LA’s infamous red tape prevents private security from reaching the clientele

The rich and famous residents of the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles are frequent users of private security – but los angeles’ The infamous red tape keeps some of its guards away from its clientele, according to private security experts.

At least 20 people were arrested on looting charges, and authorities, while warning residents and copycats, said the numbers could rise.

Craig Paul, CEO of ASC Private Security in Los Angeles, said he has bodies on the ground willing to work, but can’t get permission to send them into restricted areas where his clients need them.

“I sat on hold for 45 minutes with the LAPD, and no one ever picked up,” he told Fox News Digital. “So I finally gave up on it, almost knowing that even if they answered the phone, they were going to throw me out.”

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Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)

He said one of his clients sneaked behind police lines and climbed a hill to check on his property because he was so worried – then asked if his officers could do that too. That’s not an option, he said, but he hopes the police will leave their teams.

The Pacific Palisades community in particular, in the heart of one of the largest active wildfires, is a high-income community that already faces frequent threats of theft and home invasions.

“These are $30-, $40-, $50 million homes with individuals who deserve to have that level of well-protected property,” he said.

Wind whips up embers as a firefighter battles a blaze in the Angeles National Forest near Mount Wilson as wildfires burn in the Los Angeles area during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on January 9 in 2025. (REUTERS/Ringo Chiu)

“Crime is terrible,” he added. “Despite what we sometimes hear on the news, if you really pay attention, there are burglaries every night. Pacific Palisades is one of the worst neighborhoods for crime right now. It’s every day. There are home invasions and burglaries that happen. , so the owners are just like that and they need and want their security to be able to access their homes at a time like this.

While some private security firms are run by people with a background in law enforcement, others are not, Paul said, and he sees a difference in how they are treated by authorities.

People look at smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on January 7, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to more than 2,900 hectares and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second fire has appeared near Eaton Canyon. (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)

Even so, David Katz, the CEO of Global Security Group and a former Drug Enforcement Administration special agenthe said his firm pulled out of Los Angeles years ago.

“Looting is bad … People are staying and risking their lives because they know that if they leave, their property will be stolen, if not burned,” he told Fox News Digital. “I had tons of guys that could go, but they had to work under a waiver.”

Firefighters protect what’s left of homes from the Palisades Fire. (Mark J. Terrill)

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Herman Weisberg, a former NYPD detective and the CEO of SAGE Intelligence, a private investigation firm that also provides armed security to the stars, said some of his clients fear losing irreplaceable works of art. and other things to the looters if the flames “do not reach them first.

“The government has a lot of work, (and) obviously a horrible and really difficult job that they’re dealing with,” he told Fox News Digital. “And now, we’re in the worst part of it from my perspective, trying to deal with the needs and concerns of my clients and also respecting the work of the government and trying to work in conjunction with them instead of against to them.”

A firefighter communicates in front of the Kenneth Fire that is progressing in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)

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He said he hasn’t seen a situation this bad since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005.

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“I’ve been up all night trying to work out the logistics of getting people in and housing people and getting adequate vehicles and supplies,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough few days for my industry and for government, law enforcement, the fire department and obviously, most of all, the families and individuals and companies that are affected.”

Two people ride bicycles amid the destruction left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

On the other hand, the cancellation of the Hollywood awards was already lifting some of the weight, allowing them to take the boots on the ground away from the previously booked red carpet events and to help customers in the their community.

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“Instead of standing on a red carpet protecting people, they’re going to be there protecting people in their communities,” he said. “The more things Hollywood cancels, the better it is for everyone, from a safety standpoint.”