25 Years Protecting Detroit — What Makes a Security Company Worth Trusting

In 1989, at age 25, I started K9 Investigations, a licensed detective agency in Michigan. In 2001 I founded Alimar Security. That’s 36 years of watching how businesses handle security — what works, what fails, and what the difference looks like when something goes wrong at 2am on a Sunday.

I’m writing this because I think most businesses in Detroit and Southeast Michigan deserve a more honest answer to a simple question: how do you know if a security company is actually worth trusting?

Here’s what I’ve learned.

Licensing is the floor, not the ceiling.

Every legitimate security company in Michigan operates under the Private Investigator & Security Guard Act. Licensing is required. It’s not a differentiator — it’s the minimum. When a company leads with “we’re licensed” as their main selling point, ask what else they’ve got. Licensing tells you they cleared the legal bar. It doesn’t tell you anything about trust, faith, supervision, communication, or what happens when something goes wrong.

Response time is everything.

A security company that can’t deploy within hours of your call isn’t a security company — it’s a staffing agency with uniforms. When a client calls Alimar at 4pm needing coverage by 6pm, we make it happen. That capability requires real infrastructure: dispatchers with authority, officers on standby, vehicles ready. It’s not something you can fake.

Supervision separates professionals from placeholders.

The easiest thing in this business is to put a warm body at a post and forget about them. The hard part is supervision — making sure officers are where they’re supposed to be, doing what they’re supposed to do, and backed up when situations escalate. At Alimar, every account has 24/7 dispatch and supervision. That means someone is always accountable, not just available.

Local ownership means someone answers for it.

When you hire a national security chain, you’re hiring a brand. When something goes wrong — and in 25 years, things go wrong — you’re filing a ticket with a regional manager you’ve never met. When you hire Alimar, you’re hiring a company where the owner’s name is on every contract and every officer we deploy. Our reputation is most important, because a great reputation can only be attained with great service! That’s a different kind of accountability.

References tell the real story.

We’ve been protecting some of our clients for over 20 years. Banks, credit unions, retail centers, gated communities, construction sites. That kind of retention doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because we do what we say we’re going to do, we communicate when problems arise, and we treat every account like our reputation depends on it — because it does.

If you’re evaluating security companies in Southeast Michigan, I’d encourage you to ask any company you’re considering these four questions: How fast can you deploy? Who supervises your officers overnight? Can I speak to clients you’ve had for more than five years? And what happens when I call at 2am?

We’ll answer all four without hesitation.

Alimar Security has been protecting Detroit-area businesses since 2001. We’re family owned, faith based, and Michigan licensed. Call us at (586) 755-3847 or visit our Contact page to request a free security assessment.