The real cost of private police forces
If only…
I walk into Kroger on Wayne Ave., and there he is, armed, and probably a lot more dangerous than he looks. The private security officer. Kroger pays for him, and that cost is reflected in my grocery bill.
Family Dollar on Wayne, despite multiple robberies, including one where a gun was fired inches away from a manager’s head– pays for a private cop for a few weeks then stops- because if they had to build his pay into their product costs- apparently, people would stop shopping there.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped Miami Valley Hospital from having its own private police force. Note- I used the word “police” not security guard. Sure, we’ll just add it to your bill, which we make up as we feel fit, one price for you, another price for you, and yet another price for someone else.
The University of Dayton has a police department, too. More like a secret service. Get arrested by them as a student, and we’ll deal with you in our secret court and our secret system, even if you were committing a felony. A country of our own apparently.
The rise of private police forces and hired gun security services is a relatively new thing. The real question is should these private armies really have legal standing? And, why are they necessary in the first place?
Some blame the cost of unions and pensions of the real police. Others say crime is rising and we have to protect our fiefdoms.
The reality is that society is breaking down and we’re blissfully ignoring the warning signs.
When the City of Dayton decided that “creating economic opportunity” was more important than essential city services, money started flowing to places like CityWide Development, the Downtown Dayton Partnership, the Dayton Development Coalition, its own internal Department of Economic Development- and then throw in the insane waste of tax dollars buying up real estate that then stopped producing taxes while they sit on it until someone wants to have it for a song…. and dance, promising “Jobs!”
Our police force has basically fallen in half since I moved into the city in 1986. The city hasn’t gotten geographically smaller, and the population didn’t drop by half either, so less police have to deal with the same distances, a few less people, and an economy that keeps making things more difficult to stay on the right side of the law (poverty and crime are closely related).
Take all the money that we’ve spent on the fixing up of the Arcade (the last time- before we sold it to Tom Danis for $36,000), the Arcade Tower ($37 million- later sold off in foreclosure) and the countless little pieces of property that we bought without any public use (no one has explained why the city spent over $100,000 for the plot of land that is now known as Garden Station 20 years or so ago). The latest fiasco at the Cliburn Manor site is only another example of tax dollars diverted from public uses to benefit private parties. At some point, this has to stop.
It’s kind of weird that the biggest tax-exempt organizations in Dayton- are also big employers- and also the owners of the largest private cop shops (Sinclair also has one, but, it’s quasi-government as is Five Rivers Metro Parks which you can add to the list). Suppose both of them paid taxes instead of for their private police forces- and Dayton added another 60 cops to the streets? Cut out Sinclair’s cops and add another 20 or so? Instead of spending $5 million trying to acquire real estate for Kroger to build a new building at Wayne and Wyoming- had another 20 cops on the street.
Now, once you’ve added another 100 or so cops, Dayton doesn’t seem safer, it is safer. Prices at Kroger and Family Dollar and Miami Valley Hospital are lower- because they don’t have to hire a private army to protect them. Tax payers aren’t getting fleeced in phony real estate deals either- that often benefit these big employers as well.
And, guess what, you even created 100 new jobs in Dayton. Ones that protect my business, my home and my peace of mind. We know that the police officers who respond to a crime are well trained, accountable, and ultimately responsible to us- the taxpayer.
And if you need a further reason to justify the ending of these private police forces, remember, Hitler had his own private police force, too.
good article and right on point. The problem is, as you highlight, too many duplicated services which someone has to pay for. UD Police have always baffled me, first off a private school creates a police department and someone in Columbus allows it to happen. Understand public institutions like Sinclair but most big cities have the city police doing the services. Too many silos, too much power hungry politicians with badges and you get the big mess. Metro Parks acts more like a west side police department with all the shootings they do and making traffic stops wherever they want to. Somebody wants the control so any dirt can be easily hidden like UD and with ex-DPD officer running the “police” department, the real DPD and city won’t fight it until an officer does something bad or shoots a non-student. Regionalization will end the duplication of services but the politicians will never let that happen here which is prime and should have happened years ago.
David,
An interesting blog on policing agencies in the Dayton area. I would like to add a couple of items to your interesting list.
• MVH has funded our neighborhood police officers for several years
• A poorly trained and unskilled private security officer can elevate risk in a public incident
• President Obama has advocated for a nation police force controlled by the Federal Government
I don’t know where these items all fit or what would reduce these expenses or adjust the distribution of these expenses. Press on David.
Have to disagree, if we end up with police that act like this:
https://youtu.be/R46-XTqXkzE
If you’re talking 60 Andy Griffiths then sure.
Anything “privatized” costs less than anything “public” so I can’t feel good about that suggestion. I’m sure these institutions are only interested in their security and don’t want to pay for policing elsewhere so I don’t think they’re going to concede that for the good of all. More conceal carry is certainly cost effective to a point but can come with it’s own issues. Nonetheless, if it wasn’t for increased crime and tighter budgets for police it wouldn’t exist either.
Davie, I re-read this article and found stronger appeal for the suggestion but not real sure if the numbers are there to support that many extra badges on the street and certainly many private institutions will continue their private police. Nonetheless, I agree strongly that Dayton’s track record for development is pathetic and the city doesn’t belong in that business they fail at so miserably time and again. Servicing the existing city including the stronger than ever need for public safety is indeed a much stronger use of those funds they fritter away constantly and with less crime the city will become more appealing for real development (not the hand jobs we keep getting).
I have had (more than one) run with the MVH police force – which was at one time run by our former flunkie Police Chief. Not sure if he is still there but I’m sure he still hasn’t passed that exam designed for an 8th grader. One of their officers was sitting in our lot (not merchants staff). I pulled in to collect money and I said can I help you? These officers are NOT under any circumstances to be in our lot. He looked at me as said NO (rudely I might add which was his downfall). I politely said Sir you are trespassing this is not the hospitals property. He got out of the car and asked me for my ID. I was utter incredulous at this point and the 2 nurses next to me were like “Oh dude you just stepped in it.” I ordered the guy off the premises. It was escalating quickly to wit this junior wanna be cop called the Dayton PD on ME – in MY lot. Funny part is I know the cops that work that area. The officer showed up and said – Mrs. Weaver. I said Officer “X” and the MV cop was out of the lot so fast I think he left skid marks. Yes I was upset that this moron thought that he could bully me but more than that I was upset that a DPD officer had to attend to the moron’s stupidity instead of actual police business. These MV “cops” know NOT to be in the lot either thru training or other staff word of mouth (which let me tell you is like wildfire in a hospital). Yet they still try. I just ignore them and walk past, like I did 2 weeks ago. They are bullies. But again they learn from the top-down. The hospital gave out my parents home telephone and address (!!!) to people we rightfully towed – on neatly little printed up cards. My mother was dying of cancer at home at the time. A 4am phone call from some charmer we… Read more »
Emily, your experience with these “rent a cop” police forces is all too frequent. It’s unfortunate there’s not more testing and qualifications required. It takes more hours to become a barber in Ohio than it does to become a cop! Unfortunately most Cops don’t have the personality of barbers. There would certainly be a lot less nonsense, unnecessary violence, and a lot more respect on both sides.