Lately, there has been much criticism and many large demonstrations against our police and their techniques. Some concerns are legitimate, and some are definitely fabricated. By far, the majority of our law enforcement officers are honest, hardworking, and caring about the communities they serve.
Unfortunately, in many areas, problems do exist with both the way officers and the citizens interact and in the perception of police in general.
There are several opinions as to why a private police force might be more efficacious than a public one. In some cases, the ideas in the following excerpt from an opinion piece and another full article below might be worth considering.
In my opinion, an excellent, well disciplined private security force fully accountable to the community it serves would certainly be more preferable to a militarized, nationalized force under DC control.
Not only is SEAL more successful at crime prevention than traditional law enforcement, they’re cheaper. Sharpstown is saving $200,000 per year over their previous contract with the constable, and they get more patrol officers for less money.
Civil libertarians will appreciate the accountability of SEAL’s officers; they cannot hide behind qualified immunity and police unions. “We do not receive the same protection, as we are in the private sector,” Alexander states, “However we are not bound by the same restraints either, like violating civil rights.” While his second statement may be a little troubling, it should be noted that because of their private sector status, any SEAL officer who crosses the line can be held personally liable, both criminally and financially, unlike government agents. source
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Texas Town Hires Private Police Force … And Then Something Stunning Happened
American police forces have had more than their share of bad publicity. Corruption, racial profiling, use of excessive force … rightly or wrongly, it has all been reported regularly on the televised evening news. And it appears to be happening nationwide.
So one Texas town decided to think outside the box. The civic leaders fired the public constable’s office. Private security agents were subsequently hired. The result? A 61 percent drop in crime.
Sharpstown, located southwest of Houston, had had enough. Public policing was proving to be ineffective. So, in 2012, town leaders did not renew the community’s contract with its constable’s division.
Instead, they hired private security officers from SEAL Security Systems. The new officers moved in and, in slightly less than two years, crime had dropped by almost two-thirds, according to SEAL Security’s director of operations, James Alexander.
Why the drastic improvement? Alexander believes it is because SEAL Security follows a rather obvious–sounding strategy of focusing policing in areas that need it most.
SEAL Security, of course, hopes to make money keeping Sharpstown streets safe. Consequently, the company’s officers are trained to avoid incidents that can lead to expensive lawsuits against the city for police-related misbehavior. Such incidents would ultimately cut into SEAL Security’s bottom line.
And, city leaders are happy. Sharpstown saved $200,000 a year compared with the expense of maintaining the constable’s office (H/T Infowars).
Now, more than 70 communities in the Houston metropolitan area have contracted with SEAL Security Systems.
Maybe more American communities should consider a private company to carry out law enforcement.
If you think private security forces may be an effective solution for problem-prone public police departments, please share this article on Facebook.
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