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Security Services in the United States
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The United States has the world’s largest private security industry by revenue. Executive protection is embedded in corporate culture at senior levels, and demand has accelerated measurably since the December 2024 targeted killing of a named insurance sector CEO in a public space in Manhattan. Corporate board attention to C-suite physical security is at a measurable high not seen for over a decade.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains the National Terrorism Advisory System. Intelligence community assessments consistently flag threats from domestic extremist networks and Iran-linked actors targeting US soil. The FBI threat bulletin for 2024-2025 explicitly addresses both categories.
State-level licensing complexity
The absence of a federal framework means an operator licensed in New York has no automatic right to operate in Texas. Professional multi-city deployments require operators licensed in each relevant state or a coordinated network. This is standard practice in the US industry.
New York State’s Security Guard License is administered by the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). The NYS framework is among the more demanding state systems. Armed carry in New York City requires NYPD pistol permit approval, which the department grants sparingly to non-residents and has tightened further since 2024.
The post-December 2024 shift
Corporate boards reassessed executive protection budgets in early 2025 with unusual urgency. The public nature of the Manhattan killing, combined with the attacker’s days-long evasion of law enforcement, focused attention on the gap between nominal security programmes and genuine protective capability.
This reassessment is structural rather than temporary. Requests for written threat assessments from US corporate clients increased substantially through 2025. Demand for full-time residential and travel CP for C-suite principals continues to rise.
New York operational picture
Elevated crime in New York is concentrated in specific areas including parts of Midtown South, Harlem, East New York, and the South Bronx. The commercial and hotel districts where corporate visitors operate carry significantly lower day-to-day risk. Key planning points include airport-to-hotel corridor management, pre-arrival venue assessment, and anti-surveillance protocols for high-profile principals.
Multi-state deployments and the licensing coordination requirement
US corporate travel rarely stays in a single city. A principal visiting New York, Houston, and Los Angeles on a single trip is moving across three separate state licensing frameworks with different armed carry rules, different operator requirements, and different threat pictures. Houston (Harris County) operates under a materially different crime environment from Manhattan. Professional multi-city deployments require a coordinated operator network with pre-verified state licensing for each jurisdiction, not a single operator based in the client’s home city.
The Protect America Act context, the March 2024 congressional hearings on domestic extremist threats, and the ongoing FBI Duty to Warn programme all speak to an institutional acknowledgment that the threat environment for named principals in the US is more structured than casual commentary suggests.
Source: NYPD CompStat 2024. DHS NTAS Advisory Bulletin 2025. FBI Duty to Warn programme documentation 2024. US State Department Travel Advisory: United States.
Our in-country operations cover the following city: New York.
For professional support in this region, see our executive protection services. For the risk assessment methodology that drives US deployment planning, see our security risk assessment explained.
Cities We Cover
New York
High riskThe US primary financial and media capital. Elevated crime in specific neighbourhoods, NYPD coordination requirements for armed CP, and the world's highest concentration of UHNWI close protection demand.
View city guide →Security Regulations
Firearms
Firearms licensing operates entirely at state level. In New York State, carrying a firearm requires a pistol permit, which is discretionary and subject to demonstrated need. The NYPD is notably restrictive with permits for non-residents. Armed CP operatives must hold appropriate state-issued carry authorisation for each jurisdiction. Requirements differ significantly between states.
Licensing
There is no federal private security licensing framework. Licensing is state-administered. New York State requires a Security Guard License from the Division of Licensing Services (DCJS). California requires BSIS licensing. Operators working across state lines must comply with each state's requirements independently.
Foreign Operators
Foreign security operators working in the US require appropriate work authorisation under US immigration law. Carrying a firearm as a non-US resident is tightly restricted at the federal and state level. Most visiting international CP teams operate unarmed and coordinate with locally licensed, armed US operators for firearm coverage where the threat assessment requires it.
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