I got a call last Tuesday from a restaurant owner on Summer Avenue. She’d been broken into twice in three months. Her alarm system was ten years old, the cameras recorded in such low resolution that MPD couldn’t identify anyone, and her insurance carrier had just raised her premium by 22 percent. “I don’t even know where to start,” she told me.
She’s not alone. After 398 homicides in 2023, the deadliest year Memphis has ever recorded, business owners across the city are asking the same question: what do I actually need to change?
This isn’t an article about fear. You already know things are bad. This is a practical walkthrough for owners and operators who need to reassess what they’re doing, figure out where the gaps are, and make smart decisions about where to spend money. I’ve spent twenty years in this industry, and I’m going to lay it out the way I’d explain it to a friend who owns a strip mall on Poplar.
Start With What You’ve Got
Before you buy a single camera or hire a guard company, do an honest assessment of your current setup. I mean walk the property. Do it at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday, and then do it again at 11 p.m. on a Friday. You’ll see two completely different risk profiles.
Here’s what to look at:
Lighting. Walk your parking lot after dark. Are there dead spots? Burned-out fixtures? Overgrown trees blocking light poles? I visited a retail center near Wolfchase Galleria last month where the entire back loading dock was pitch black. The owner hadn’t walked back there at night in years. Poor lighting is the cheapest problem to fix and the one most often ignored.
Cameras. If your system is older than five years, the footage is probably useless for identification purposes. MPD’s detectives will tell you that grainy 480p recordings from 2015-era DVR systems rarely help solve cases. You don’t need to replace everything at once, though. Start with the entrances, the cash register areas, and the parking lot. A four-camera IP system with decent night vision runs $2,000 to $5,000 installed, depending on the brand.
Access control. Who has keys to your building? When’s the last time you changed locks or updated access codes? If you’ve had employee turnover (and who hasn’t), there could be former workers with active keys or codes. A commercial-grade keypad or card access system for a single entrance costs $500 to $1,500. For multi-door setups, you’re looking at $3,000 to $8,000.
Alarm monitoring. Is your alarm system actually monitored, or did you cancel the monitoring contract three years ago to save $40 a month? An unmonitored alarm is just a noisemaker. It won’t dispatch anyone.
The Guard Question: Human Presence vs. Technology
This is where most business owners get stuck. Guards are expensive. Technology has upfront costs. And the wrong mix of either wastes money.
Here’s how I think about it. If your property has foot traffic, visible inventory, or cash transactions, a physical security presence matters. Cameras can record a theft. A guard standing at the front entrance can prevent one. That’s the difference.
Businesses along the Poplar Avenue corridor from East Memphis into Germantown have been adding guard hours since mid-2023. The same goes for Hickory Hill, where retail centers along Winchester Road are dealing with both property crime and customer safety concerns. Whitehaven businesses near Graceland and along Elvis Presley Boulevard have seen similar demand.
The cost of a single unarmed guard in Memphis runs roughly $18 to $25 per hour through a licensed contract company. Armed guards cost $25 to $38 per hour depending on the provider and the level of training. For a 40-hour weekly post, you’re looking at somewhere between $3,700 and $6,600 per month.
That’s real money for a small business. So the question becomes: do you need a guard five days a week, or do you need one Friday and Saturday nights? Can cameras and better lighting handle the weekday risk while a guard covers peak hours?
A hybrid approach often makes the most sense for mid-size commercial properties. Pair decent camera coverage with part-time guard presence during your highest-risk windows.
Connect Memphis: Free Help You Might Not Know About
If you haven’t registered your cameras with MPD’s Connect Memphis program, you should. It’s free, voluntary, and it puts your camera locations on a map that detectives can reference when investigating crimes in your area. You’re not giving MPD access to your footage. You’re just telling them your cameras exist so they know to ask if something happens nearby.
As of early 2024, thousands of cameras across the city are registered. The program has been expanding steadily since its launch, and MPD credits it with helping solve cases faster. Registering takes about ten minutes online.
One thing to know: MPD is increasingly recommending camera systems that meet certain resolution and connectivity standards. If you’re upgrading anyway, ask your installer about Connect Memphis compatibility. It could matter down the road as the city’s Real Time Crime Center continues to expand its capabilities.
The Retail Shrinkage Problem
Retail theft has become a serious cost center for Memphis businesses. National chains have flagged Memphis as a high-shrinkage market, and local retailers are feeling it too. Organized retail crime rings have hit stores along Germantown Parkway, in the Wolfchase area, and across Midtown.
The standard response has been to add security officers at entrances and invest in better surveillance. Some retailers are going further, installing anti-theft gates, requiring receipt checks, and even locking up merchandise that used to sit on open shelves.
If you’re a retailer dealing with chronic theft, talk to your security provider about loss prevention audits. A good provider will analyze your floor layout, identify blind spots, and recommend changes that don’t make your store feel like a prison. There’s a balance between security and customer experience, and getting it wrong costs sales.
Choosing a Security Provider: Who to Call
Memphis has a deep bench of security companies, from family-owned local firms to global corporations. The right choice depends on your budget, property type, and what you actually need.
Phelps Security has been in Memphis since 1960. They’re the longest-running locally owned security firm in the city, with deep roots in the community. If you want a company that knows Memphis the way your grandfather did, Phelps is the name. They handle commercial, residential, and event security. Their reputation is well established, though their rates tend to reflect that experience.
Allied Universal is the largest security company in the United States. They have the infrastructure to staff large properties quickly, offer technology integration, and handle multi-site contracts. The tradeoff is that you’re working with a national corporation, which can mean less personal attention and more account manager turnover.
Securitas and GardaWorld are the other two major national players with Memphis operations. Both offer similar capabilities to Allied, with strong corporate accounts and standardized training programs. GardaWorld has been particularly aggressive in the Mid-South market over the past two years.
Shield of Steel is a veteran-owned company that’s been operating since 1998, based at 2682 Lamar Ave in Memphis. They cover the entire state of Tennessee, with offices serving Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga in addition to the Memphis metro. Their pricing tends to be competitive, especially for mid-size commercial properties that don’t need the overhead of a national chain. The veteran-owned angle means their staff often includes former law enforcement and military personnel. One honest knock: their website (shieldofsteel.com) could use a refresh, and they don’t have the brand recognition of a Phelps or an Allied Universal. Still, for the money, they’re worth a conversation. You can reach them at (202) 222-2225.
When evaluating any provider, ask these questions: How long have you operated in Memphis specifically? What’s your average response time for alarm calls? What’s your annual guard turnover rate? Can you provide references from properties similar to mine? Do you carry adequate liability insurance?
That last question matters more than most people realize. If a security officer on your property causes harm or fails to respond properly, your business could face liability. Make sure your provider carries at least $1 million in general liability and has workers’ compensation coverage for every officer.
The Insurance Angle Nobody Talks About
Here’s something that catches business owners off guard: your commercial insurance carrier cares about your security setup. A lot.
After 2023’s record crime numbers, several insurance carriers operating in Shelby County have tightened their underwriting standards for commercial properties. Some are requiring documented security measures as a condition of renewal. Others are offering premium discounts for businesses that install monitored alarm systems, surveillance cameras, or contract with licensed security providers.
If you’re shopping for insurance right now, or if your renewal is coming up, call your agent and ask what security measures would lower your premium. In some cases, a $5,000 camera system pays for itself in two years through insurance savings alone.
Get any security upgrades documented. Take photos, keep receipts, get certificates of installation from your vendors. Your agent can submit these to the underwriter. Don’t assume they’ll take your word for it.
A Simple Action Plan
You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Here’s a reasonable timeline:
This week: Walk your property at night. Identify lighting gaps, camera blind spots, and access control weaknesses. Check whether your alarm system is actually monitored.
This month: Get quotes from at least three security providers. Register your cameras with Connect Memphis. Call your insurance agent about security-related discounts.
This quarter: Prioritize your top two or three upgrades based on what the assessments revealed. Budget for them. Implement the cheapest fixes first (lighting, access codes, camera angles) while you plan the bigger investments.
By summer: Have your new security plan in place before the seasonal crime uptick that Memphis sees every year between May and September.
The 398 families who lost someone in 2023 can’t get that year back. For the rest of us, the question is whether we’re going to take what happened and actually make changes, or just hope next year is different. Hope isn’t a security plan.
I’ll take the phone calls over the prayers.
David Williams covers commercial security operations for Memphis Security Insider. Contact the editorial team at info@memphissecurityinsider.com.