Private Security and Public Policing offers an analysis of the concepts of public and private policing, it analyzes activities of "policing" bodies, and offers a reconceptualization of "policing" in the modern era.

Private Policing examines the origins of private policing, the growing literature that has sought to explain its growth, and ways in which it has been defined and classified.

Today the private security industry employs approximately 1.5 million people and spends over $52 billion annually. In contrast, public police forces employ approximately 600,000 people and spend $30 billion annually. Private policing promises to be a big part of the response to today's increased security concerns, as citizens realize that security is much more than the presence of guards and the perception of safety. This book addresses the impact and implications of private policing on public streets, and begins with a look at private policing from conceptual, historical, economic, legal and functional perspectives. These approaches provide the background for the text, which focuses on a private policing patrol program in a community on the south side of Chicago. The text also demonstrates a number of substantive legal and public policy issues which directly or indirectly relate to the provision of security services; some people see the need for a "dual system" of policing--one for the wealthy and one for the poor--and others see the provision of private security as the primary protective resource in contemporary America. The author also examines how private policing is different from and similar to public policing.

The book examines recent innovations and strategies employed by the private security industry, and discusses how the industry may be better equipped to deal effectively with crime than traditional public law enforcement agencies. This volume provides an overview of the functions of the private security industry, focusing on the industry's expanding role in the delivery of community law enforcement. For law enforcement agents in the public or private sector.

Historical foundations of private security -- Regulation, licensing, education, and training: the path to professionalism in the security industry -- The law of arrest, search, and seizure: applications in the private sector -- Civil liability of security personnel -- Criminal liability of security personnel -- The enforcement of laws and the collection, preservation and interpretation of evidence -- Public and private law enforcement: a blueprint for cooperation -- Selected case readings -- Appendix 1. Florida Statutes -- Appendix 2. List of Associations and Groups -- Appendix 3. Sample Forms -- Appendix 4. The Law Enforcement-Private Security Consortium, Operation Partnership: Trends and Practices in Law Enforcement and Private Security Collaborations 119-122 (2005).