According to the textbook, rising crime rates in the cities during the eighteenth century encouraged a new form of “private, monied police.” Referred to as Thief Takers, these private police agents were corrupt. They often made more income by “accepting hush money, giving perjured evidence, swearing false oaths, and operating extortion rackets.”
The use of private policing has quickly become as large as cities’ police forces. Although the appeal to the use of private policing for civilians and businesses is clear, there are some criticisms. For example, according to the RAND Corporation, problems due to little regulation include “abuse of authority, dishonest or poor business practice, nonreporting of crimes, and lack of public complaint channels.” Many are beginning to turn to the use of private policing instead of relying on the city’s police force for a stronger sense of protection. In the video regarding Detroit’s private police squad, Rev. Jimmy Womack states that he has felt much more comfortable and safe since hiring the V.I.P.E.R.S. Threat Management Specialists because their response time is so much quicker than that of Detroit police, and the private police show up every time.
In said video, Dale Brown, Commander of Detroit Threat Management, states that the private police squad differs from the city police in the fact that they are trained as bodyguards. I got the sense that private police are usually hired as preventative security measures. For example, in the video it is said that they were often hired for added protection, to stakeout and watch while business owners locked up shop at night.
References
Wildhorn, S. (1975, January 1). Issues in private security. RAND Corporation. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5422.html
Siegal, L. J., Worrall, J. L. ,(1978). Introduction to Criminal Justice. (16th edition)