Security Development in the Growth

Security Development in the Growth and Professionalism of Private Security Private security in the United States is a major industry, directly employing in excess of 1.1 million people (SEIU, 2013), with services provided by approximately 10,000 firms (Strom et al., 2009). The development of private security as an industry has evolved over decades.

By examining the history and development of the industry there can be an increased appreciation, not only of the need for the industry and how it developed to meet unsatisfied needs, but also how it has evolved to provide private security services in a professional manner. Looking at the shifts and changes of the past may also help to increase understanding of the present and appreciation of the types of changes which may occur in the future.

Examining the development of private security requires definition of what task and roles this includes. There is no singular, generally accepted, definition the industry was defined by RAND as incorporating all types of security services, such as guarding and patrolling, armored transportation, lie detection and investigation (Kakalik and Wildhorn, 1971). Bottom and Kostanoski (19983) expand the definition beyond protection against crime, stating it should also protection provided against other types of risk, such as errors, accidents, waste and unethical behaviors. American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) (2009) also takes the broader view.

When tracing the idea of private security it may be argued that in some form it has been practices for many thousands of years. The initial evidence of security practices is seen at the time man developed shepherding practices, with the need to protect the domesticated animal from theft and other predators (Dempsey, 2010). As mankind evolved into societies there was increased need for security.

Records from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome show the use of slaves to protect property and the person, and civilians acting in co-operatives to undertake citizens patrols, due to a lack of any effective urban policing (Dempsey, 2010). Increasing accumulation of assets and a need to protect those assets in an environment where there were no effective alternative security services were the main drivers throughout the development of the industry.

The modern private security services emerged in the same manner, with a gradual development alongside the development of the use of the military and the official police force. In 1658 it was reported that the city of Nieuw Amsterdam , recruited 8 watchmen to patrol the city, placing the patrols in the hands of paid employees, taking them out of the hands of the volunteer citizens (Dempsey, 2010). These night watchmen became the de facto police system.

However, the need for private security continued despite the growth of policing; by the mid 1700s the night watch was described as idle and ineffective at reducing crime (Burstein, 1999). The foundation of the current private security systems may be credited to Alan Pinkerton. Born in Glasgow in 1819 Pinkerton worked for a sort time as the Cook County Deputy Sherriff before in 1849 being the first detective appointed in the Chicago Police department (Dempsey, 2010). Pinkerton also went on to investigate mail thefts as a special U.S. mail agent in 1850 (Dempsey, 2010).

It was in the early 1850's that in partnership with Edward Rucker he started up his on private detective agency, located in the North-West of the country (Dempsey, 2010). After only a year his partner left, at which time the firm was renamed the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, with the tag line 'the eye that never sleeps' (Dempsey, 2010). It was this slogan which led to the term 'private eye' to refer to private investigators (Dempsey, 2010; Burstein, 1999). The agency was highly successful and became the first national private detective agency (Dempsey, 2010).

The tasks and roles that the agency fulfill expanded, the fir was hired by the railroads to patrol their trains, the firm was also a pioneer in hand writing analysis, and proposed the centralizing of criminal records to aid with identification of suspects. Pinkertons were also the firm.