Armed Security Guards
in Sioux Falls
Armed security is not a higher tier of the same product. It is a different product, with different training, different rules of engagement, different liability, and a different threshold for when it is the correct answer. Red Obsidian deploys armed officers when the threat profile genuinely calls for it — and tells you when it does not. Veteran owned, fully insured, every armed engagement reviewed in writing before deployment.
The Threshold for
Armed Coverage
Most security problems are solved with visible deterrence and documented reporting. Armed coverage is the right answer in a narrow set of situations. Below are the situations where it actually applies.
Documented Prior Incident
A prior violent incident on the property changes the threat profile. Insurance, ownership, or law enforcement may directly recommend armed coverage as a condition of continued operation.
Cash-Handling Environments
Cash-on-hand businesses and cash-in-transit operations have a different baseline risk than retail or office. Armed coverage at the receiving and counting cycle is a documented industry standard for higher-volume operations.
Hostile Termination
Workforce reductions, contested terminations, or restraining-order escalation environments warrant a uniformed armed presence at the location for the duration of the event — and only the duration.
High-Profile Events
Executive functions, fundraisers, or events with documented threat indicators sometimes call for armed coverage. The threat assessment determines whether armed adds protective value or only theatrical presence.
Owner-Directed Posts
Some property owners and contract requirements directly specify armed coverage. We honor that direction, run the same threat-assessment review, and deploy with full ROE documentation.
Executive Protection (Limited)
Short-term close-protection details and traveling-executive coverage can be served. Long-term close-protection requirements with full-time EP coverage are referred to specialized firms with full-time EP rosters. We do not pretend to a capacity we do not have.
Most Properties Do Not
Need Armed Coverage
The Honest Answer
The majority of apartment complexes, office buildings, retail locations, business parks, and construction sites do not need armed coverage to achieve the deterrence outcome they are buying. Visible-deterrence patrols, randomized timing, marked vehicles, uniformed officers, and documented incident reporting accomplish the goal at lower cost and lower liability for the client. We will tell you that during the threat assessment even when it costs us the larger contract. The integrity of the recommendation is the product.
What Every Armed
Engagement Includes
- Written Rules of Engagement. Signed by client and officer before deployment. Specifies escalation steps, force authorization, law-enforcement summoning, and post-incident documentation.
- Background Verification. Every armed officer cleared through documented background check, references verified, current civilian firearms training documented.
- De-escalation First. Force is the last option, not the first one. Officers are trained and evaluated on de-escalation as a primary skill, not a fallback.
- Weapon Retention. Documented training in weapon retention. Holster and carry equipment inspected before each shift.
- Post-Incident Review. Any draw, brandishing, or discharge triggers an immediate written review. Insurance and client receive a documented account.
- Liability Coverage. Full general liability and bonding in place. Certificates of insurance provided to client before any armed deployment.
- Owner Sign-Off. Every armed deployment is reviewed and signed off by the owner of Red Obsidian before the assignment begins.
- Documented Engagement Profile. Each property receives a written engagement profile specifying client expectations, escalation contacts, restricted zones, and reporting cadence.
From Inquiry
to Deployment
Armed coverage is not a same-day deployment. The process below protects the client, the officer, and the public.
Threat Assessment
Call with the owner. We discuss the situation, prior incidents, ongoing risk indicators, and what unarmed coverage could and could not do. Often the call ends with an unarmed recommendation. When it does not, we move to step two.
Site Walk & Engagement Profile
On-site walk with the client. We map ingress, escalation points, restricted zones, escape routes, and law-enforcement coordination. Engagement profile drafted and reviewed.
Written ROE Sign-Off
Rules of engagement document drafted, reviewed by the client, signed by the client and the assigned officer. Insurance certificates provided. Specific assignment terms documented.
Deployment & Reporting
Officer arrives at the assignment, briefs in, executes per ROE, files an end-of-shift written report. Any out-of-norm event triggers immediate post-incident review with the owner before the next shift.
Armed Security
Common Questions
When does armed security make sense vs unarmed? +
Armed coverage makes sense when there is a documented threat profile that visible-deterrence cannot address: prior incidents involving violence, cash-handling environments, hostile termination posts, executive protection, or events with specific intelligence indicators. For most apartments, retail, business parks, and construction sites, unarmed visible-deterrence patrols with documented incident reporting and law-enforcement coordination is the right answer. We will tell you which fits during the threat assessment, even if it costs us the larger contract.
Are your armed officers former military or law enforcement? +
Red Obsidian is owned and operated by a United States Marine Corps veteran, and our armed-coverage roster is drawn from candidates with documented military or law enforcement backgrounds plus current civilian firearms training, background checks, and de-escalation certification. We do not deploy armed officers who fail to meet that standard, regardless of contract pressure.
Do you provide a written rules of engagement document? +
Yes. Every armed assignment has a written rules-of-engagement (ROE) document signed by the client and the officer before deployment. The ROE specifies escalation steps, when force is authorized, when law enforcement is summoned, and what is documented after any engagement. There is no verbal-only armed deployment.
What is the rate difference between armed and unarmed? +
Armed coverage typically runs 30 to 50 percent above unarmed for the same hour and location, reflecting the additional training requirements, insurance loading, and personnel rate. Exact pricing depends on shift length, location, and engagement profile. The estimator does not currently price armed coverage online; armed quotes are produced after a threat-assessment call.
What happens if a weapon is discharged on duty? +
Discharge of a duty weapon on assignment triggers an immediate post-incident review: officer secured, scene secured, law enforcement contacted, client contacted, internal documentation, weapon temporarily removed from service, and a formal after-action review with the owner. Insurance carriers and the client receive a documented account. We do not quietly continue assignments after a discharge.
Can you provide executive protection? +
Limited executive-protection capacity is available, primarily for short-term assignments and event coverage rather than long-term close-protection details. For ongoing close-protection requirements we will refer to specialized firms with full-time EP capacity. Honesty about scope is part of the engagement.
Who carries the liability for an armed assignment? +
Red Obsidian carries full general liability coverage and bonding that covers our personnel and operations on every assignment. The client typically carries liability for property and premises. Specific allocation is documented in the contract for each armed engagement. Certificates of insurance are provided before any armed deployment.
Can armed officers be uniformed or plainclothes? +
Both. Visible-deterrence assignments are uniformed. Executive-protection and certain event assignments are plainclothes. Plainclothes assignments still operate under the same written rules of engagement, training requirements, and post-incident review procedures.
More From
Red Obsidian
Right Tool,
Right Threat.
Armed coverage is the right answer for some threats and the wrong answer for most. We start with an honest threat assessment, recommend the smaller-footprint solution when it works, and only deploy armed when the situation actually calls for it.