Famed detective agency Pinkerton moves headquarters to Ann Arbor

Aug. 08--Pinkerton, the detective agency so famous that it is credited with giving private eyes their nickname, is moving its global headquarters to downtown Ann Arbor.

"Our company was born in the Midwest, and we're very happy to be back where we started," Jack Zahran, the company president, said in an interview today from his new office, which is still being unpacked.

But more than going back to its roots, Pinkerton is a company with a storied past steeped in American history that also is seeking to reposition itself -- and its Hollywood image of tough guys on horseback guarding railways and presidents -- to a global risk management firm.

Zahran said he decided to move the company, which was founded in Chicago by Allan Pinkerton in 1850, to Ann Arbor because the city is close to high-tech employees, near the University of Michigan -- and an area he was familiar with, having grown up in Windsor and attended graduate school in metro Detroit.

The company did not seek, nor did it receive, economic incentives to move, he said.

Zahran expects offices to open by mid-August.

"It reflects well on the city and the state," Ann Arbor City Administrator Steve Powers said, pointing out that while the city has a small-town feel and an affordable cost of living, it also offers world-class thinkers and cultural events. "It shows the community is competitive."

About 30 employees -- many of whom are relocating from its former headquarters in Parsippany, N.J., and elsewhere -- will occupy the 11,000-square-foot global headquarters, Zahran said.

In the upcoming weeks, the company expects to hire about 10 workers.

Pinkerton, who was born in Scotland and immigrated to the U.S. in 1842, was a Chicago police detective. He later opened his own security firm, the Pinkerton Detective Agency. To professionalize private security, he created a code.

Among other things, the code called for: no bribes, no reward money, no divorce cases; and always work with local law enforcement and keep clients updated. Pinkerton hired Kate Warne, who is considered by many as America's first female detective.

In 1861, the agency uncovered and foiled a plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln.

During the Civil War, Pinkerton was head of the Union Intelligence Service.

Since then, Zahran said, the company has been a leader in detective work and important cases. He said the company helped pioneer mug shots and databases. It pursued outlaws, such as Jesse James and Butch Cassidy. It was hired to prevent looting after the Chicago fire. In fact, he said, the company logo, which included the image of an eye, is why detectives are nicknamed private eyes.

In the 1960s, Pinkerton guards escorted the priceless Mona Lisa painting, and they have been the subject of several movies and TV shows.

But, now, the company is owned by Swedish firm Securitas AB, and in the past two years, Zahran said, the firm has been moving away from providing just physical security to offering more cyber security and protecting intellectual property, as well as helping companies manage risk.

"We're not on horseback anymore," Zahran said. "Like any other company, you have to adapt and evolve."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com

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