Throughout our history, we have served as guardians and protectors of organizations around the world, defining new industry standards for comprehensive risk management, and consistently revolutionizing our industry.

From our roots serving as an intelligence agency during the Civil War, Pinkerton has continued to build an impressive track record establishing the first criminal database, being the first company to hire a female detective, and being a forerunner for the secret service. Discover how Pinkerton has played a historic role in the risk management industry for over a century by following our company and our accomplishments through the years in the timeline below.

  • 1842

    1842

    Allan Pinkerton immigrates to the United States

  • 1847

    1847

    Discovers counterfeiters while scouting for barrel timber on the Fox River

  • 1850

    1850

    The first Pinkerton office opens at 80 Washington St, Chicago, Illinois

  • 1855

    1855

    Allan signs a contract to guard the Illinois Central Railroad

  • 1856

    1856

    Hires the first female detective, Kate Warne

  • 1861

    1861

    Safely protects the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, from the first assassination attempt on his life

  • 1870

    1870

    Pinkerton's National Detective Agency invents the mug shot, calling their collection of images "Rogue's Gallery"

  • 1906

    1906

    Pinkerton now has 20 different offices throughout the United States

  • 1925

    1925

    Allan, grandson of Allan Pinkerton Sr., incorporates the agency and becomes its first president

  • 1942

    1942

    Industrial guard services increase during war times

  • 1960

    1960

    Corporate headquarters is moved to New York City, New York

  • 1962

    1962

    Pinkerton agents escort the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, safely across the Atlantic Ocean

  • 1965

    1965

    Agency name changes to Pinkerton's Inc. to reflect its function in supplying security services to many different types of vendors

  • 1969

    1969

    Pinkerton offices are established in Hong Kong, opening the doors to operations in Asia

  • 1998

    1998

    Pinkerton successfully evacuates 431 expatriates from Indonesia during the Asian Currency Crisis

  • 2005

    2005

    Pinkerton mobilizes 313 agents to assist clients in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma

  • 2012

    2012

    Pinkerton transforms into a global provider of corporate risk management and pioneered the holistic approach to ESRM

  • 2013

    2013

    Debuts the Risk Wheel and End-to-End Delivery through Embedded Subject Matter Experts

  • 2014

    2014

    Global headquarters is relocated from New Jersey to Ann Arbor, Michigan

  • 2019

    2019

    Nearly 150 years after inventing the mug shot, Pinkerton releases Crime Index, combining Pinkerton's crime-fighting history and frontier data science

  • 2020

    2020

    Established Comprehensive Risk Management platform to unlock Assess | Design | Deliver framework for specialized solutions

  • 2021

    2021

    Pinkerton celebrates 171 Years of business with the Years of Pinkerton

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We help organizations identify, mitigate & manage business risks and security concerns anywhere in the world.
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