Marked Vehicle Patrol Security Services in California

A licensed security officer who drives to your property in a clearly marked Citiguard vehicle, walks a set of checkpoints, completes the tasks in your post orders — locking a pool, checking a gate, sweeping a lot — documents anything out of place with GPS-verified, time-stamped photos, and moves on. It is the same thing other companies call a mobile patrol or security patrol service.

Your choice: set times, randomized times inside an agreed window, or both. Set times suit tasks with a clock, such as a 10 p.m. pool lock-up. Randomized times suit deterrence. Many HOAs and business parks use both.

Typical 2026 ranges from the Citiguard cost guide are $25–$60 per visit. One visit a night for a month lands around $750–$1,800; two visits around $1,500–$3,600. The quote depends on visits per night, the length of the checklist and how close the property is to other stops on the route. Every route is quoted individually, with no overtime charges except on major holidays and CitiTrac reporting included.

No. A patrol officer is at the property during each visit and gone between visits; an on-site officer is there for the whole shift. If a gate or lobby must be covered every minute, you need a staffed post. If the need is lock-ups, after-hours checks and visible deterrence across a large property, patrol visits usually fit and cost less. Many properties combine a daytime post with overnight patrols.

As long as the checklist takes. A small lot with two photo checkpoints is a few minutes; a community with amenity lock-ups, a parking sweep and a perimeter walk is considerably longer. The post orders list the checkpoints and tasks, so the visit length is agreed before the first night.

Yes. Closing and locking pools, fitness centers, laundry rooms, mailrooms, clubhouses and gates on a posted schedule is one of the most common tasks on a patrol checklist. Occupants are asked to leave politely, the area is secured and the lock-up is logged with a time-stamped photo.

The officer tries to resolve it on the spot where that is safe and within the post orders — asking a trespasser to leave, closing an open gate, placing a courtesy notice — photographs it, and notifies the contacts you named. Where law enforcement is needed, the officer calls them and stays as the point of contact. Everything goes into the visit entry and, if warranted, an incident report.

Officers can check permits, place courtesy notices and keep the log under your written policy. Towing is governed by California Vehicle Code §22658: posted signs or a 96-hour notice, written authorization from someone present at removal, and notice to local law enforcement within an hour. A Citiguard officer can be the agent on site. Under a general authorization the statute generally limits towing to fire lanes, parking within 15 feet of a hydrant and blocked entrances or exits; check the statute and your counsel for your property.

Where arranged in the post orders, a patrol officer can respond to an alarm activation or a manager's call during the coverage window, check the property, document what was found and notify your contacts. Citiguard does not install or monitor alarm systems.

Citiguard's marked-vehicle officers have at least five years of security experience and come from law enforcement or hold a degree recognized by the Department of Justice. All hold a BSIS Guard Card, pass a BCI background check, court search, DMV record check and drug testing, and carry their registration on duty.

Send the address, the coverage window and the concern; a consultant replies with a proposal. Start dates depend on officer and route availability in your area, and the 30-day trial applies to new assignments.

Patrol routes run across California — Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire, San Diego, Ventura, the Central Valley, Sacramento and the Bay Area — dispatched 24/7 from the Woodland Hills headquarters and branch offices. Find your county in the service-area directory