compare roles and responsiblities of public and private securities

Public versus Private Security

The role of security in the United States is extremely critical in preventing crimes . Today , the discipline faces rapid changes after the terror attacks of September 11 , 2001 . Security has never been tighter to curve terrorism in the country . Traditionally , the government provides security to protect its people and properties , maintain peace and and implement crime prevention measures . Thus , public law enforcement was created to carry out such duties to ensure safety in a democratic society since 1844 . Public policing has provided essential services to achieve justice

. However , with the arrival of the industrial revolution where many infrastructures were built and large companies flourished several private individuals began to establish their own security personnel to guard their properties . A series of reforms were initiated in the field of security and generated new needs . At present , there are more private security agencies than police agencies in America According to the 9 /11 Commission , 85 percent of the country 's infrastructures are owned and protected by the private sector

The number of people employed by private security , moreover , is at least three times larger than the number employed by public law enforcement The amount of money spent on private security is many times greater than state , county , and local law enforcement expenditures combined (Morabito Greenberg , 2005 ,

. 1 ?6 . The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that there are 16 ,661 public law enforcement agencies across America employing some 677 ,933 sworn officers . On the other hand , the number of private security agencies reached more than 10 ,000 with at least two million security officers . The U .S . private security service is a 39 billion industry and its demand is expected to grow by 4 .3 percent by 2010

Private and public policing have similar functions that often overlap In general both services want to deter crime , prevent loses , and bring wrongdoers to justice . Police and private officers respond to emergencies and perform life saving measures to victims of crimes and disasters . Despite these similarities in roles and responsibilities the two agencies differ in many ways . Public policing are offered by the local , state , tribal , and federal agencies whose main concerns are street crimes . Police officers are mandated to serve and protect the public as well as to enforce the law while private security officers are in business not to serve the general public but to safeguard the interests of individuals or organizations who hired them . The ultimate goal of private policing , which offers its services for a fee , is purely economic gain . It is a profit oriented service rather than restoring public . Police officers are trained to be independent without bias in the performance of their duties . Meanwhile , private security officers are flexible executing tasks that they are paid to do and always on the side of their clients . As agents of the law , police are granted special powers or have higher authority to search , arrest , and detain unlike in the private sectors that are only...