Real Police Facing Private Takeover

by Brianna Dunn

What until you hear this one. The State of Michigan is looking to let private, profit-making companies take over the work of licensed, certified law enforcement officers. This will happen if Arlan Meekhof, the state Senate’s Majority Leader, has his way.

If the bill passes, the legislation would allow cities, towns, school districts and other entities to contract with private companies to provide law enforcement services for a specific time in a specific geographic area.

Michigan State Senator Majority Leader, Arlan Meekhof, wants to send in security guards to do your work.

According to an article by the Detroit News, Meekhof says these private companies would support existing police and sheriff’s departments, which would leave public officers more time and resources to focus on high-impact crime. (Or perhaps lay them off because they cost more than the private guys.)

North Carolina already allows private security guards to work along side sworn, certified officers. Former Grand Rapids Police Chief Harry Dolan believes it’s what’s best for everyone.

“There is a challenge and a problem in law enforcement,” Dolan said. “We are working with fewer resources and are facing a greater need than ever before. The proposal before you is a common-sense and financially prudent response to that problem.”

But other law enforcement officials have found multiple flaws in the plan and are expressing their concerns. One issue that has been brought up is the lack of training requirements. In addition, people working for the private company would not have to undergo a background check if he or she were licensed by the state as a law enforcement officer within the previous two years, they noted.

“At some level, it feels like we’re creating a Blackwater for police in the state of Michigan,” said Howell Police Chief George Basar, a past president for the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. “It almost feels like we’re putting together a mercenary force to police in some of our communities.”

Meekhof called Basar’s comments “out of line,” pointing to various accountability standards proposed in the legislation.
Michigan has licensed 14 private agencies under a 1968 law, including forces run by the Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Public Schools and General Motors Co.

The top lawmaker in the GOP-led Senate said “a number of people” are asking for the private police force legislation, including corporations, homeowners associations and large condominium complexes.

However, Kimberly Buddin, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, raised a number of legal concerns. The first one being the inevitable inequality of access to public safety that privatization would cause.

“We should not pass legislation that is going to determine a community’s public safety based solely on what they’re able to afford,” she said. “Instead, we should be investing more in our law enforcement agencies – more training and more officers.”
Despite opposition, Meekhof is determined to get the measure approved.

“It either comes here to get done or it comes here to die,” he said of legislation before the Government Operations Committee. “I’m going to find a way to get this done.”

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