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Privatizing Core Police Services

Jonathan Pascual

University of Maryland Global Campus

Introduction to Security Management (2245)

Professor Joshua Shandler

4/06/2024
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Partnership between the Police Department with Private Security Police

Introduction

The City of Millville has been experiencing an increase in criminal activities particularly

in the downtown part of the city. This region hosts a huge population with various businesses

such as restaurants, entertainment establishments and various other businesses. The various

crimes experienced in the region include assaults, gang activities, theft, serious vandalism as well

as burglaries. To deal with the rising criminal activities in the region, the police department has

taken various initiatives and approaches. Despite this various initiatives, various challenges

persist, reducing the effectiveness of their approaches and making it difficult to reduce criminal

activities. To address the issues facing the city, the study aims to explore the viability of the

hiring of private security personnel in carrying out various essential duties of the police officers

in response to the various public concerns over the ever-rising crime rates and perceived

deficiencies in the current police force. The report therefore aims to examine the potential

impacts on public safety, accountability and overall social and economic well-being, assessing

the drawbacks and benefits of this approach.

Historical Overview

Although there exists a considerable overlap in the missions of the private security and

the public law enforcement, the two groups can not be considered to as being the same. To begin

with, “public policing” is used to refer to the various services that are provided by the federal,

tribal, and state agencies which include the tribal, police and sheriff`s offices (Button, 2019). In

the United States, this particular offer the majority of the policing services within the United

States. They therefore primarily focus more on the street crimes rather than focusing on the
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corporate internal issues. On the other hand, the private security services are divided into two

major categories that include the corporate or proprietary security and the private or contract

security firms (Paek et al., 2020). The corporate security refers to the various security

departments within an enterprise or an organization.

The contract security firms provide security services to the businesses, banks and various

individuals. The functions of the private security can therefore differ significantly from the

functions of the state or federal law enforcement officers. According to the definition from

International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) report, a security practitioner can be a

manager of contract security officers, a director of a security at a multinational corporation, an

armed protector a power plant, or just a part0time guard at an outlet store (Paek et al., 2020). The

local police officers and sheriffs of any region may consider incorporating private security

measures into their own homeland security policies that are based on their jurisdictions specific

needs. It is therefore crucial for the City of Millville to consider a partnership with the private

security officers to ensure that they deal with the rising cases of criminal activities in the region.

Since the attacks that happened in September 11, 2001, the partnerships between the

public police officers and the private security operatives have been viewed as significant in

preventing various criminal activities. While the local law enforcement officers often have a

great access to information on criminal activities, they may lack enough resources to deal with

every one of these activities (Jamshidi, 2022). Partnerships between the police officers and the

private security operatives would therefore enhance the exchange of information to those that

indeed need it. Therefore, to ensure the reduction of crime in various regions in the United

States, the collaboration of the private security with the law enforcement forces serves essential

as neither has the necessary resources to do it independently.

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Law enforcement and private security operatives’ partnerships are not new. Before the

occurrence of the September 11 attack, the National Sheriff`s Association, the International

Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) all joined to form an alliance through the funding from

Office of Justice Programs`, U.S Department of Justice to launch “Operation Cooperation”

which was a national effort that was meant to increase collaborative efforts between the local law

enforcement operatives and the private security (Button, 2019). Nonetheless, these various

efforts must expand much more than the focus of crime-and-disorder to also include various

issues such as homeland security-related issues.

Comparative Analysis

The public law enforcement officers and private security both possess their own strengths

and flaws which must all be taken into account when developing a reasonable expectation of

what each can contribute to a partnership. The Private security operatives have long be

regarded as lacking or having insufficient preemployment assessment, coaching, requirements,

accreditation, supervision, and high turnover rates (Kostka et al., 2021). Nevertheless, according

to previous research from various institutions, private security has improved a lot in not only

their professionalism but also in the investment on the training.

Private security operatives also have considerable advantages when compared to the

public law enforcement officers. One of the main advantages is that the Private security officers

play a significant role due to their large numbers. They therefore have the ability to defend small

geographical regions with multiple cops or guards, which the public law enforcement cannot

afford (Kostka et al., 2021). According to research, it is also estimated that the Private security

employs over threefold as many individuals as the public law enforcement. In addition to that,

the amount of funding that goes to the Private security far exceed the amount of funding that
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goes to the local, county, and state law enforcement spending collectively. The Private protective

teams have also expanded and improved to include mobile community patrols and executive

protection personnel (Paek et al., 2020). Additionally, the ability of the private security firms to

recruit various professions ensures that various of the police security officers possess various

skills and knowledge to protect chemical plants, computer networks, health care institutions,

financial institutions, and computer networks.

On the other hand, the public law enforcement organizations are much far smaller in size

compared to the private security officers. Nonetheless, it is effective where private security is

poor. To start with, the public law enforcement has considerably more authorities when

compared to the private security. Furthermore, the recruitment procedure that is involved for one

to become a deputy or police officer is rigorous, and also involves a thorough background check

(Mumford et al., 2021). After recruitment, the Law enforcement officers have o also get well-

trained whereby they go through academy, field, and in-service teaching.

The public law enforcement officers that are also in the community policing

organizations also have well established relationships as well as trust with the individuals in the

community and business groups which allows information sharing throughout their careers. The

trust and information have proven crucial for dealing with various criminal activities. This would

serve indeed essential in dealing with crime since the private security companies may face

various restrictions that may prevent information sharing (Mumford et al., 2021). Nevertheless,

due to limited funding on their side the public law enforcement officers may not have the same

financial resources as the private enterprises (Button, 2019). Additionally, the reaction time for

the public law enforcement officers may also lag particularly in the remote regions whereby the
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calls may often involve a long journey while in the metropolitan regions, the excessive call loads

can cause significant delays in the response time.

Benefits of Law Enforcement and Private Security Partnership

In the city of Millville, the partnerships between the law enforcement and private security

would offer various advantages not only for parties involved but also for the member of the

society in the region. First of all, the private security officers will gain free access to training and

services offered by the public law enforcement officers, which will be convenient because they

will be able to acquire multiple skills (Casady et al., 2019). Through these offerings the

personnel can be able to expand the number of skills they possess and the amount of knowledge

they have acquired. This not only enhances on the financial cost but also prepare the private

security personnel for specialized training which may be difficult to be offered in the constraints

of law enforcement organizations (Button, 2019). Within such training, a great deal of

knowledge may be covered, from learning how to react when an emergency occurs, how to

properly manage a crisis situation, and employing high-tech equipment for surveillance and

investigation duties.

The partnership will also contribute to the flow of information and resources which is

highly beneficial for criminal investigations as well as incident response activities. Another

important plus for law enforcement is that through the cooperation with private security firms

they can get important evidence in criminal cases (Jennings & Perez, 2020). It is common to find

private security officers deployed all over the city and effectively act as extra pairs of eyes and

ears of the enrolees. They can offer valuable information, witness statements, and even security

camera footage that would be helpful in reconstructing the crime scene and identifying likely

perpetrators. Also, reporting by security staff is valuable so that the police can have better
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knowledge of incidents happening in the society. It should also be noted that private security

personnel are taught to alert the police immediately in case of any violations or suspicious

activity (Casady et al., 2019). Such information relay in real-time can be useful in crime

prevention, arrest of suspects, and keeping the general public secure.

Moreover, the cooperation between the police force and private security in the City of

Millville promotes that conducive atmosphere where innovative ideas as well he innovative and

flexible approaches to problem-solving can be realized. By sharing the knowledge, assets and

views, both actors are able to work on challenging issues in the field of security and potentially

provide a fresh approach that would have been unfeasible were the two entities to work

separately (Casady et al., 2019). One of the key beneficial factors leading to the constitute

effectiveness and creative problem solving when concerned parties combine their talents is the

fact that law enforcement officers have various skills, experiences and perceptions, the same

applies to personnel in private security companies. Police officers, detectives, particular agents,

special investigators, and other legal forces normally have great formal education and experience

in criminal law and justice, investigation and legal authorities (Kostka et al., 2021). On the other

hand, the private security has advantages such as experience in risk assessment, physical

security, and technology implementation. These aspects of knowledge enable the security sector

to approach a threat or a new emerging problem with a broad range of strategies, coming from its

rich diverse background.

Challenges in the Partnership

While there exist various advantages that would be obtained from the partnership, it is

also important to identify various obstacles that would face the partnership. These obstacles

include the lack of trust, misinformation as well as barriers to information sharing. To start with,
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it is clear that there exist various barriers to information sharing between the law enforcement

officers and the private security (Mumford et al., 2021). It is therefore essential for the law

enforcement officers to always recognize that the firms are only for profit. Due to their main

focus being on profit, the corporations may sometimes be hesitant to divulge confidential

information which could negatively impact profitability. If the firm official’s divulger the

information publicly during meetings, their competitors may use this particular knowledge as it

would then become available publicly through the Freedom of Information Act demands

(Jennings et al., 2020). Similarly to that, the public law enforcement also faces difficulties in

sharing their own information with various foreign owned security companies due to legal

constraints. The main obstacles to sharing information are trust and disinformation.

According to research, despite the discussions that exist between the two groups, the

overlapping missions as well as the need to work together, the level of trust between this two

remains to be quite low. They both see each other as having different objectives and sometimes

even as competitors. As per Peter Homel, the director of the crime prevention division at South

Wale, a successful partnership between these two entities requires reciprocal trust (Yu, 2018). He

further states that the successful partnership would be based on the working relationship between

the top executives. In numerous cases, these executives have worked together since in most

cases, the executives and managers of many private security companies have worked as public

law enforcement officer before transitioning to the private sector (Kostka et al., 2021). It is

therefore crucial for a healthy working relationship not only between the staff members but also

between the executives to ensure that they build trust that will be meaningful to both of the

parties involved.
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One of the key sources of lack of trust lies on misunderstandings and misinformation.

Unfortunately, it is most common that the law enforcement and the private security lack a clear

understanding of each other’s role and capacities. Although this may be unfavourable to crime

and disruption, it also may be concerning for dealing with criminal activities (Jennings & Perez,

2020). It is worth mentioning the fact that even petty criminality is always potentially lethal

acting on human bodies, psyche, and wallets. For effective provision of law enforcement-private

security relationships, individual`s need to effectively communicate with the different levels of

their organizations, right from the line officers and guards.

The relationships between law enforcement and private security in the City of Millville

offer a lot of hope to curb increased criminal incidences and improve the safety of the society.

Through the implementation of each-other’s task strengths, which include training and resource

provisions for the private security companies and information sharing among the police, the

cooperation is mutually beneficial to the involved and extends to the entire society. In this way,

the private security sellers acquire useful competencies and preparedness amid the opportunity to

get specific training, and the buyers, in turn, obtain necessary evidence as well as information on

the incidents. Furthermore, through a teamwork context, it would promote the kind of thinking

that brings new and creative solutions to address a problem. Difficulties such as information

restrictions and distrust arise as major threats to such collaborations, yet the management of

these challenges remains vital in achieving enhanced relations and collaboration. Thus, the

partnership means a more secure living and working environment for the people of Millville,

marking its importance for the city’s, protection and prosperity.

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References

Button, M. (2019). The “New” Private Security Industry, the Private Policing of Cyberspace and

the Regulatory Questions. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 36(1), 39–55.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986219890194

Casady, C. B., Eriksson, K., Levitt, R. E., & Scott, W. R. (2019). (Re)defining public-private

partnerships (PPPs) in the new public governance (NPG) paradigm: an institutional

maturity perspective. Public Management Review, 22(2), 161–183.

https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2019.1577909

Jamshidi, M. (2022). The Private Enforcement of National Security. Cornell Law Review, 108,

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-020-09536-2

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and the United States. Public Understanding of Science, 30(6), 096366252110015.

https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625211001555

Mumford, E. A., Liu, W., & Taylor, B. G. (2021). Profiles of U.S. Law Enforcement Officers’

Physical, Psychological, and Behavioral Health: Results From a Nationally

Representative Survey of Officers. Police Quarterly, 24(3), 109861112199111.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611121991111
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Paek, S. Y., Nalla, M. K., & Lee, J. (2020). Determinants of police officers’ support for the

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