There’s a math problem at the Memphis Police Department that won’t go away. Director Michael Rallings has said the department needs around 2,500 sworn officers to police the city effectively. The current headcount sits well below that number. Every year, the department graduates new academy classes. Every year, retirements, resignations, and terminations eat into the gains. The net result is a department that runs short, and a private security industry that picks up what the public sector can’t cover.
This isn’t a new dynamic. Memphis has been leaning on private security to supplement public law enforcement for decades. What’s changed is the scale. The gap between what MPD can staff and what the city needs has widened to the point where entire categories of calls and patrol coverage are functionally dependent on private security presence.
The Numbers
MPD’s authorized strength and its actual operating strength are two different numbers. Authorized strength is the number of positions the city budget funds. Operating strength is how many officers are actually on the job after accounting for vacancies, leaves of absence, desk assignments, and the various administrative functions that pull sworn officers away from patrol.
The department has been running below authorized strength for years. Recruiting hasn’t kept pace with attrition. Starting salary for an MPD officer has historically been lower than competing departments in the region. Nashville, which has a lower crime rate and a more attractive quality-of-life proposition for many candidates, recruits from the same talent pool. So do suburban departments like Germantown, Collierville, and Bartlett, which offer smaller caseloads, better equipment, and sometimes higher pay.
Rallings has been transparent about the challenge. In public comments and city council presentations, he’s connected the staffing shortfall directly to response times and patrol coverage. Fewer officers means longer response times for non-emergency calls. It means some areas get proactive patrol while others get drive-through coverage only during shift changes. It means detectives carry heavier caseloads and cases take longer to close.
Where Private Security Steps In
For businesses and property owners in Memphis, the practical implication is straightforward: you can’t rely on MPD to provide the level of presence and response that your property might need. MPD responds to 911 calls. They investigate crimes. They conduct patrols when staffing allows. What they can’t do is station officers at your shopping center, walk the halls of your apartment complex, or monitor your parking garage overnight.
That’s where private security comes in, and the demand curve has been climbing steadily.
The types of services being contracted have expanded beyond traditional guard posts. Property managers are hiring mobile patrol services, where marked security vehicles circulate through properties on scheduled or random routes. Retailers are contracting loss prevention specialists for peak shopping hours. Office buildings in the medical district and downtown are adding lobby security during business hours and perimeter patrol at night.
The dollar amounts are significant. A mid-size commercial property in Memphis might spend $80,000 to $150,000 annually on security services. A large apartment complex can run $200,000 or more. Industrial facilities and distribution centers along the I-40 corridor sometimes exceed $300,000 for around-the-clock armed guard coverage. Add those numbers across the thousands of commercial properties in Shelby County and you’re looking at a private security market measured in the hundreds of millions.
Who’s Getting the Contracts
The Memphis security market has a clear hierarchy. At the top, national companies like Allied Universal and Securitas capture the largest commercial accounts. They have the infrastructure to staff multi-site contracts, handle large-scale events, and provide specialized services like executive protection and threat assessment. Their Memphis operations are substantial, employing hundreds of guards across the metro area.
GardaWorld, the Montreal-based multinational, has been growing its Memphis presence. Their approach combines guard services with technology, and they’ve been positioning for the kind of integrated security contracts that larger corporate clients prefer.
Regional and local firms fill the middle market. Phelps Security, founded in 1960 and still family-owned, has deep roots in Memphis and a reputation for reliability. Imperial Security, headquartered on Poplar Avenue since 1968, specializes in transportation and logistics security. Walden Security, based in Chattanooga, operates across the state and has been competing effectively for Tennessee contracts.
The smaller firms serve clients who want a more direct relationship with their security provider. Some of these companies are one-person operations with a handful of guards. Others have built legitimate mid-size businesses with 50 to 100 employees and a solid client base. The quality varies enormously at this tier, and the due diligence burden falls on the client to verify licensing, insurance, and training standards.
The Economics of Replacing Public Safety With Private
There’s a debate among policy researchers and municipal planners about whether the growth of private security in cities like Memphis is a sustainable model or a temporary patch on a broken system.
The argument for private security is pragmatic. Businesses need protection. MPD can’t provide it at the level required. Private companies fill the gap. The market works.
The counterargument is about equity. Private security protects paying clients. Businesses and property owners who can afford $25-an-hour armed guards get protected. Neighborhoods and residents who can’t afford private security get whatever MPD can spare. The result is a two-tier public safety system where protection correlates with income. That’s not a theoretical concern in Memphis. It’s a visible reality that you can see driving from East Memphis to North Memphis in about 15 minutes.
The security industry didn’t create this disparity. Decades of underinvestment in public safety, population shifts, and economic inequality produced the conditions that make private security necessary. The industry is responding to demand. Criticizing security companies for filling a gap that exists because of municipal policy failures is misplaced.
At the same time, it’s worth acknowledging that a city where businesses feel they need to hire private armies to protect their property isn’t functioning the way cities are supposed to function. The goal should be a police department staffed, trained, and resourced to handle public safety, with private security playing a supplemental role rather than a substitute one.
What This Means for the Industry
For private security company owners in Memphis, the demand environment is as strong as it’s been in years. Contracts are available. Clients are willing to pay. The challenge is on the supply side: finding, training, and retaining enough qualified guards to fill the positions.
The companies that will thrive in this environment are the ones that can solve the staffing puzzle. That means competitive pay, reasonable hours, professional training, and a company culture that treats guards as valued employees rather than disposable assets. High turnover is the industry’s biggest operational problem, and the companies that reduce it will outperform those that don’t.
For businesses hiring security, the tight market means starting the process early, being realistic about what you’ll pay, and evaluating providers on more than just price. The cheapest bid is often cheap for a reason: lower pay, higher turnover, less training, thinner insurance coverage. In a market where demand exceeds supply, you get what you pay for.
The Outlook
Rallings isn’t going to solve MPD’s staffing problem in 2020. The hiring pipeline is too slow and the competition for talent is too fierce. Until Memphis can recruit, train, and retain enough police officers to close the gap between authorized strength and operational need, private security will continue to grow.
The question for the industry is whether that growth is managed responsibly. More guards on the street means more interactions with the public, more situations where training and judgment matter, and more potential for things to go wrong when undertrained or poorly supervised personnel are placed in high-pressure situations.
TDCI’s regulatory framework exists for a reason. Licensing, training requirements, and background checks are the floor, not the ceiling. The companies that exceed those minimums and invest in their people will build the kind of reputation that sustains long-term growth. The ones that cut corners to fill seats will eventually pay for it in lawsuits, lost contracts, and damaged credibility.
Memphis needs private security. It needs it done right.