What The Consulting & Investigations Division Covers

The Consulting and Investigations Division, often called CID, has two main jobs.

First, it helps you build and adjust your security program through structured risk assessments, security engineering advice, and policy development.

Second, it investigates incidents that raise questions about theft, fraud, misconduct, or ongoing losses, and documents what actually happened.

In both roles, CID works quietly in the background while your guard force, supervisors, and operations teams keep the day running. The division steps in when you need clear answers, better plans, or outside perspective.

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Security Consulting For California Businesses

Many clients come to CID because they sense that something in their security setup is off. Doors are propped open, keys have spread too far, alarms feel random, or losses keep appearing even though you already have guards and cameras.

Security consulting from this division can include:

  • Reviewing your facilities through on site vulnerability assessments
  • Studying how people, vehicles, and vendors move through your property
  • Looking at current camera coverage, lighting, access control, and alarm use
  • Checking guard post orders, staffing plans, and reporting patterns
  • Comparing your practices with insurance requirements and industry best practice

The goal is not to sell you gadgets. It is to help you see how people, technology, and procedures work together on your specific sites in California. After that review, CID can recommend changes to guard deployment, Mobile Patrol Security Services, Commercial and Industrial Security Guards, visitor control, or security equipment so that you spend money where it will actually reduce risk.

Vulnerability Assessments And Physical Security Surveys

Vulnerability assessments sit at the center of this work. They go deeper than a quick walk through.

During an assessment, consultants may:

  • Walk interior and exterior routes during both day and night
  • Look at how doors, gates, and barriers are used in practice, not just on paper
  • Review camera angles, recording settings, and how often video is actually checked
  • Talk with staff, supervisors, and sometimes guards about how they handle common situations
  • Pull past incident reports to see where trouble keeps showing up

Findings turn into a written report that highlights specific risks, from blind corners in parking structures to unchecked vendor entrances or informal key sharing. That report becomes a road map for Program Management, which then adjusts staffing, Site Specific Training & Post Orders, and equipment based on what was found.

For many clients, this is the first time they see their property from an attacker’s or thief’s point of view instead of just through daily routine.

Crisis Management And Emergency Preparedness

When something serious happens in Southern California – a major fire, workplace violence, severe weather event, or long power outage – property managers and executives quickly find out whether their plans are real or just a binder on a shelf.

The Consulting and Investigations Division helps clients:

  • Review and rewrite emergency plans for different threat types
  • Clarify roles for security, management, and internal teams during a crisis
  • Map evacuation routes, assembly points, and shelter in place areas
  • Build simple, clear checklists that guards and managers can use under stress
  • Coordinate drills with building staff and guard supervisors

These planning efforts line up with the training described on Training Format and Curriculum. Guards then practice the steps laid out by CID so they are not guessing when alarms sound or when law enforcement arrives.

Policy Development And Workplace Security Programs

Many security incidents grow out of unclear rules. Staff prop doors open because nobody has enforced a standard. Visitors move freely because no one is sure who is allowed where. Supervisors accept risky behavior from long time employees because there is no written policy.

CID helps clients write and update:

  • Access control policies for badges, keys, and door schedules
  • Visitor and contractor rules
  • Workplace violence prevention procedures
  • Drug and alcohol policies tied to security concerns
  • Camera use and video retention rules
  • Clear expectations for guards who work under your brand every day

These documents do not replace your HR and legal teams. Instead, they give those teams security specific content that reflects daily life on your sites in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire.

Once policies are set, Staffing Your Facility and Selection of Personnel use them as the standard for recruiting and post orders.

Corporate And Workplace Investigations

When inventory vanishes, cash comes up short, or sensitive data leaks, you need more than a guess about what might have happened. The Consulting and Investigations Division offers corporate and workplace investigations that focus on facts and documentation.

Investigations may address:

  • Theft, fraud, embezzlement, and kickback schemes
  • Repeated shrinkage in warehouses or retail locations
  • Misuse of company property or confidential information
  • Harassment or misconduct concerns tied to security or access
  • Violations of security procedures that put people or assets at risk

CID investigators review reports, interview witnesses, work with internal teams, and, when agreed upon, coordinate with law enforcement. They treat every step with strict confidentiality so that sensitive matters do not spread through the workplace.

Findings are presented in a clear format that your legal, HR, or executive team can use when making decisions. In many cases, these investigations also highlight gaps in process, which then lead back into consulting work on training, staffing, and policy.

Technical Surveillance Countermeasures And Screening

For certain clients, especially those in executive offices, sensitive industries, or high profile roles, CID can coordinate technical checks and screening efforts that support privacy and trust.

This can include:

  • Referrals and coordination for technical surveillance countermeasures
  • (sweeps for hidden cameras, recording devices, or other eavesdropping tools)
  • Executive and key personnel screening within legal and policy limits
  • Focused background reviews tied to high trust roles or sensitive access
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Who Works Inside The Consulting & Investigations Division

The strength of CID lies in the people doing the work. The division uses senior staff and associate contractors with backgrounds that often include:

  • Law enforcement experience at local, state, or federal levels
  • Military service in intelligence, security, or high risk assignments
  • Corporate security and risk management for large companies
  • Physical security engineering and system design
  • Prior investigations into fraud, organized theft, or workplace misconduct

How CID Connects To Your Security Guard Program

The Consulting and Investigations Division is not separate from your security guard program. It works alongside it.

For example:

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Talk With Freedom Defense Services About CID Support

If you feel that your current security efforts are busy but not focused, or if you are dealing with losses and incidents that keep returning, the Consulting and Investigations Division can help you find and fix the root issues.

To talk about security consulting or corporate investigations for your facilities in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire, or elsewhere in California, call (714) 356 8674, send a message through our Contact Us page, or request a proposal through Get a Security Quote. CID will work with you to understand the risks behind your daily operations and build a security program that responds to how your business actually runs.