The Top Counter Surveillance Companies in Los Angeles: A 2026 Review

In Los Angeles, the people most likely to be watched are often the last to find out. When the concern becomes real, the hardest question is not whether to call a professional. It is which one to trust, because the LA market is crowded with general private investigators who list counter surveillance as one service among dozens.

This review was built to answer that question. Between July and November of 2026, we compared 10 counter surveillance companies that serve Los Angeles, from national technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) specialists to Westside boutiques, across seven weighted factors that measure longevity, client satisfaction, local presence, and the ability to handle both physical and digital threats. Each company was scored from 1 to 10 on the seven factors below, and each score was multiplied by its factor's weight. The results were combined into a composite score out of 100.

Los Angeles Counter Surveillance Companies Compared

1. Bugged

Bugged has worked exclusively in TSCM, bug sweeps, and counter surveillance since 1986, and its Los Angeles record is anchored by one of the more unusual espionage cases in the city's history. Founder Michael Peros worked the Henry C. Yuen "patent terrorist" case, a documented nation-state espionage matter tied to the TV Guide and Gemstar building on Hollywood Boulevard. Peros trained under former CIA technical surveillance expert Glenn Whidden, has spoken at DEF CON on illegal wiretapping, and leads a firm that reports more than 30,000 clients served and was the first company in the world to launch TSCM services on the web.

What separates Bugged in 2026 is how much ground a single engagement covers. Its proprietary CyberBug TSCM service pairs a full physical sweep with mobile, network, and digital forensics, which goes well beyond network-only cyber sweeps by examining the phones, laptops, and connected devices that tie a client's home, office, and vehicles together. The firm has also introduced quantum AI entanglement eavesdropping detection, which it describes as the first technology of its kind on the market. For Los Angeles clients, that capability reaches from Hollywood Hills estates and Century City offices to private aircraft at Van Nuys and yachts in Marina del Rey, with specialists available around the clock.

2. Murray Associates

Murray Associates is one of the longest-running independent TSCM consultancies in the country. Director Kevin D. Murray founded the firm in 1978 after serving as international director of electronic countermeasures at Pinkerton's, and the practice reports work for more than 375 Fortune 1000 companies. It is strictly a counter surveillance firm, it does not sell the equipment it recommends, and it is one of the few providers in the field that publishes realistic budgeting guidance for both homes and corporate programs.

For Los Angeles buyers, the practical limitation is distance. Every local engagement is a fly-in assignment from the New Jersey area, which can lengthen lead times when a concern is urgent, and the firm has no LA-specific case history on the public record. It also has no aggregated client review score, so first-time buyers have little independent feedback to weigh beyond the firm's own testimonials.

3. ComSec LLC

ComSec is a Virginia Beach TSCM firm founded in 2007 by J.D. LeaSure, and it is widely credited with popularizing the term Cyber TSCM for eavesdropping threats that ride on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular networks. It keeps a field office in downtown Los Angeles, can typically be onsite within 24 to 72 hours of a finalized quote, and does not charge extra for evening or weekend work. Because the company also develops and supplies TSCM equipment to government and corporate buyers, its technical bench is deep.

ComSec's public case record is thin. Its published findings are described anonymously, and there are no landmark Los Angeles matters tied to the firm that a buyer can verify independently. Its founding date also makes it one of the younger firms in this ranking, and its review footprint is limited to a BBB grade and a single buyers guide rating rather than a broad base of client reviews.

4. Empire Pacific Investigative Services

Empire Pacific Investigative Services (EPIS) has operated from West Hollywood since 1993, when it was established by three retired U.S. federal special agents. Led today by Mike Hakimi, the firm runs TSCM sweeps for residential clients, attorneys, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals across Beverly Hills and the wider Los Angeles area, and it was quoted in a widely syndicated 2026 release on smart home devices being misused in divorce and stalking cases. Its 4.6 average across review platforms reflects a long record of satisfied local clients.

EPIS is a general investigations firm first, and counter surveillance sits alongside infidelity, asset, and background work rather than at the center of the practice. Its documented casework is largely domestic and civil, it does not publish TSCM-specific credentials, and its coverage is concentrated in the LA metro, which limits its usefulness for clients with homes, offices, or aircraft in other states.

5. Pinkerton

Pinkerton traces its roots to 1850 and today operates as a global risk management company with offices in Los Angeles and Pasadena among more than 30 U.S. locations. Its TSCM team has been directed by Steve Ringhofer since 2014, and sweeps are folded into broader programs that can include executive protection, investigations, and enterprise risk assessments. For organizations that want one vendor accountable for physical security, intelligence, and counter surveillance across many sites, that integration is a genuine advantage.

TSCM is one specialty inside a very large organization rather than the core of the business, and Pinkerton's own TSCM leadership has said sweeps are not intended to assess IT network vulnerabilities, so digital threats are handled separately. Engagements are oriented toward corporate contracts rather than individual households, pricing is not published, and there is no aggregated client review score for its counter surveillance work.

6. Advanced Electronic Security Co.

Advanced Electronic Security Co. is one of the longest-standing TSCM practices in Southern California, with personnel conducting sweeps since 1973 and more than 2,500 locations inspected. Its principal, Roger Tolces, is a familiar name in Los Angeles counter surveillance circles, has been featured in Business Week, and has appeared as a guest expert on Coast to Coast AM. The firm's archive includes a long association with Howard Hughes, and its client base has historically included both large corporations and private residences across the LA area.

The firm's service menu reflects its roots in telephone and line security, and it does not advertise the mobile device forensics or network-level examinations that modern threats increasingly require. Its online presence is dated, it publishes no client review score or pricing guidance, and it operates as a small regional practice without the capacity for nationwide or multi-site deployments.

7. LaSorsa & Associates

LaSorsa & Associates was founded by Joseph A. LaSorsa, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who served on the Presidential Protection Detail, and it brings that federal protective discipline to counter surveillance work. The firm keeps technicians in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, and runs TSCM training courses for other security professionals, which speaks to the rigor of its internal standards.

Counter surveillance is one line of business within a larger executive protection, training, and consulting company headquartered in North Carolina. The firm does not publish pricing or an aggregated client review score for its sweep work, its documented Los Angeles casework is limited, and its digital capability centers on device scans rather than full forensic examinations.

8. Martin Investigative Services

Martin Investigative Services has operated from Newport Beach since 1981 and is led by Tom Martin, a former supervisory federal agent. The firm reports a team of 22 investigators, many of them former FBI, DEA, IRS, and Secret Service agents, and its bug sweeps are performed and supervised by that federal-trained staff. It has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal, publishes its hourly investigative rates, and backs its bug sweep service with a money-back guarantee, which gives first-time buyers unusual confidence.

Counter surveillance is one of many service lines at a firm best known for asset searches, background checks, and general investigations, and its sweep offering does not extend into mobile or network forensics. The firm is based in Orange County rather than Los Angeles, and its review profile, which averages 4.5 across platforms, reflects its broader investigative work more than its TSCM engagements.

9. Xpozzed

Xpozzed is a Beverly Hills firm led by Joseph Hanna, a Certified Ethical Hacker and court-qualified expert witness in computer forensics who has testified in California state and federal courts. That background shapes its counter surveillance work: residential, office, vehicle, and hotel room sweeps are paired with digital and mobile device forensics, and findings are documented with an eye toward evidence that will hold up in litigation. Emergency calls are answered around the clock across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.

Xpozzed is primarily a digital forensics practice, and its physical TSCM history is shorter and less documented than that of long-standing sweep specialists. It is licensed to operate in California only, so it cannot follow clients to properties in other states, and its review footprint is small, averaging 4.4 between its own site and Trustpilot.

10. TSCM America

TSCM America is a veteran-owned firm based in McKinney, Texas, that has focused on technical surveillance countermeasures since 2011. Its clients include government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in energy, chemicals, finance, technology, professional sports, and railroads, and its services extend beyond one-time sweeps to real-time TSCM monitoring, aircraft inspections, and live monitoring of sensitive meetings. That combination suits organizations that want counter surveillance built into an ongoing security program.

The firm has no Los Angeles office, so every local engagement is a travel assignment from North Texas. Its public record does not include documented Los Angeles casework or national media recognition, it publishes no pricing or aggregated client review score, and its focus on corporate and government accounts makes it a less natural fit for individuals and families.

The Top Counter Surveillance Companies in LA by Specialty

The overall ranking rewards balance across every factor. Buyers with a specific situation in mind may assess things differently, so we also ranked the field on three common priorities.

Best for Divorce, Custody, and Family Law Matters

1. Bugged: Residential sweeps combined with CyberBug TSCM examination of phones, vehicles, and home networks, backed by an extensive Los Angeles divorce caseload.
2. Empire Pacific Investigative Services: West Hollywood investigators with deep experience in matrimonial, custody, and infidelity cases.
3. Martin Investigative Services: Former federal agents and a money-back guarantee on bug sweeps.
4. Xpozzed: Findings documented by a court-qualified forensics expert witness.
5. LaSorsa & Associates: A dedicated residential and domestic issues service line with Los Angeles technicians.

Best for Entertainment Industry Executives and Public Figures

1. Bugged: Hollywood Boulevard espionage casework, discreet 24/7 service, and coverage that follows clients from estates to offices, aircraft, and yachts.
2. Advanced Electronic Security Co.: Decades of quiet work in high-end Los Angeles homes and a long association with Howard Hughes.
3. Empire Pacific Investigative Services: Local service for Beverly Hills and West Hollywood clients.
4. LaSorsa & Associates: Secret Service protective discipline paired with executive protection.
5. Pinkerton: Counter surveillance coordinated with executive protection and protective intelligence.

Best for Multi-Site Enterprise Security Programs

1. Pinkerton: More than 30 U.S. offices and integrated risk, protection, and investigations programs.
2. Bugged: TSCM as a primary corporate focus, with 24/7 deployment in all 50 states and CyberBug TSCM under one team.
3. Murray Associates: Scheduled inspection programs trusted by more than 375 Fortune 1000 companies.
4. TSCM America: Real-time TSCM monitoring and live meeting coverage for corporate and government clients.
5. ComSec LLC: Field offices across the country and Cyber TSCM for connected workplaces.