Home / Guides / Mobile patrol vs on-site
Mobile patrol vs on-site guards
A patrol vehicle covers many sites for a short time. A guard on site covers one site all the time. Pick by the problem, not by the price.
Two ways to buy presence
An on-site guard stands a post at your property for a set shift. A mobile patrol officer drives a route and visits your property several times a night, checking doors, lighting, fences and the lot, and writing down what was seen. The two overlap, and many Houston properties use both.
The question is how much of the night you need someone physically present. A lobby that needs a person to sign visitors in cannot be served by a passing vehicle. A row of warehouses behind a fence may not need a person standing at each door.
Where a patrol is the better fit
Patrol suits properties with several buildings, wide perimeters or multiple sites under one owner, and problems such as trespass, vandalism, break-ins after closing and open doors. Because the visit times can vary, a would-be intruder cannot plan around them. Patrols suit small strip centers, apartment communities, storage facilities and light industrial parks.
Several Houston firms offer mobile patrol, vehicle patrol or unit patrol among their services, and some offer 24 hour monitoring on top. Ask the company what its patrol includes, such as door checks, a report after each visit and what happens when an officer finds a problem.
Where on-site coverage is the better fit
On-site guards suit places that need constant control: a building lobby, a gated entrance, a busy retail floor, a hospital, a construction gate or an event. The officer sees the whole night, not a few minutes of it, and can respond at once to a visitor or a problem.
On-site coverage costs more per hour of presence, but it answers questions a patrol cannot, such as who entered at 02:40 and why. Hybrid plans put a stationary officer at the gate and a patrol around the exterior, which is common for larger campuses in the Energy Corridor and the Galleria area.
How to choose and what to ask
Describe your problem and ask each company to recommend a model. Ask how many visits a night a patrol includes, how the company tracks those visits, how fast an officer can return if you call, and what the report contains. Check the license in the DPS license search and read the term clauses in the contracts guide.
A patrol officer, like any security officer, works for the property owner and is not police. The private security and the police guide explains when to call 911 instead of the guard company.
A simple way to decide
Count the hours you truly need a person present and the number of sites you need checked. If someone must be at the door every hour of the night, choose a post. If the problem is a few minutes of attention at several sites, choose patrol. If you are unsure, start with patrol and add a post where the reports show the most activity, then review the term with the company after the first month. Ask each company to put its recommendation in writing, with the number of visits per night and the response time if you call it.
Questions Houston buyers ask
How often does a patrol visit?
That is set in the contract. Ask each company for the number of visits per night, whether visit times vary and how each visit is logged.
Can a patrol respond to an alarm?
Some companies offer alarm response, and some do not. Reliable Guard and Patrol Service, for example, does not offer alarm response. Ask each company directly.
Is a patrol cheaper than a guard?
Per night it usually costs less because the officer covers several sites. Per hour of presence at your property it costs more. Compare the same coverage on paper.
Do patrol officers need licenses?
Yes. Texas treats a security patrolman as a security officer under Section 1702.222, so the officer and the employing company must be licensed.
Can I combine both?
Yes. Many properties post an officer at the gate and add a patrol for the exterior.