Security guard firms a growing industry; top 25 firms record personnel increase of 11.7 percent.

Security guard firms a growing industry

The security guard business, unlike many other types of businesses, has been a growth industry over the past year in Los Angeles County.

This week's List of the largest security guard firms shows the 25 firms have a total of 26,573 security personnel in the county. That's an increase of 2,787 or 11.7 percent over the 23,786 last year.

Of the 21 firms on this week's List that also were on last year's, 12 increased their personnel here by an aggregate of 2,685 while eight of the firms reported no change. Only one firm reduced its personnel during the past year here: Monterey Park-based Guard Systems Inc. cut its personnel by 43 percent - to 600 from 1,400 - dropping the firm to 13th place from sixth on last year's List.

Recording the largest personnel growth during the year here among the firms on both years' lists:

* American Protective Services, L.A., hiked its head count by 800 or two-thirds - to 2,000 from 1,200 - the biggest increase on The List. That leapfrogged the firm to fourth place from eighth last year.

* Duber Security Services, Culver City, increased its local personnel count by 500 or 50 percent - to 1,500 from 1,000 - pushing Duber into seventh from 11th place.

* Enlarging local personnel by 250 or 12 percent - to 2,350 from 2,100 - enabled Shield Security Inc., L.A., to shoulder its way to second from third place. That dropped Burns International Services, Beverly Hills, with 2,100 personnel here, unchanged from a year ago, to third from second place.

* Although Pedus Security Services, L.A., increased its personnel by 250 or 17 percent - to 1,750 from 1,500 - the firm slipped to sixth from fifth place.

* Wells Fargo Guard Services, likewise, slipped a notch - to eighth from seventh place - although the firm increased its local personnel by 200 or 17 percent - to 1,400 from 1,200 a year ago.

Three new firms were added to this year's List: 16th-ranked ISS Security Services Inc., L.A., with 520 personnel here; 17th-ranked Curtin Security Co., L.A., also with 520; and 23rd-ranked Consolidated Protective Service, Studio City, with 340.

Two other new names showed up on this year's List:

Securicorp International Inc., L.A., changed its name from Security Officers Service and increased personnel by 180 or 41 percent - to 617 from 437 - to move up to 12th place from 16th last year.

Stanley Smith Security, Downey, bought Unitec Security Systems, which ranked 23rd last year with 270 security personnel and one office only in L.A. County. Smith now ranks 15th with 557 personnel in two L.A. County offices.

Falling off this year's List: West Coast Detectives Inc., North Hollywood, which ranked 21st last year with 300 personnel here; New Horizons Security, L.A., which ranked 24th last year with 265 personnel here; and ADT Security Systems, L.A., which ranked 25th last year with 200 personnel.

Remaining in first place again: Van Nuys-based Pinkerton Security & Investigation Services with 3,810 security personnel here, unchanged from a year ago. Both shareholders and the chief executive officer of publicly held Pinkerton have fared well.

Thomas W. Wathen, Pinkerton's chairman and CEO, hauled in total compensation last year of $647,246, one of the richer pay packages in L.A.

Pinkerton's stock has soared 72 percent on NASDAQ's National Market System to $29.50 a share at mid-month from the 52-week low of $17.125 despite, or perhaps because of, the growing short interest in the issue. According to the latest monthly short interest report, the number of Pinkerton shares that were sold short rocketed a thumping 237 percent to 81,205 as of May 15 from 24,106 shares a month earlier.

PHOTO : Thomas Wathen: Chairman, CEO of Pinkerton Security