Examining the Roles of the Police and Private Security Officers in Urban Social Control

Abstract

This cross-sectional research examined the deployment of police and security officers in the 300 most densely populated US counties. Controlling for indicators of population structure, race, income and the underclass, there is a clear and consistent relationship, albeit weak, between crime and the deployment of both the police and private security officers. Inconsistent with expectations, however, private security forces were more likely to be deployed in high crime counties than their public counterparts. This study also provides empirical support for the minority threat group hypothesis that posits that formal social control is used to regulate Black populations. Last, the presence of higher populations of the underclass was positively associated with both police and security officer strength. This study reveals that American private security officers have a significant role in augmenting the activities of the police by shaping urban social control. These results have implications for the study of private–public law enforcement, urban social control and the regulation of minority populations and the underclass.