Public and Private Police Linkages - An Alternative to Traditional Public Policing in an Era of Scarce Economic Resources

• NCJ Number: 101346
• Author(s): R C Dart
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 362 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This descriptive and exploratory study identifies alternative organizational relationships between private- and public-sector policing that may provide policy options to local government seeking to provide police services in times of scarce fiscal resources.

Abstract

The development of American law enforcement is traced historically to show how the characteristics of various eras affected public-private linkages and contributed to their present state. Four case studies are then presented to illustrate how private and public linkages of varying degrees operate in communities in Arizona and California. Finally, alternatives to traditional policing are described and evaluated in terms of their risks, benefits, and consequences; guidelines for the effective utilization of these alternatives are offered. It is concluded that, despite some possible resistances, three types of alternative policing arrangements present viable options for public-private police cooperation: alarm monitoring and response services, volunteer police, and contract of inhouse private-police services. 78 references.