Armed private security guards hired by PG&E took up position outside Fairmont Elementary, unsettling parents and staff and prompting the principal to confront the crew in person. The sight of visibly armed, tactical-style officers posted near classrooms quickly turned into a neighborhood argument over safety, communication and who gets to decide what is "secure" around a school.
What neighbors and school staff saw
Parents and Fairmont staff told reporters they saw two armed men in tactical gear standing by marked vehicles near the corner of Lexington and Stockton Avenues, and that photos showed "private security" logos on the cars. Principal Heather Best says she stayed outside to supervise the guards on the sidewalk and alerted elected officials after staff raised concerns about the guards’ proximity to playgrounds and classrooms, according to Richmondside. School sources also said an associate superintendent visited the site and that the district sent its own security officer while the company crews were in the area.
PG&E says it sometimes uses contract security
In an email cited by Richmondside, PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian confirmed the individuals were private security crews contracted to support the safe completion of work and noted that the utility sometimes sends crews with contract security to protect workers. The company did not immediately provide details about the contract or what work, if any, was being done at the Fairmont site when the guards were spotted.
District guidance on immigration and campus safety
The West Contra Costa Unified School District directs parents to a set of resources and policies that spell out how schools should respond to immigration-enforcement activity and protect student privacy. The district’s immigration support page outlines "District Protocols for Emergency Response to I.C.E." and emphasizes safeguarding student and family information, according to WCCUSD.
Why Triple Canopy alarms some residents
The guards were identified by parents and staff as working for Triple Canopy, a firm that is part of the Constellis family of companies with a lineage tied to Academi/Blackwater. National reporting has noted that Constellis subsidiaries have been involved in recent federal immigration contracts. The Washington Post reported on ICE’s skip-tracing program and named Constellis among firms connected to those procurements, while federal procurement records list Omniplex, a Constellis subsidiary, as an awardee for skip-tracing work. See reporting by The Washington Post and federal contract records at GovTribe.
Security contracting and local safety context
Job listings and recruiting pages show Constellis and Triple Canopy hiring armed protection officers to staff PG&E sites in the Bay Area, which helps explain why residents recognized the vehicles as private security posts for the utility. Neighbors also point to a surge in copper theft and infrastructure vandalism around the state, a problem state officials have publicly flagged, and violent attacks on utility workers have been reported in recent years, including a 2023 stabbing that injured a PG&E employee in Ione. For context, see a California AG roundtable summary on LegiStorm and coverage of the Ione attack on KCRA.
What officials and families want next
Local elected officials and school leaders are pressing PG&E for more transparency about why armed contractors were operating so close to an elementary school and whether the company will change how it deploys security near campuses. Parents say they want clearer rules about identification and advance notice when armed contractors will be working in residential neighborhoods, and officials have signaled they will invite PG&E to explain its policies in a public setting.
