THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Anxiety over high-profile violence has the wealthy spending big on armed security, bunkers and even moats to keep themselves safe from intruders
British music producer Alex Grant was living in an under-construction mega-mansion in Los Angeles when, one morning shortly after 9 a.m., an armed intruder burst into the home.
“He came in and we had a tussle,” recalled Grant, formerly known as Alex Da Kid. Grant managed to call his manager, who phoned the police. Soon, officers and helicopters were on the scene.
He briefly considered abandoning the project after the 2017 break-in but ultimately finished the 24,000-square-foot home, which has eight pools, a car elevator and a nightclub. But, he doubled down on security features, installing a guard house, tall gates and a security system with retina scanners that alert the homeowner to movement in the home. “Later, I found out he had these knives on him,” said Grant, who recently listed the mansion and a neighboring house for $85 million after moving to New York.
In an era of high-profile violence—including the suspected abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s mother from her Arizona home just over a week ago—the wealthy are investing heavily in their personal security, particularly when it comes to their homes.
Security measures once reserved for presidents and royalty—safe rooms, biometric access controls, laser-powered perimeter defenses—are now mainstream items in luxury homes. Executive-protection teams and armed guards patrol gated enclaves and suburban estates, while tech startups are rolling out predictive threat-detection systems built for the ultra-wealthy. The shift reflects a hardening view among the affluent: Traditional policing and communal safety are no longer enough, so security is being privatized, customized.
This new emphasis is reflected in sales data. Roughly 45% of luxury homes sold in 2025 included a reference to privacy or security, according to Coldwell Banker Realty, up from 38% in 2024. » | Katherine Clarke and E. B. Solomont | Wednesday, February 11, 2026