Private Policing Consulting

Threats of terrorism, extremism, and violent crime combined with defunding have stressed police forces. As these defunding and re-imagining policing proliferate, they have a direct effect how police departments operate. In turn, communities and corporations begin rethinking how to protect people and secure their assets.

Dr. Pastor has been an early and long-time advocate for alternative service providers. His doctorate dissertation was on this topic in 2001, foreshadowing today’s disruptive climate. His extraordinary vision was articulated in the dissertation’s title: Assessing the Functional & Constitutional Implications of Private Security Patrols on Public Streets.

Today, SecureLaw LLC^SM tackles the problem left when municipal governments are faced with difficult budgetary decisions along with increased fear and crime. Those who are ready to respond with innovative, thoughtful solutions like private policing, are the change agents who will lead the way during this transition in policing and public safety.

Dr. Pastor’s pioneering solution uses alternative service providers to perform basic police services, including order maintenance and service functions. This concept as developed and articulated by Dr. Pastor in his early groundbreaking book The Privatization of Police in America, which provided the most comprehensive treatment of private policing at that time. Doing “ride-along” research in the Marquette Park community, Dr. Pastor was likely the first researcher to have such a direct involvement in private policing. This described the impact and implications of private policing on public streets. This book begins with a look at private policing from conceptual, historical, economic, legal and functional perspectives.

This was further developed in Security Law & Methods a highly regarded casebook, where Dr. Pastor brought together legal and constitutional factors to assess security methods designed to diminish or negate the consequence of crime and misconduct.

As a thought leader in the security industry, Dr. Pastor has also contributed other significant works, including these:

“Private Policing within Public Environments,” Protection of Assets (POA) Manual, (2007) Manual is considered the “bible” of the security industry published by ASIS International.

Oxford University Press- Privatization of Policing Bibliography Comprehensive, annotated Bibliography on Privatization of Policing. Reference guide is designed to be most authoritative source for materials and publications on private policing.

Additionally, as an early advocate, Dr. Pastor previously contracted with the San Francisco Special Police, the oldest private policing arrangement in the country, being formed during the “Gold Rush” era in the mid-1800s.

Dr. Pastor Takes a Closer Look at Private Policing

The logic of alternative or supplemental service providers is illustrated by the concept of “para-police.” Para-police is another name for private police officers, reserve police officers or auxiliary police officers. Many municipalities use auxiliary police officers, who are part-time sworn police officers on the municipal pay roll. Some municipalities also use reserve police officers, who are hired on an “as needed” basis with limited police powers. These officers are typically called to duty for special details or events. In contrast to auxiliary and reserve officers, private policing is a relatively new and growing phenomenon, one that SecureLaw LLC^SM can bring to the forefront of your thinking. Some communities and business districts are contracting directly with security firms to patrol city streets. These service providers are often retired or off-duty police officers. Some are armed “special police” officers, some are armed security guards, some are unarmed “community ambassadors,” or community service officers. Though the actual service provision varies, there are several key distinctions between these options. Briefly, the distinctions relate to the level of police powers associated with the officer, the training levels required for each officer, the funding sources for the service provision, and the contractual and liability exposures related to each supplemental arrangement. Each type of alternative or supplemental service has its own strengths and weaknesses. The use of private police, however, has particular appeal because property or business owners can directly contract for public safety service provisions, without adversely affecting municipal budgets. In addition, private police functions can be flexible, depending upon the financial, organizational, political, and situational circumstances of the client. If you are considering using private police to bolster your security and public safety protocols, SecureLaw LLC can help you apply—and think through—these arrangements. Please contact us for more information on this service by filling out the contact form on this website. The issues are complex, but we can help you sort through them for actionable solutions.