How Could Private Security Be Better?

The story came out last week that Foley , Minnesota is looking to hire a private security firm to take care of what the police/sheriffs have done until now.

I don’t understand how it could be cheaper. If it is, what exactly are they paying for?

– What training will the security have?

– What will their backgrounds be?

– What rules of conduct will they practice?

– Should there be concerns about who they see as their employers?

I’ve read and listened to all of the arguments about privatization and for the most part it looks like a great way for private interests to gouge the public. History tells us that fiefdoms usually worked out best for those with the money.

From time to time we will have cases that involve private security forces and it always seems like they come with special rules and extra prices. It’s not unusual to find cases of excessive force and poor training.

There have even been suggestions that it was because of poor campus security that the Penn State violence against the young continued long past the time it was first discovered. These groups are the real police and they will often have very different rules.

I hope that things remain safe in Foley, but it’s a change that really should be watched. Of interest, since I wrote this, the council has decided that they will continue with the Benton Sheriff Department. Safety can not take a back seat to short sighted economics. Too many people depend on it.