Protection One Inc., which offers a nationwide dealer program, plans to cut private patrol service in late May and lay off the 78 security officers who work out of its Van Nuys office, according to a recent article in the Daily News, a Los Angeles-area newspaper.
Officials say it proved too costly to have drivers patrol just 7,400 of the 54,000 homes and businesses that have subscribed to the company’s alarm service in the Los Angeles region. The article states that Pro One will end patrol service May 27 in the only two areas the service was offered, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, where 50 jobs will be cut.
Despite the layoffs in these areas, the company will continue to provide burglar alarm service to 1.4 million customers in the United States and Canada. While the patrols were considered a luxury in Los Angeles, Las Vegas customers believe the patrolling was a necessity because the local police department refuses to respond to alarms.
However, responses are now being handled there by another company under contract with Pro One.