Public and private policing antagonism and collaboration in America

Public and Private Policing Functions, Conflicts, And Solutions

In the United States, corporate security and other private policing organizations play a significant role in national security. That role increased substantially since the infamous terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in particular. Despite the fact that public-sector policing agencies and private-sector security organizations fulfill very similar and largely complementary functions, there is a tremendous antagonism and an overall negative component to the relationship between the public and private policing industries. That negative relationship is also primarily unidirectional in that it is public-sector police that tend to regard their private counterparts as inferior and undeserving of respect within the law enforcement industry.

Meanwhile, more effective collaboration between public and private policing would further the overall interest of security concerns and functions for several specific reasons, most notably, in relation to the lesser restrictions on the latter with respect to constitutional protections such as in the realm of search and seizure principles in particular.

To a certain extent, there is some validity to the criticisms leveled by public-sector police against the private sector security industry. On the other hand, the private security industry has improved substantially in the last decade. In principle, the most beneficial approach from the perspective of security and policing goals would be to reduce the unfounded criticism and antagonism of public-sector police toward private security along with a uniform design for addressing those criticisms that are valid.

The Fundamental Problem of Antagonism between Public and Private Police

Generally, public-sector police do not respect their private counterparts (Dalton, 2003). At worst, they regard them as unqualified and poorly trained; at worst, they refer to them as law enforcement "wannabes," "rentacops," "mall cops," and "square badges." To some degree, it may be true that some private security personnel lack the necessary qualifications for employment in public-sector law enforcement. However, the general lack of respect on the part of police for private security personnel is based much more on a fundamental prejudice that is attributable to the insular world of policing and the manner in which police personnel in the U.S. are socialized by their fellow officers to distinguish between "real" police and non-sworn private police (Dalton, 2003).

Especially, prior to 9/11, the view that private security personnel were untrained and unqualified for policing responsibilities was much more accurate than it is today (Ortmeier, 2009). Substantial evidence to the effect surfaced immediately after that attack in connection with a performance and qualification standards review of the Argenbright private security contractor that had been responsible for passenger screening at U.S. airports. That review led directly to the fast-tracking of the hiring and training of 60,000 federal security screeners in connection with the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and the comprehensive reorganization of national security agencies under the Bush administration in 2002 (Schmalleger, 2008).

The private security field also underwent significant reforms in connection with the qualifications, training, and (especially) vetting of employment candidates as well Ortmeier, 2009). Ironically, instead of recognizing the comprehensive improvement throughout the private security industry after 2001, many police personnel intensified their pre-existing disdain for all non-sworn security professionals instead (Dalton, 2003).

Toward a Solution

I addition to the 9/11 attacks, there were other incidents that rightfully cast doubt on the private security industry. One such incident was the notorious rape and murder of New York City graduate student Imette St. Guillen by ex-felon Darryl Littlejohn who was working as nightclub security at the trendy Greenwich Village nightclub where he attacked her (Schmalleger, 2008). However, those incidents (and others) prompted wholesale changes throughout the private security field. Admittedly, there is still a lack of uniformity of standards and qualifications within the industry (Ortmeier, 2009). However, many private security firms have implemented much stricter qualification and training standards. Establishing high-quality standards throughout the industry is certainly one necessary component to improving the quality of the relationship between public police and the private security industry. The other necessary component is a change in the culture within law enforcement with respect to the unjustified prejudice against the entire private security industry without regard to merit. Ultimately, it is beneficial to all stakeholders to rectify that situation by directing equal attention toward both of those issues.