SOMERVILLE, MASS. — Stand at Davis Square on a Saturday night and then ride the Green Line two stops to Union Square. You won’t recognize it as the same city. That’s the trick of Somerville: New England’s most densely populated municipality isn’t one neighborhood repeated seven times, it’s seven genuinely different ones stacked on top of each other.
By Derek Kreymer, Operations Manager
Hub Security and Investigative Group provides security guard services in Somerville, MA — armed and unarmed guards, mobile patrol, and licensed private investigation services — sized to a city of roughly 81,036 residents packed into just over four square miles, the most densely populated municipality in New England. Somerville is organized around a string of commercial squares — Davis, Union, Assembly, Teele, Ball, Magoun, and Gilman — each with its own MBTA stop and its own character, and Hub’s coverage plan changes accordingly.
Security Built Around Somerville’s Squares
Davis Square has been a dense, transit-driven retail and nightlife hub since the Red Line arrived in 1984 — heavy foot traffic, bars and restaurants, and the loss-prevention and crowd-management needs that come with both. Union Square, newly connected by the 2022 Green Line Extension, is in the middle of major redevelopment, which keeps construction site security in high demand there. Assembly Square is a different animal again: a large retail and office redevelopment anchored by an Orange Line station, now home to Mass General Brigham’s headquarters alongside big-box retail and residential towers — a mix of corporate access control, retail loss prevention, and residential concierge-style coverage in one commercial district. The residential neighborhoods across the Seven Hills — Winter Hill, Ten Hills, East Somerville, Spring Hill — are dense triple-decker and multi-family housing, where the more common need is property patrol and building access control rather than commercial security.
What Local Crime Data Actually Shows
Somerville’s crime profile runs opposite to what you might expect from a dense city, and it’s worth stating plainly rather than guessing. According to the FBI’s 2024 crime data as compiled by NeighborhoodScout, Somerville’s violent crime rate — 2.22 per 1,000 residents — is actually lower than the Massachusetts state average of 3.15 per 1,000. Property crime is the real driver of Somerville’s numbers: at 16.96 per 1,000 residents, it runs well above the state average of 11.12 — consistent with the bike theft, package theft, and car break-ins that come with dense, transit-oriented squares and on-street parking. Overall, Somerville’s crime rate ranks higher than about 94% of Massachusetts cities and towns, driven almost entirely by property crime volume rather than violent crime.
That pattern points toward visible deterrence in commercial squares and around transit stops, and package/asset protection for dense residential buildings, rather than an armed-guard-first approach.
Coverage by Square & District
| Area | Key Local Features | Hub Security Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Davis Square | Red Line station, dense nightlife and retail corridor | Foot patrol, crowd management, retail loss prevention |
| Union Square | Green Line Extension station, active redevelopment | Construction site security, access control |
| Assembly Square | Orange Line station, Mass General Brigham HQ, retail and residential towers | Corporate access control, retail loss prevention, concierge-style residential coverage |
| Winter Hill, Ten Hills, East Somerville, Spring Hill | Dense triple-decker and multi-family residential neighborhoods | Property patrol, building access control, package protection |
What Hub Security Provides in Somerville
- Armed and unarmed uniformed security guards, standing officers, and mobile patrol
- Foot patrol and crowd management for Davis Square’s retail and nightlife corridor
- Construction site security for active redevelopment in Union Square and elsewhere
- Corporate access control and retail loss prevention for Assembly Square’s offices and retail
- Residential building patrol and package/asset protection for dense multi-family housing
- Licensed background check and corporate investigation services, surveillance, and asset searches
Serving Somerville and the Surrounding Area
Somerville sits between Cambridge and Medford in Middlesex County, and Hub Security’s coverage extends to the neighboring inner-suburb communities.
Why Somerville Businesses and Residents Choose Hub
- Massachusetts-licensed for both security guard services and private investigating services
- Fully insured, with background-checked officers and ongoing training
- GPS patrol tracking and unannounced supervisor inspections
- Local management that knows Somerville’s square-by-square layout — not a national call center or app-based broker
- 24/7 emergency dispatch at (617) 857-1200
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Somerville a high-crime city? It depends on the category. FBI data shows Somerville’s violent crime rate is actually below the Massachusetts average, but property crime — bike theft, package theft, car break-ins — runs well above average, which is why Hub’s coverage in Somerville emphasizes visible deterrence and asset protection over an armed-guard-first approach.
Do you provide security for retail and nightlife areas like Davis Square? Yes, including foot patrol and crowd management tailored to dense, transit-driven commercial squares.
Can you cover construction sites in Union Square during redevelopment? Yes, including overnight security for materials and equipment at active construction sites.
Are your guards licensed and insured in Massachusetts? Yes — Hub is fully licensed for both security guard services and private investigating services, with comprehensive insurance on every deployment.
Call Hub Security & Investigative Group at (617) 857-1200 for a free consultation on security guard services in Somerville, MA, or request a quote online.