What should I check about a security company’s patrol vehicles and radios?

Begin with the list. Ask for each vehicle and radio with its age, serial or identification number, who holds the title or lease and where it is kept. Then see them. Walk around each vehicle, check the tires, lights and markings, and ask for the service history. A fleet with consistent maintenance records is a sign of an owner who plans ahead.

For radios, ask when they were bought, which are working and how spares and chargers are managed. Test them from a distance, indoors and in the sites the company serves, since dead zones matter at the wrong moment. Ask whether guards carry them throughout the shift and how a lost or damaged one is handled.

Then ask what comes with the sale. Leased vehicles and financed radios may need the lender’s or lessor’s consent to transfer, and your lawyer should read those documents. Ask your insurance adviser about coverage for the vehicles and for any contract that requires a certain standard of equipment. Finally, consider whether the fleet matches the contracts. Too few vehicles may strain response, while too many may be dead weight. An appraiser can help assess the equipment. Ask who drives each vehicle and how fuel and damage are tracked.

Key takeaways

• Match every vehicle and radio on the list to a physical unit.
• Test radios in real conditions at client sites.
• Find out which items are leased or financed.
• Read maintenance records for consistency.