your phone, work email and industry, and the full ten questions and the one-page PDF open right on the page.
Show us your operation.
We'll walk it with you, hunt down every blind spot and show you what you'd see live.
- Every blind spot, handoff by handoff
- Ready to hand to your boss, a customer or your insurer
- Yours to keep, even if you never hire us
- Prefer to pick a time?Book on our calendar
- Rather talk now?Call (888) 304-2529
Galaxy takes on a limited number of new clients at a time. Each site needs vetting and site-specific training.
Logistics + manufacturing security · PPO #120873
Not ready to talk? Score your site first.
Ten questions, two minutes. See where your gate, yard, docks, seals and nights stand, handoff by handoff. No call needed.
Take the Gate Scorecard- GateOn record
- YardPartly
- DockPartly
- SealSlipping
- After hoursPartly