Verified Document

Historical Development Of Private Security In The United States Term Paper

¶ … private security in the United States is indelibly related to U.S. history in general, for the simple fact that prior to the founding of the country, security -- in its most basic form -- was essentially handled by civilians. This occurrence was common before the colonies became organized and before there were official police or even federal troops. Perhaps the apex of this tendency on the part of the American people to become privately involved in issues of security was in the era during the Colonial War, when privateering was extremely profitable for a number of westernized nations. For the most part, privateers were little more than pirates; yet they still managed to combine their personal interests with that of their country during the aforementioned martial encounter. Private security as it is known in its current conception in the U.S. began in earnest during the midway point of the 19th century with the arrival of Allan Pinkerton, an immigrant who founded the country's first private security company in 1850, the National Detective Agency (Bureau of Security, 2013). Pinkerton did more to support the growth of the private security industry than virtually anyone since. That growth was largely linked to the advancements in technologies of which Pinkerton managed to take advantage. Midway through the 19th century the U.S. was still expanding westward. Its railway system was in place, but the government did not have the financial resources or the...

Some of Pinkerton's most valuable work came in the form of protecting various railroad stations and personnel, especially since, at that time, there were no federal agents travelling between states to monitor the activities of bandits (Bureau of Security, 2013).
The lack of efficacy of conventional public forces (the police and the military) was no small aid in encouraging the rapid deployments of private security companies such as Pinkerton's. Because of the provincial nature of law enforcement, fleeing criminals merely had to flee the state or the town they were in to evade authorities. The limited communication devices of the time were a further hindrance to law enforcement agencies. In contrast, private security companies could afford to hire out men to chase down criminals as far as the former wanted. The expansion of the railroad and of Pinkerton's agency was parallel, and helped to vastly increase the growth of private security companies on a national scale.

The turn towards the professionalism of private security companies fully emerged near the turn of the twentieth century. By this time, individuals employed by such agencies performed a number of tasks including, but not limited to: pursuing criminals, investigating crimes, as well as facilitating standard security jobs for businesses such as banks, railways, and stagecoaches.…

Sources used in this document:
References

Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. (2013). A brief history. Department of Consumer Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.bsis.ca.gov/about_us/history.shtml

Spencer, J. (2000). The facts about military readiness. www.heritage.org. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2000/09/bg1394-the-facts-about-military-readiness
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Private Security Historically the Security
Words: 1438 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

The Task Force Report suggested that both of these crime deterring institution work together rather than against one another (Craighead, 2003). The primary difference between public and private security are the roles of the policing personnel. For public security the purpose is to protect the public, be it property, people, or crimes against property or people. Private security personnel's role is slightly different in that they protect the organization or

United States Should Use Its
Words: 2975 Length: 9 Document Type: Research Paper

("USAID Family Planning Program Timeline: 1970s-1980s"). President Regan's successor, President George H.W. Bush, continued to adhere to the Mexico City Policy. In 1993, it was rescinded by President Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001 by establishing conditions in the grants awarded to USAID. In addition, President George W. Bush extended the policy to apply to any "voluntary population planning" assistance provided by the Department of State.

Counterintelligence Issues Within the United States
Words: 5457 Length: 18 Document Type: Research Paper

Why Ethical Egoism is a Problematic Framework for Intelligence CI Literature Review Introduction The aim of this examination of the literature is to fill the wide gap that remains in counterintelligence research regarding an appropriate ethical standard that can guide and foster an ethical culture, as called for by Bellaby (2012) and Valentine (2016). The purpose of this review is to identify the lessons that have been learned and presented by researchers on

U.S. Trade Deficit United States
Words: 1598 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

S. economy, causing job losses that reach into the most technologically advanced industries in the manufacturing sector and affect every state, according to a January 11 press release by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission" (U.S. Info State Government, 2005). Also, these job losses not only negatively impact the population, but they also affect the business community. With fewer workers and resources, American companies will no longer be able

Security and Online Privacy Regulations:
Words: 5553 Length: 20 Document Type: Research Proposal

" (Muntenu, 2004) According to Muntenu (2004) "It is almost impossible for a security analyst with only technical background to quantify security risk for intangible assets. He can perform a quantitative or qualitative evaluation using dedicated software to improve the security of the information systems, but not a complete risk assessment for the whole information system. Qualitative assessment based on questionnaires use in fact statistical quantitative methods to obtain results. Statistical

Role of SMES in the US Economy
Words: 3171 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

Small Business Act of 1958 and Contribution to Small-Scale Businesses to the U.S. Economy Small-scale businesses have been accepted globally as instruments contributing to economic growth and development. Governments in many developing countries have adopted comprehensive efforts and policies aimed at improving the performance of small-scale businesses that have fallen short of expectations. Small-scale businesses face significant challenges that hinder their abilities to contribute to optimal economic growth and national

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now