Private Security and Homeland Security

Private Security Trends and Movements Private security plays such a significant role in the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that the DHS published in 2010 a Private Sector Resources Catalog that “centralizes access to all DHS resources targeted for the private sector including small and large businesses, academia, trade associations, and other non-governmental organizations” (DHS, 2018).

One example of a private security firm within the catalog is TRIPwire Community Gateway (TWCG)—“a web portal designed specifically for the nation’s CIKR owners, operators, and private security personnel.” The TWCG serves as a portal for private security groups to give analysis of threats, reports, and planning phases, helping private sector players working with the DHS the opportunity to plan for and detect potential terror threats. The trends in collaborating the efforts and partnerships of private security with the DHS are growing, too.

As the U.S. Department of Justice (2005) has noted, engaging the private sector to promote homeland security is essential in today’s day and age. The U.S. Department of Justice has noted that ever since 9/11, there has been a growing understanding of the need and appreciation for the private sector security industry: “law enforcement-private security partnerships have been viewed as critical to preventing terrorism and terror-related acts” (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005, p. vii).

As 85% of the U.S.’s infrastructure is overseen and protected by the private security sector, it was deemed incumbent that collaboration and partnership with the private sector be activated following 9/11 (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005). Yet, this type of collaboration did not suddenly come into being just after 9/11.

On the contrary, collaboration between private security and national security has been ongoing for many years: “the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Sheriffs’ Association, and ASIS International (formerly the American Society for Industrial Security) joined together, with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), to launch “Operation Cooperation,” a national effort to increase collaborative efforts between the private sector, particularly private security, and state and local law enforcement agencies” (U.S.

Department of Justice, 2005, p. vii). In other words, the U.S. has long recognized the need to work with private security personnel in the private sector to ensure that its national teams and agencies could obtain the support they required to protect the American homeland. It is now recognized across the board that collaborating with the private sector security industry allows U.S.

federal agencies to engage in more creative problem solving, more training programs, information sharing and data retrieval, community support within the industry, force multipliers, greater intelligence, better access to communications tech, and reductions in recovery time following national disasters, such as the Boston Bombing. Indeed, the U.S. Department of Justice now recommends that “police chiefs and sheriffs should consider formalizing relationships with their private security counterparts” as “formalization shows both law enforcement and private security employees that the partnership is an organizational priority” (p. vii).

In short, private.