Security Veteran A Quick Study

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When Zabi Kator founded security firm Guardnow Inc. in 2010, he was looking to tap into a niche without a dominant local player: hourly security guard rentals.

The Tarzana company, which supplies guards to businesses and individuals on a short-term basis, has grown quickly. It authorized its fifth L.A. franchise this year, and it aims to sign 20 more next year.

Typical of the calls from clients are businesses that want extra security for events or when firing employees, or residents who get jittery when a rash of break-ins occurs on the block. Unarmed guards cost $249 for four hours; armed guards cost $299 for the same period of time.

“There’s no top-of-the-line company that comes to mind when people need a security guard,” Kator said. “If you contact some of the bigger companies, they tend to turn it down. You need to sign a long-term contract.”

But the company has also re-ceived its share of unusual requests. A woman once asked it to send a guard to confiscate drugs from her son’s Sherman Oaks home. (It did not grant that request.) Clients have included a few women looking to throw their boyfriends out of the house. Last month, a client in Mo-desto asked for an armed guard for his business – then had the guard accompany him as he attempted to take over a gas station he was trying to buy out. A SWAT team was called in and the client was arrested.

“That’s not a recommended use at all,” Kator said.

– Alfred Lee

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