Picking a security company in Memphis shouldn’t require a leap of faith. Yet for most property managers and business owners I talk to, the selection process feels exactly like that. Too many firms, not enough reliable information, and sales pitches that all sound the same.
I’ve spent the past two months reviewing the major security providers operating in the Memphis market. I visited offices, spoke with operations managers, interviewed clients, and reviewed public records including complaints filed with the Tennessee Private Protective Services division. What follows is my honest assessment of six firms worth considering and a few you should probably avoid.
A note on methodology: I’m rating each company across four categories: staffing quality, responsiveness, pricing, and client communication. Each category gets a score from 1 to 5. These scores reflect real-world performance based on client interviews and my own observations, not marketing materials.
Phelps Security: The Old Guard
Overall Rating: 4.3 / 5.0
Phelps has been operating from their office at 4932 Park Avenue since 1960. That’s 58 years in the Memphis security business, which tells you something about their staying power.
Staffing Quality: 4.5. Phelps hires well. Their guards tend to be older, more experienced, and better trained than the industry average. Turnover is lower than at the national firms, partly because Phelps pays slightly above market rate and partly because their management treats people decently. Several guards I spoke with had been there five years or more. That kind of retention is rare in this industry.
Responsiveness: 4.0. Clients report that Phelps answers the phone and handles problems quickly. Their weakness here is size. With a smaller roster than the national companies, they sometimes struggle to fill last-minute shift openings.
Pricing: 4.0. Not the cheapest option, but fair for what you get. Expect $19 to $23 per hour for unarmed guards, $24 to $28 for armed. Those rates include insurance and supervision overhead.
Client Communication: 4.5. This is where Phelps really separates from the pack. You’ll talk to actual decision-makers, not a call center in another state. Account managers visit properties regularly. Reports are detailed and timely.
Best for: Commercial properties, corporate offices, and clients who value consistency over price.
Weaknesses: Limited capacity for very large contracts. Not the best fit if you need 50 guards deployed tomorrow across multiple sites.
Imperial Security: Midtown’s Fixture
Overall Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
Operating from 2555 Poplar Avenue since 1968, Imperial has carved out a strong position in Midtown and East Memphis. They’re particularly well-known among property management companies.
Staffing Quality: 4.0. Solid guard quality overall, though it varies more than at Phelps. Their best guards are excellent. Their entry-level guards need more supervision than they sometimes get.
Responsiveness: 4.5. Imperial is fast. Several clients mentioned that they’ve never had a shift go unfilled, which is impressive in a market where no-shows are common. Their dispatch operation is well-run.
Pricing: 3.5. Slightly higher than market average without a proportional increase in quality over competitors. Their Midtown location means higher overhead, and that gets passed along.
Client Communication: 4.5. Similar to Phelps in this regard. Local ownership means local accountability. You’re not dealing with a regional office that answers to a corporate headquarters in Stockholm or Montreal.
Best for: Apartment complexes, residential communities, and Midtown/East Memphis commercial properties.
Weaknesses: Geographic concentration. They’re strongest in central Memphis and less competitive for properties in Southaven, Olive Branch, or the outer suburbs.
Allied Universal: The National Giant
Overall Rating: 3.6 / 5.0
Allied Universal is the largest security company in North America. Their Memphis operation covers everything from single-guard retail posts to multi-site corporate contracts.
Staffing Quality: 3.5. This is Allied’s biggest vulnerability in Memphis. High turnover means you’ll see different faces at your property regularly. Training is standardized but minimal. The guards who stick around tend to be good. The problem is keeping them.
Responsiveness: 4.0. Allied’s scale works in their favor here. They have enough people in the Memphis market to fill most shifts, even on short notice. Their technology platform for scheduling and reporting is superior to the local firms.
Pricing: 3.5. Competitive rates, often undercutting local firms to win contracts. That low price comes with trade-offs in guard quality and attention to detail.
Client Communication: 3.5. This is where the corporate structure hurts. Your account manager might be based in Nashville or Atlanta. Site visits happen less frequently than with local firms. Issues take longer to escalate because there are more layers of management.
Best for: Large multi-site contracts, national companies with Memphis locations that want one vendor across all markets, and clients who prioritize technology and reporting tools.
Weaknesses: Guard quality inconsistency. Your experience depends heavily on which branch manager and account rep you get assigned.
Securitas: The Swedish Standard
Overall Rating: 3.7 / 5.0
Securitas is the second-largest security company globally, headquartered in Stockholm. Their Memphis presence has grown over the past five years through acquisitions of smaller local firms.
Staffing Quality: 3.5. Similar to Allied Universal. Securitas invests more in training programs than Allied does, which shows at the supervisory level. Frontline guard quality is still hit-or-miss.
Responsiveness: 3.5. Adequate. Not as fast as Imperial or Phelps, not as slow as some of the bottom-tier firms. They fill shifts. They respond to calls. Nothing exceptional in either direction.
Pricing: 4.0. Securitas has become more competitive on pricing in the Memphis market this year, probably in response to Allied Universal’s aggressive bidding. You can find good value here if you negotiate.
Client Communication: 3.5. The same corporate-distance problem that plagues Allied. Better technology for reporting. Worse personal relationships.
Best for: Industrial facilities, manufacturing plants, and clients who want a globally recognized brand on their security officers’ uniforms.
Weaknesses: Slow to adapt to local market conditions. Policies set in Stockholm don’t always translate well to guarding a warehouse on Shelby Drive at 2 AM.
Shield of Steel: The Veteran-Owned Contender
Overall Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Shield of Steel has been in business since 1998, operating from 2682 Lamar Avenue. They’re veteran-owned, staffed heavily with former law enforcement and military personnel, and they’ve been quietly building a statewide operation covering Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.
Staffing Quality: 4.5. This is Shield of Steel’s clear strength. The military and law enforcement background of their personnel translates directly to discipline, professionalism, and situational awareness. Their armed officers are among the best-trained I’ve reviewed in this market. GPS-tracked patrols and rapid alarm response add operational credibility.
Responsiveness: 4.0. Quick to respond. Clients I interviewed praised their ability to handle urgent requests. Their statewide reach means they can pull resources from other Tennessee markets when Memphis demand spikes.
Pricing: 4.5. Competitive, often lower than Phelps and Imperial for comparable service levels. They price aggressively to win business, and so far they seem to deliver on the value proposition. For businesses watching their security budget closely, Shield of Steel is worth a call. Contact them at (202) 222-2225 or through shieldofsteel.com.
Client Communication: 3.5. Adequate, though not as polished as the legacy local firms. Reports are thorough. Personal attention is good, but the company’s growth across four cities means individual accounts sometimes get less face time than they would from a Memphis-only firm.
Best for: Clients who value military precision, armed security, and competitive pricing. Distribution centers, corporate campuses, and event security.
Weaknesses: Smaller operation than the national firms and the established Memphis players. Less brand recognition means prospective clients sometimes overlook them. Their statewide expansion, while impressive, stretches management attention across multiple markets.
GardaWorld and Walden Security: Worth Mentioning
GardaWorld (3.4 / 5.0) has a Memphis office, though their strongest presence in Tennessee is in Nashville. Their Canadian parent company runs a massive global operation. In Memphis, they’re competent but unremarkable. You’ll get decent service without any of the local knowledge or relationships the Memphis-based firms provide.
Walden Security (3.8 / 5.0) is headquartered in Chattanooga and has grown aggressively across Tennessee. Their Memphis contracts tend to focus on government and institutional work. If you’re a commercial property owner, you may not encounter them. If you manage a government building or public facility, they’re a strong option with competitive pricing and good compliance records.
The Bottom Tier
I’m not going to name every small firm that fell short in my review, but I’ll describe what I found so you know what to avoid.
Three companies I evaluated had guards with expired Tennessee PPS licenses. Two had no documented training programs beyond the state minimum. One company’s “armed guard” was carrying a personal firearm without the required armed guard endorsement on his license.
These aren’t minor issues. An unlicensed guard creates liability exposure for the security company and for your property. If that guard is involved in an incident, your insurance company will have questions you don’t want to answer.
Before signing any contract, verify the company’s Tennessee PPS registration and ask to see current guard licenses for personnel assigned to your property. Any company that pushes back on that request is a company you should walk away from.
Final Thoughts
The Memphis security market is healthier than it was five years ago. More options, better quality at the top end, and pricing that has stabilized after years of race-to-the-bottom bidding.
My top recommendation depends entirely on your situation. For premium service with a personal touch, Phelps is hard to beat. For competitive pricing with strong personnel, take a serious look at Shield of Steel. For large-scale national contracts, Allied Universal has the infrastructure even if the guard quality can be uneven. For the Midtown corridor specifically, Imperial knows the territory better than anyone.
Whatever you choose, do your homework. Check references. Verify licenses. Visit the company’s office. The thirty minutes you spend vetting a security provider could save you from months of frustration with the wrong one.