Apartment Complex Security
in Sioux Falls
Property managers and ownership groups across Sioux Falls and the Sioux Empire trust Red Obsidian Security to keep residents safe, deter loitering and trespass, document every incident, and free maintenance staff from after-hours patrol duty. Mobile patrol, stationary officers, parking enforcement, and lockup cycles — all under one phone number, all priced transparently.
Apartments Have a
Specific Threat Profile
High resident density, shared common areas, exposed parking, and after-hours liability make apartment communities a different security problem than warehouses or business parks. A guard playbook designed for a distribution center misses what apartment communities actually need.
Resident Trust & Renewals
Visible deterrence is what residents actually pay rent for. A marked patrol vehicle and an officer who knows the property by name moves the needle on renewal rates more than most amenity upgrades. Property managers tell us this every quarter.
Loitering & Trespass
Non-resident foot traffic in stairwells, mail rooms, gyms, and pool areas is the #1 complaint property managers field. Documented removal of trespassers protects ownership liability and resident perception in equal measure.
Parking Lot Enforcement
Unauthorized parking is the most-cited resident complaint nationally. Tow-tag enforcement, fire-lane patrols, and visitor parking compliance — without your maintenance staff getting drawn into arguments with residents.
Vandalism Prevention
Mailboxes, signage, common-area windows, dumpster enclosures, pool gates — vandalism is a measurable cost line on every annual budget. Random patrols at variable hours break the pattern repeat offenders rely on.
After-Hours Coverage
Most incidents happen between 11 PM and 4 AM. That is when leasing offices are closed and residents are most vulnerable. We fill the gap so your team is not getting 2 AM phone calls about the parking lot.
Documented Compliance
Every visit creates an electronic, time-stamped report. When ownership asks “what happened on May 9?” or insurance asks “show us the security plan,” the answer is in your inbox — not a paper notebook in a shed somewhere.
What Goes Into an
Apartment Patrol Plan
We do not sell a one-size service. The right mix depends on unit count, layout, prior incident history, and what ownership has set as the safety standard. Here is the menu.
Mobile Patrol
Randomized vehicle and foot patrols at variable intervals. Each visit includes interior corridor walks (where applicable), parking lot sweep, common-area check, and dumpster/perimeter inspection. Reports delivered after every visit.
Stationary Officer
Dedicated personnel at a leasing office, gate, or high-incident building, posted for set hours (4-, 8-, or 12-hour shifts). Visible deterrence and immediate on-property response when an incident develops.
Lockup & Unlock
Daily cycle to secure pool gates, fitness rooms, package rooms, leasing office, mail kiosks, and clubhouse — and reverse the process at opening time. Independent matrix line item, not bundled with patrol.
Drive-By Checks
Lower-cost option for smaller properties or as a supplement to existing in-house staff. Marked vehicle pulls in, runs a slow loop, exits; report logged with arrival/departure timestamps.
Parking Enforcement
Visitor pass compliance, tow-tag enforcement, fire-lane checks. Documented per-visit so disputes can be resolved with timestamped photos. Saves your maintenance team from being the bad guy.
Alarm & Incident Response
Verified alarm response when a unit alarm trips after-hours. Faster than dispatching a property manager from home and cheaper (legally and operationally) than a false-alarm police call.
From First Call
to First Patrol
Most Sioux Falls apartment properties go from first phone call to first patrol within seven calendar days. The path is the same every time.
Site Walk
Free 60-minute walk-through with the property manager and (where possible) the owner. We map ingress, common areas, parking, dumpster locations, prior-incident hot spots, and on-site amenities. Recorded on a property-specific worksheet.
Custom Estimate
Within 24 hours, you receive a written estimate. Visit composition, recommended hours, projected weekly cost, and volume tier are all itemized. No mystery line items, no “call us for pricing” asterisks.
Operational Plan
A written post-order document specifying what each visit covers, in what order, and what the report must contain. You sign off on it before patrols start. The plan is the contract between us.
Patrols Begin
First-week patrols are spot-checked by the owner directly. Reports go to the property manager (and any second contact you specify) by email within hours of each visit. We adjust if anything in the plan needs revision.
Three-Tier
Volume Discount
Apartment ownership groups with multiple properties — or single high-density properties needing many monthly visits — qualify for the same volume discount available to all our commercial clients. The more visits per month, the lower the per-visit rate.
Standard With Every
Apartment Contract
- Marked patrol vehicle. Branded, lit, visible. Deterrence starts the moment we pull onto the property.
- Uniformed officers. Standard uniform, badge, ID. Residents know who is on the property and why.
- GPS-tagged reports. Every visit produces a time-stamped, location-verified report emailed within hours.
- Randomized routes. No predictable patterns. Visit times vary within an agreed window every cycle.
- Card payments. Stripe processing for all major credit and debit cards. Net-terms ACH for established accounts.
- No annual contract. Service runs weekly. Pause, increase, or cancel with two weeks notice.
- Owner accountability. The owner of Red Obsidian answers the phone, walks the property, and signs the report.
- Insured & bonded. Full general liability coverage and bonding in place. Certificates available on request.
Sioux Falls & Surrounding
Communities
Apartment properties throughout the Sioux Empire and Minnehaha County are within our standard service area. Distance from Sioux Falls is factored into the per-visit rate during the estimate.
Apartment Security
Common Questions
Do you provide armed officers on apartment properties? +
Both armed and unarmed coverage is available. Most multifamily clients run unarmed visible-deterrence patrols with documented incident reporting — that is the right answer for the majority of properties. Armed coverage is reserved for properties with documented prior incidents, owner-directed armed posts, or specific contractual requirements. We discuss the right fit during the property walk.
How do you handle resident complaints during a patrol? +
Patrol officers carry property-specific contact procedures. Resident complaints are documented in the visit report with time, location, and description, and forwarded to the property manager. For active disturbances, the officer responds on-site, de-escalates if appropriate, and contacts law enforcement if the situation warrants. Officers do not enter resident units except in life-safety circumstances.
What is the minimum patrol contract? +
There is no annual contract requirement. Apartment patrol service runs on a weekly billing cycle and can be paused, increased, or canceled with two weeks notice. Properties needing event-only coverage (a specific weekend, an eviction window, a high-tension lease change) can also book on a one-time basis.
Can patrol cycles be randomized to break predictability? +
Yes. Randomization is the default. Patrol times within an agreed window vary by visit so the property is not visited at predictable hours. Visit logs are GPS-tagged and time-stamped so ownership can audit randomization in retrospect.
Do you provide reports the property manager can show ownership? +
Every visit produces an electronic report delivered by email within hours of the patrol. Reports include arrival time, departure time, route taken, areas inspected, photos of any incidents or property issues, and notes from the officer. Reports are designed to be forwarded directly to ownership or insurance carriers without rework.
How fast can you start patrols? +
Most Sioux Falls apartment properties go from first call to first patrol within seven calendar days. Walk-through and estimate happen within 48 hours of contact, the operational plan is signed within a few days after, and patrols begin on the next agreed cycle. Emergency or rapid-deployment cases (post-incident, eviction window) can start within 24 hours.
Do you cover Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea, and other surrounding cities? +
Yes. Apartment properties throughout Sioux Falls, Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea, Dell Rapids, Garretson, Valley Springs, Sherman, Crooks, Hartford, and Lennox are within our standard service area. Distance from Sioux Falls is factored into the per-visit rate during the estimate.
What is the difference between mobile patrol and drive-by checks? +
Mobile patrol includes a foot component: officers exit the vehicle, walk interior corridors and common areas, inspect amenities, and document anything noteworthy. Drive-by checks are a vehicle-only loop of the property, lower-cost, and used either for very small properties or as a supplement to existing in-house staff. Both are documented — the depth of inspection is the difference.
More From
Red Obsidian
Stop Renewing
the Same Vendor.
Property managers tell us the same thing every quarter: their incumbent is not documenting visits, does not randomize routes, and bills on irregular cycles. We built the alternative.