The Privatization of Police in America
An Analysis and Case Study
Today
the private security industry employs approximately 1.5 million people
and spends over $52 billion annually. In contrast, public police
forces employ approximately 600,000 people and spend $30 billion
annually. Private policing promises to be a big part of the response
to today’s
increased security concerns, as citizens realize that security is
much more than the presence of guards and the perception of safety.
This book addresses the impact and implications of private policing
on public streets, and begins with a look at private policing from
conceptual,
historical, economic, legal and functional perspectives. These approaches
provide the background for the text, which focuses on a private policing
patrol program in a community on the south side of Chicago. The text
also demonstrates a number of substantive legal and public policy
issues which directly or indirectly relate to the provision of security
services;
some people see the need for a “dual system” of policing—one
for the wealthy and one for the poor—and others see the provision
of private security as the primary protective resource in contemporary
America. The author also examines how private policing is different
from and similar to public policing.
James F. Pastor ISBN: 0-7864-1574-6
220pp. tables, figures, appendices, notes, bibliography, index, $39.95
softcover 2003
Security Management Review:
After 9-11, the public demanded a level of security that fiscally constrained governments were hard-pressed to deliver. Private security firms have stepped in. The problem is that the training, pay, and benefits for security officers lag far below what is offered to police.
This academic study should encourage private security practitioners and police executives to think critically about the relationship between public and private policing.
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McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson,
North Carolina 28640
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336-246-4460
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