Our Story
From Police Officer to Police-Trusted Security Company
Our story goes back to when Sonny Bates started his law enforcement career as a military police officer in the US Air Force in the late 1960’s. After he completed his service for our Country, Sonny became a Dallas, Texas, police officer. Much of the fundamentals he learned in security are from his years in military service and his 9 years of service with the Dallas Police Department.
As a police officer, Sonny responded to many security system calls but one security company, Sonitrol, always stood out because of their unique technology that gave officers like him a significantly better chance to apprehend the criminals. He actually apprehended criminals off Sonitrol security system dispatches! When Sonny was ready for the next step in his career, he naturally went to work for Sonitrol of Dallas. He began his career there as a salesperson and quickly became the general manager. During this time his wife, Pat Bates, also went to work for Sonitrol of Dallas.
By 1984, Sonny and Pat were ready to go out on their own and were fortunate enough to buy the independent Sonitrol of Lexington, Kentucky franchise. Sonitrol of Lexington was started in 1969 by Harry and Ann Miller. After Harry’s passing, Ann wanted to pass what they had built on to another family that would take care of their customers and grow the business. So, in 1984, Sonny and Pat got to work and started building the business by bringing in new energy and services to the company’s offering. The Sonitrol of Lexington franchise is still an important part of our business, but our overall business has now grown into what is today Bates Security.
Sonny’s law-enforcement background and insight into the criminal mind gave him a unique perspective on security. That perspective helped grow the company from a small business in Lexington with 331 active accounts to a national security company with over 16,000 customers.
Today, Sonny and Pat are retired from the business, and the day-to-day operations are now in the hands of their sons, Jeremy and Bryan, who grew up working at Bates and have a combined 50+ years of experience between them. Jeremy, Bryan, and the team they’ve built over the last few decades have a deep understanding of both security fundamentals and customer service. That carries over into the company’s guiding principles, and it’s what has made Bates Security one of the largest security companies in the nation, ranking at #34 in the most recent SDM 100 security rankings.
Bates has achieved phenomenal growth and great results for the businesses and homes we protect. As we continue to grow, we remain committed to the same custom security installations and exceptional customer service that made us the company we are today.
Our 3 guiding principles
1) Don’t just sell products, provide service
We don’t just sell you security equipment and leave. We take a consultative approach to security. That means we send a security professional to your home or business to find exactly what security services you need and where. Then we install it all for you and teach you how to use it, so there’s no guessing on your part.
2) Use only solid security equipment
As a police officer, Sonny saw how cheap security equipment was about as useful as having no equipment at all. That’s why, to keep you safe, we only install sturdy, tamperproof security equipment.
3) Provide local customer service that cares
Who wants to talk to a recording on the phone, when you need customer service now? No one! When you call us, you’ll always get live customer service at our local customer service center.
