The age-old strategy of law enforcement by dual forces has been implemented several times over the past 5 to 6 years. You see it on the front page of newspapers everywhere in the world, such as the pictures of Halliburton and the US Military working hand in hand for the democracy in Iraq.
Here at home the armed personal business is booming, as government and corporations hire rent-a-cops to guard businesses and their employees. Today, in almost every city in America, gated communities with armed guards are very common. 50 years ago, gated communities with armed guards were only found in posh neighborhoods such as Beverly Hills.
Wealthy people, the ones who can afford it, demand for their family 24 hours a day. Rather than keep a weapon in their home for armed personal that might end up being misused by a child, they live in a gated community that has armed personal guards.
Big Money in Armed Personal Industry
Propelled by the public's outcry against crime, the armed personal industry is one of the top three fastest growing enterprises around the world. Dwarfing the amount of money spent on local police departments, this rapidly growing segment is measured in the trillions of dollars. There are more than 20,000 armed personal companies located throughout the world.
Regulation of Armed Personal Industry
With an industry growing as quickly as it has, you can be sure that federal and state regulations are not far behind. National labor statistical experts claim that in the next decade this relatively new industry will be the largest employer of anyone.
This firepower, trained on a public which places its trust in uniformed guards, raises a variety of concerns. The private industry is largely unregulated. Its employees are often poorly trained, underpaid and not adequately screened.
Most guards’ positions are limited to observing, reporting, and attempting to deter crime. They seldom have the right to use force or make an arrest, but that distinction is apt to be lost on most citizens when stopped by a personal guard who is armed and in uniform.
Pinkerton and Armed Personal Industry
The Practice of hiring firms and using them as private armies dates far back in history. Pinkerton, the nation's oldest company earned its stripes in the late 19th century when its guards served as a private militia against the robber barons who aimed at wiping out the unions. Notoriously, Pinkerton provided the weaponry and manpower when Ford Frick issued the order to gun down striking workers in 1892 at Andrew Carnegie's Homestead steel plant.
