AlliedBarton Picked for Security Patrols

The West Chester Borough Council voted on Tuesday to sign a one-year contract with AlliedBarton Security Services to conduct patrols in the neighborhoods surrounding West Chester University on weekend nights.

Local firm ELPS Private Detective Agency has been conducting the patrols since March of last year, but AlliedBarton underbid the agency for the 2013 contract.

“Our hands are tied,” said borough council member Jordan Norley.  “We have to go with the lowest bidder.”

Norley added, “There have been no complaints about [ELPS] by the police or anyone at all.  We had a good working relationship, and they knew the neighborhoods.”

West Chester mayor Carolyn Comitta thanked ELPS owner Jeff Stine for the work he did.

“You really did a great job,” Comitta said.  “I thank you and the residents thank you.  You did such a good job that borough council would’ve rehired you if they legally could.”

AlliedBarton is one of the largest private security firms in the country with $1.6 billion in annual revenue.  The company also runs the security operations for over 100 universities nationwide. 

The company is headquartered in Conshohocken, and also runs security for Chester County including the county courthouse.

A representative for AlliedBarton at Tuesday’s meeting said that the organization would attend monthly campus community coalition meetings and provide input.

The representative also said that his team could provide reports on the progress of the patrols on whatever schedule borough council wanted.

Borough council put out a request for proposal last month as the ELPS contract was set to expire at the end of January.

ELPS sent in a bid of $18.50 per hour, while the AlliedBarton bid was $16.67 per hour.

“I wanted to thank borough council for 2012,” said ELPS owner Jeff Stine.  “We really enjoyed the assignment.”