WEEKLY BRIEFING: Security Firm Provides Education to Schools It started out as a good way to make some extra money. But after a couple of years of working as a security guard on the side, John Nagy left the Los Angeles Police Department to devote full time to his new business that by then had grown to include a handful of off-duty police officers. Today, Nagy heads Van Nuys-based Nagy Protection Services, providing security service but also seminars to his clients about the keys to becoming safe and secure. It services the Valley’s top private schools and some major businesses. “I started out with the LAPD in 1972 and a little later I started working with private schools who needed security guards. A lot of the protection for private schools was done by off-duty police officers so it was natural for me to join. “It was a great job because everybody was getting the best of both worlds. Getting a police officer training with security officers. And it was good to work in that environment with school officials because the people were very friendly and they always listened to what you had to say. “So in 1990, I decided to start my own security business using my own contacts and I was lucky and got one school which was very important. It was Campbell Hall, here in the Valley. “I used the little money from my grandmother that I inherited and bought a couple of cars, a few radios and some uniforms to get the business going. “In the beginning, I had one employee and one account, but it started to grow slowly until we got this big account and that’s when it really took off. Saban Entertainment has a really big building and when we got that contract, suddenly, we went from 50 to 150 guards. “But our focus has continued to be private schools and academies here in the Valley. We protect about 45,000 students today. Our focus is to not only provide security for these schools, but also to train staff members in various things that help make the schools more secure. “Recently, we staged an intrusion at a school and had a guy jump over a fence and everyone responded well to that. It’s these things that help make a campus secure and protect students. “These schools have responded well to us and have givenus great recommendations to other schools and that has really helped us grow. “Our job is basically to educate. We developed a vulnerability assessment for schools and how to lock campuses down and evacuate which are very important if anything happens.” Carlos Martinez
