WSJ: Cash-strapped cities try private guards over police

[antigop]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124027127337237011.html

- Facing pressure to crack down on crime amid a record budget deficit, Oakland is joining other U.S. cities that are turning over more law-enforcement duties to private armed guards.

The City Council recently voted to hire International Services Inc., a private security agency, to patrol crime-plagued districts. While a few Oakland retail districts previously have pooled cash to pay for unarmed security services, using public funds to pay for private armed guards would mark a first for the city.

Hiring private guards is less expensive than hiring new officers. Oakland -- facing a record $80 million budget shortfall -- spends about 65% of its budget for police and fire services, including about $250,000 annually, including benefits and salary, on each police officer.

In contrast, for about $200,000 a year the city can contract to hire four private guards to patrol the troubled East Oakland district where four on-duty police officers were killed in March. And the company, not the city, is responsible for insurance for the guards.

Oakland is not alone in seeking to improve public safety while reining in spending. This month, the Chicago City Council, facing a possible $200 million budget deficit, proposed expanding the responsibilities of private armed security forces by authorizing them to write traffic citations. In New Orleans, neighborhood committees have sought to expand special tax incentives to pay for private security for neighborhood patrols.

[Arctic Dave]

1. I see no good coming from this.

[marmar]

2. Corporate fascism comes like a thief in the night......

n/t

[Xipe Totec]

3. Reminds me of my former life in Mexico

when "veladores" (night watchmen) were responsible for patrolling each city block.

And came to our door, once a month, to collect a service fee.

And trash collectors came in donkey drawn carts to collect trash, and were paid by the barrel.

I'm just providing an outsider's perspective...

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Funny, my mom just paid hers

I know what you speak off

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

16. I remember those as well, did a good job, knew the area and us,

but that was in Mexico 40 years ago, different times and country, I don't think it would work here.

[Solly Mack]

4. That's bad.

[cliffordu]

5. Great!!! I understand blackwater is looking for work.

[havocmom]

6. won't be much savings when the lawsuits start up

Private corporation cops? Those corporations are for-profit and they will cut corners until some bad shit happens, then they will pass the responsibilities back to the local governments that hired them. It will be bad. Only winners will be the top guys at the private corporations. Public, hired guns, governing agencies will all loose. Mark my words.

[Jackpine Radical]

8. You echo my thoughts exactly.

The rent-a-cops will be low-paid bullies with little training and a TV-informed conception of police work. (Image of cop pounding citizen's head against concrete wall: Slam! "You have the right"-slam-"to remain silent." -Slam-"Anything you say"-slam, slam! -"may be used against you"-slam! <etc.>

[ProgressIn2008]

7. What could go wrong?

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Beats me.

"Hey, Becky Sue, lookit this Taser. They let me take it home for practice."

[havocmom]

15. exactly what the Black Box Voting machines told local governments all over the nation

SSDD

[Mopar151]

25. Look up "Ludlow Massacre"

Plenty more examples too - Start with Pinkerton, the Blackwater of the 19th century.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. This is EXACTLY what Republicans dream off

what's next, private FD? Oh wait, during the fires in SD we had them

[paulsby]

14. i have no problem

with a private person (or homeowner's assocation, merchant assocation, etc.) hiring private security.

however, the govt. should employee PUBLIC servants aka peace officers.

this is a very bad idea imo.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Of course this is, but this is exactly what republicans want

to privatize ALL public services

[paulsby]

20. SOME republicans

most of the repubs i know ARE cops, and trust me they don't want this.

i am a cop myself, used to be a firefighter. i feel strongly that communities have the right to hire their own private security to supplement law enforcement, but that law enforcement is a uniquely govt. role.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. State Senator for cali, guy's extreme

and it is the ones who are in government who want this

Not the rank and file

So lets be clear

Guv'ment is bad, therefore we need to privatize it is believed by many state and federal legislators

At one time that was a meme for the base, but they now allow the base that believes that to run for office

[paulsby]

22. that's just insane.

i remember all the crap the guardian angels got in NYC. i thought that was wrong. the GA's fwiw, were not law enforcement substitutes, and they didn't even CARRY weapons.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. I am talking of state legislators that hate government

and all that it implies and believe that we need to privatize schools, FD, police, roads, all, save perhaps defense

They believe it

And by the way, this guy scares the living daylights out of me

Last time I found him at Starbucks making his usual rant against taxes, I plainly asked how exactly did he expect to be paid if all of us paid zero taxes?

Make it personal... nothing funnier than seeing jaws flap

I wish he was the exception, but in cali, he's the rule

[merh]

12. Police have to be trained, these security guards don't have to

have training - if they are like the blackwater thugs, we are in a shitload of trouble - god help Oakland.

[Canuckistanian]

13. Watch "Robocop" and see how that turns out

What you have is the most nightmarish system you can imagine.

Corporate dickfights over revenues while the city dies.

Wonderful.

[KharmaTrain]

17. They're Outsource 911 Calls Here...

I heard from a person who had just lost her job at a local 911 Call Center where she had worked for the last 15 year. She did the night shift, working with Police, Fire and Emergency Services for 8 nearby communities. She was told that budget cuts meant the communities could no longer maintain the center and would be using a new company located 50 miles away in Chicago. She was outraged at what the consequences could be as that Chicago center has no clue about these areas and by the time they do a Mapquest or try to figure out if it was Park Forest or Forest Park, people will die.

[Stellabella]

19. That is a HUGE mistake.

Private guards do NOT get the training police do. That is NOT 'improving public safety'.

[TreasonousBastard]

24. For years Wackenhut provided...

police services to small towns that couldn't afford a PD and didn't have laws prohibiting it. I'm not really sure if there were any major problems.

There is that problem of accountability, however, although it's arguable whether controlling a private company is more difficult than a police department.

[BreweryYardRat]

26. This couldn't possibly go wrong...

:sarcasm:

[MadHound]

27. Yeah, they think that they'll be saving money,

Until that multi-million dollar lawsuit kicks their budgetary ass, year in, year out for a few years. Then we'll see just how "cheap" those private firms are.

[dorkulon]

28. Nothing could possibli go wrong.

:wow: