The rich and famous residents of the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades community in Los Angeles are frequent users of private insurance — but Los Angeles’ notorious red tape keeps some of their guards away from their clientele, according to private security experts.
At least 20 people have been arrested on charges related to the robbery, and authorities, while warning residents and copycats, said the numbers could rise.
Craig Paul, CEO of ASC Private Security in Los Angeles, said he has agencies on the ground willing to work, but he can’t get approval to send them inside the restricted areas where his clients need them.
“I sat on hold for 45 minutes with the LAPD, no one answered,” he told Fox News Digital. “So I finally gave up on it, mostly knowing they’d blow me off, even if they answered the phone.”
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Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)
He said one of his customers snuck behind police lines and climbed a mountain to check on his property because he was so worried – then asked if his agents could do the same. That’s not an option, he said, but he hopes the police will let his teams in.
In particular, the community of Pacific Palisades, at the center of one of the largest active wildfires, is a high-income community that already faces frequent threats of burglaries and home invasions.
“These are $30, $40, $50 million homes with individuals who deserve to have that level of assets properly protected,” he said.
Wind whips up embers as a firefighter battles a blaze in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. Wilson as wildfires rage in the Los Angeles area during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on January 9, 2025. (REUTERS/Ringo Chiu)
“Crime is terrible,” he added. “Despite what we sometimes hear on the news, if you really pay attention, there are burglaries every night. Pacific Palisades is one of the worst neighborhoods for crime right now. It’s everyday. Home invasions and burglaries happen, so homeowners are right they both need and want their safety so that they can gain access to their homes at a time like this.”
While some private security companies are run by people with law enforcement experience, others are not, Paul said, and he sees a difference in how they are treated by authorities.
People look at smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on January 7, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to more than 2,900 acres and 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate, while another fire broke out near Eaton Canyon. (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)
Despite this, David Katz, CEO of Global Security Group and ex Special Agent of the Drug Enforcement Administrationhe said his company pulled out of Los Angeles a few years ago.
“Robbery is bad…People stay and risk their lives because they know if they leave, their property will be stolen if it doesn’t end up in flames,” he told Fox News Digital. “I’ve got a bunch of guys who could go but would have to work off waivers.”
Firefighters protect what remains of homes from the Palisades fire. (Mark J. Terrill)
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Herman Weisberg, a former NYPD detective and managing director of SAGE Intelligence, a private investigation firm that also provides armed security to stars, said some of his clients fear they could lose irreplaceable artwork and other possessions to looters if the flames don’t go away. get to them first.
“The government has very [and] obviously a terrible, really difficult job they’re dealing with,” he told Fox News Digital. “And right now, we’re in the worst part of it from my perspective, trying to deal with the needs and concerns of our clients and also trying to respect the business governments and try to work with them instead of against them.”
A firefighter communicates outside the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9. (AP/Ethan Swope)
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He said he hasn’t seen a situation this bad since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005.
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“I was up all night trying to work on the logistics of getting people there and getting people settled and getting the right vehicles and supplies,” he said. “It’s going to be a difficult few days for my industry and for the government, the police, the firefighters and obviously, most of all, the families, individuals and businesses that are affected.”
Two people ride bicycles amid the destruction left behind by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Jae C. Hong/AP)
On the other hand, the cancellation of the Hollywood awards show has already removed some of the burden, allowing him to move from previously booked red carpet events to helping clients in their communities.
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“Instead of standing on a red carpet protecting people, they’re going to be out there protecting people in their communities,” he said. “The more things Hollywood cancels, the better for everybody, from a safety standpoint.”
