FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Is "Private Protection Officer" not just a fancy term for a security guard?
A: No. A security guard can come from any walk of life, ranging from retirees with non-security related work experience wanting something to occupy their time to people on their first job with no prior experience. A TPS Protection Officer is a trained and experienced former law enforcement officer.
Q: What will a Protection Officer do differently from a security guard?
A: This could potentially be a very long answer, but the short version is that security guards typically act as witnesses, tasked to "observe, record, and report." When they see something undesirable happening, they call the police and fill out an incident report. TPS Protection Officers are trained to observe and intervene. They stop the mischief and attempt to detain the suspect(s), then call the police and do the paperwork.
Q: Why do I need people with guns on my property? There's nothing here worth getting shot over.
A: We completely agree, especially since we assume all liability for the actions of our officers. If a TPS Protection Officer observes someone on your property who runs in spite of an order to stop, the officer will try to apprehend the suspect without using unnecessary force, even if the suspect is getting away with stolen property. But if the suspect tries to harm or kill the officer or one of your employees, that is an entirely different situation that an unarmed security guard will have neither means nor training to prevent.
Q: Why do I need someone watching my property? I have cameras that I can monitor from home.
A: Do you watch them all night? Wouldn't you rather watch a screen showing a good movie or a sporting event? Or sleep? A Protection Officer will monitor your cameras on-site and be physically present to act when a problem or an intruder is spotted. If you are a subscriber in one of our patrol areas, the patrol car is equipped with a computer and Internet access to monitor your cameras from time to time during the patrol in addition to the on-site checking of your property several times per hour.
Q: I have security cameras all over my property and alarms on my doors and windows that are monitored by an alarm service. Why do I need a Protection Officer?
A: Who gets the call when an alarm, often false, goes off at two o'clock in the morning? If it's you, wouldn't you really prefer to stay at home in bed? If it's the police, how long does it take them to get there (see question below)? How many of your alarm activations are false? Did you know the police department can send you a bill for answering false alarms? Answering your alarm, whether real or false, is just part of our service. If the police are needed, we will call them.
Q: Why should I pay for private protection when I pay taxes that support a police force?
A: We at TPS admire and support local law enforcement. Our officers have "been there, done that," and can tell you from experience that police departments are for the most part understaffed and underfunded, especially these days. Because they have a large section of the city or county to patrol, police officers or deputies cannot give your specific property the same level of attention as a private service. Since police response times to alarms are usually several minutes to over an hour due to work loads, they rarely catch suspects in the act.
Q: Will I get any discount on my property insurance if I engage TPS services?
A: It depends on your insurance company. It certainly won't hurt to tell your agent that you have professional private protection for your property.
Q: Can you provide references?
A: Call us at 423-877-2566 or let us contact you and we gladly will provide you with several references.
Q: I tried to look at The ELBA Blog and was stopped by a password. What is the ELBA Blog?
A: Its a page designed for our clients in the Patrol Division
A: The ELBA Blog is is a frequently-updated hyperlocal information feed we provide to clients in one of our patrol areas. The password for this client service changes monthly.
Q: Is "Private Protection Officer" not just a fancy term for a security guard?
A: No. A security guard can come from any walk of life, ranging from retirees with non-security related work experience wanting something to occupy their time to people on their first job with no prior experience. A TPS Protection Officer is a trained and experienced former law enforcement officer.
Q: What will a Protection Officer do differently from a security guard?
A: This could potentially be a very long answer, but the short version is that security guards typically act as witnesses, tasked to "observe, record, and report." When they see something undesirable happening, they call the police and fill out an incident report. TPS Protection Officers are trained to observe and intervene. They stop the mischief and attempt to detain the suspect(s), then call the police and do the paperwork.
Q: Why do I need people with guns on my property? There's nothing here worth getting shot over.
A: We completely agree, especially since we assume all liability for the actions of our officers. If a TPS Protection Officer observes someone on your property who runs in spite of an order to stop, the officer will try to apprehend the suspect without using unnecessary force, even if the suspect is getting away with stolen property. But if the suspect tries to harm or kill the officer or one of your employees, that is an entirely different situation that an unarmed security guard will have neither means nor training to prevent.
Q: Why do I need someone watching my property? I have cameras that I can monitor from home.
A: Do you watch them all night? Wouldn't you rather watch a screen showing a good movie or a sporting event? Or sleep? A Protection Officer will monitor your cameras on-site and be physically present to act when a problem or an intruder is spotted. If you are a subscriber in one of our patrol areas, the patrol car is equipped with a computer and Internet access to monitor your cameras from time to time during the patrol in addition to the on-site checking of your property several times per hour.
Q: I have security cameras all over my property and alarms on my doors and windows that are monitored by an alarm service. Why do I need a Protection Officer?
A: Who gets the call when an alarm, often false, goes off at two o'clock in the morning? If it's you, wouldn't you really prefer to stay at home in bed? If it's the police, how long does it take them to get there (see question below)? How many of your alarm activations are false? Did you know the police department can send you a bill for answering false alarms? Answering your alarm, whether real or false, is just part of our service. If the police are needed, we will call them.
Q: Why should I pay for private protection when I pay taxes that support a police force?
A: We at TPS admire and support local law enforcement. Our officers have "been there, done that," and can tell you from experience that police departments are for the most part understaffed and underfunded, especially these days. Because they have a large section of the city or county to patrol, police officers or deputies cannot give your specific property the same level of attention as a private service. Since police response times to alarms are usually several minutes to over an hour due to work loads, they rarely catch suspects in the act.
Q: Will I get any discount on my property insurance if I engage TPS services?
A: It depends on your insurance company. It certainly won't hurt to tell your agent that you have professional private protection for your property.
Q: Can you provide references?
A: Call us at 423-877-2566 or let us contact you and we gladly will provide you with several references.
Q: I tried to look at The ELBA Blog and was stopped by a password. What is the ELBA Blog?
A: Its a page designed for our clients in the Patrol Division
A: The ELBA Blog is is a frequently-updated hyperlocal information feed we provide to clients in one of our patrol areas. The password for this client service changes monthly.