A boutique hotel manager on Ocean Avenue just found out someone has been slipping into the parking garage overnight and breaking into guest vehicles. A tech company on Colorado Avenue needs lobby security after an employee termination went sideways. A retail store on Third Street Promenade is losing thousands a month to organized shoplifting crews and the staff is afraid to confront anyone. Santa Monica draws millions of visitors, billions in commerce, and all the security challenges that come with being one of the most visible cities on the Westside.
Scaife Protection Services has been providing licensed, insured security guards throughout Los Angeles County since 1997 — nearly three decades under PPO license 12958. We are owner-operated, based in Lawndale, and we know the Westside. This page covers what Santa Monica businesses, property managers, and event planners need to know about hiring security that actually works.
Why Santa Monica Businesses Need Professional Security
Santa Monica is not a quiet beach town. It is a dense urban center with 93,000 residents and over 8 million visitors a year. The Pier alone draws massive foot traffic year-round. Third Street Promenade is one of the highest-traffic outdoor retail corridors in Southern California. The tech corridor along the 10 freeway — what people call Silicon Beach — has turned entire blocks of office space into targets for property crime, vehicle break-ins, and after-hours trespassing.
Then there is the hospitality side. Hotels along Ocean Avenue and near the Pier deal with everything from aggressive transients to vehicle theft in parking structures. Restaurants and bars on Main Street and along the Promenade need crowd management on busy nights. Construction projects — and there are always construction projects in Santa Monica — face equipment theft, vandalism, and liability issues that keep general contractors up at night.
SMPD does what it can, but response times depend on call volume and priority. A professional security guard on site is the difference between a problem that gets stopped and a problem that gets reported after the fact. When you have a trained guard visible at your property, most issues never happen in the first place.
Security Guard Services We Provide in Santa Monica
Every property is different. A retail storefront on the Promenade has completely different security needs than a tech office on Olympic Boulevard or a hotel near the beach. Here is what we deploy in Santa Monica:
Retail and commercial security. Uniformed guards for storefronts, shopping centers, and mixed-use properties. Loss prevention, access control, and visible deterrence for high-traffic retail environments. Our guards know the difference between a customer who needs help and a situation that needs intervention.
Commercial office and tech campus security. Lobby security, visitor management, parking structure patrols, and after-hours building security for the offices and tech companies along the Silicon Beach corridor. Access control for co-working spaces, server rooms, and executive floors.
Hotel and hospitality security. Guest safety, parking structure patrols, lobby presence, pool area monitoring, and incident response. We work with front desk staff and management to handle situations discreetly — because a security problem that spills into your lobby becomes a review problem the next day.
Event security. Concerts at the Pier, corporate events, private parties, fundraisers, product launches — Santa Monica hosts events constantly and every one of them needs a plan. We handle crowd management, access control, VIP areas, and coordination with venue staff and local authorities.
Construction site security. Overnight and 24-hour guards for active job sites. Equipment theft on construction sites costs contractors tens of thousands per incident. A guard on site changes the math completely.
Parking structure and garage security. Vehicle break-ins, loitering, and safety concerns in parking structures are a constant issue in Santa Monica. Roving patrols and fixed posts keep your garage safe for tenants, guests, and employees.
Property Types We Protect in Santa Monica
Santa Monica Properties We Serve
- Third Street Promenade & retail storefronts — loss prevention, crowd management, after-hours patrol
- Tech offices & co-working spaces — lobby security, access control, parking patrols
- Hotels & hospitality properties — guest safety, parking structures, pool and common areas
- Construction sites — overnight equipment security, site access control, liability protection
- Residential buildings & condos — lobby staffing, visitor screening, package security, garage patrols
- Events & entertainment venues — concerts, corporate events, private parties, Pier events
A boutique on Montana Avenue has different concerns than a warehouse-style tech office on Bergamot. A high-rise condo on Ocean Avenue needs different coverage than a restaurant on Main Street. We do a site visit before we quote because cookie-cutter security plans do not work in a city with this much variety.
Why Santa Monica Businesses Choose Scaife Protection
Licensed and insured — verifiably. Our PPO license is 12958. Look it up at search.dca.ca.gov. We carry over $1 million in general liability coverage and full workers’ compensation on every guard. If a security company cannot give you their PPO number on the first call, keep looking.
Owner-operated since 1997. Omar Scaife built this company nearly three decades ago and still runs it today. When you call, you are not reaching a national call center. You are talking to people who know LA County — the neighborhoods, the property types, the specific risks that come with each one. We have been doing this through two recessions, a pandemic, and every trend in between.
Site visit before every quote. We walk your property before we give you a number. We look at entry points, lighting, camera placement, patrol routes, and risk areas. Then we build a custom post order — a written set of instructions that tells your guard exactly what to do on every shift. Any company quoting you over the phone without seeing your property is guessing.
Same-day deployment when it matters. Emergency situations do not wait for next Tuesday. Call us at (323) 786-8140 and we can often have a licensed guard on your Santa Monica property within hours.
No long-term contract required. We handle everything from single-day event security to multi-year placements. We believe that if we do good work, you stay because you want to — not because a contract traps you.
Frequently Asked Questions — Security Guards in Santa Monica
How much does it cost to hire a security guard in Santa Monica?
In the Santa Monica market in 2026, licensed unarmed security guards typically run $25 to $38 per hour, and armed guards run $32 to $48 per hour. The exact rate depends on armed versus unarmed, shift schedule, contract length, and the complexity of your site. Santa Monica properties often require guards with hospitality training or tech-campus experience, which can affect pricing. For a quote specific to your property, call (323) 786-8140 or use our free quote tool.
Do you provide security for events at the Santa Monica Pier?
Yes. We provide event security for venues and events throughout Santa Monica, including Pier events, corporate gatherings, product launches, private parties, and concerts. Event security requires crowd management, access control, and coordination with venue staff — a different skill set than standing post. We recommend booking at least two weeks out for large events. For urgent needs, call us directly.
Can you deploy a security guard to Santa Monica today?
In many cases, yes. We handle emergency and same-day deployments regularly throughout LA County, including Santa Monica. Call us at (323) 786-8140 and we will work to get a licensed guard on your property as quickly as possible. For non-emergency placements, we schedule a site visit first and typically deploy within 24 to 48 hours.
Do you provide armed or unarmed guards for Santa Monica properties?
Both. Most retail, office, and hospitality properties in Santa Monica do well with unarmed guards who provide a professional, approachable presence. Armed security makes sense for high-value properties, executive protection, or situations with elevated risk. We will visit your property and give you an honest recommendation based on what we actually see.
What areas near Santa Monica do you also serve?
We serve all of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and throughout California. Near Santa Monica, that includes Venice, Marina del Rey, Culver City, Westwood, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, West Los Angeles, and the entire Westside. We are based in Lawndale and deploy guards across the region daily. See all locations we serve →
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Security Services for Every Situation
Whatever your property type and wherever you are located in California, we have experience. Licensed guards, background checks, and flexible deployment — same day when you need it, or long-term contracts that actually work.
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Serving Communities Across California
We are based in Lawndale and provide security throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, the Central Valley, and across California. Your location. Our guards.
Westside
Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Culver City, Westwood, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, West LA
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