http://slashdot.org/topic/cloud/oakland-cr...g-private-cops/

Sick of your government-appointed police force? Crowdfund your own.

That’s what a subset of Oakland, California residents have decided to do, via a trio of campaigns on a crowdfounding Website named Crowdtilt. (Hat tip to ValleyWag for the original links.) The three patrols, if adequately funded, will cover Lower Rockridge North/West, Lower Rockridge South/West, and Lower Rockridge “including part of the Uplands.” Each campaign has a different (Facebook verified, apparently) sponsor, and wants between $20,000 and $25,000 to make the dream of private patrols a reality.



I think that speaks for itself, no comments from me.

So much of the fictional dark future has become the actual dark present, I'm pretty much expecting to goblinize here in a couple years.

Also, Rockridge is a real place? "Scuse me while I whip this out!"

It's not entirely a new concept in California, San Francisco has been using something that is sort of a bridge to this.

Patrol Special Police provide a variety of services for private clients pursuant to a negotiated contract, including unlocking or securing doors to a business, making checks of residences or businesses, conduct perimeter checks at burglar alarms, providing a physical presence at businesses and providing security consultations. Officers concentrate on order maintenance, rapid response, and early intervention in quality-of-life matters. Their goal is to prevent disturbances from becoming expensive and serious crimes, and to relieve pressure on the public police. Since 1994 officers operate with citizens’ powers of arrest, are on police radio bandwidth, and are trained annually for 24 hrs. of classroom instruction and twice on the range, according to standards set by the Police Chief. Officers are not civil service employees of the San Francisco Police Department nor do they earn City benefits or pensions. However, for specified purposes courts may consider them to be employees, such as for purposes of the SFPD maintaining employment records.

So it makes sense that this sort of thing would make the next step.

And yeah, I keep expecting to goblinize too anyday now

Will probably be Ork, but hey tusks are seeexxxxxyyy.

I saw the movie 'Kuffs' when I was younger, and assumed that the US had privatised police forces in some places long before I got into cyberpunk or ShadowRun.

Awesome. So when do the Pinkertons start shooting people again?

I don't suppose you noticed it was BART station?