Budget Cuts in Detroit Provide Some Great Results

[Anprionsa]

I don't fully understand, what kind of authority do they have? Is it like a private security company? The ones that goes around checking up on homes/shops?
What can they do legally?

Legally? They can be given the same powers as any government official if deemed necessary. They don't and shouldn't need the same as government police, think of bounty hunters. Somewhat along the same lines.

---------- Post added 2013-06-28 at 11:49 PM ----------

Er . . . they already are. Why do you think there are so many non-moving tickets issued?

Yep this. They have a quota, they fill it. It's almost ridiculous. No, it is.

[THE Bigzoman]

private businesses don't have business hours? wow.

I wasn't making a case for private business with that statement. Police forces shouldn't have business hours. Yet they do in some areas. That's the whole point. And to downplay any kind of private innovation that is reflective of the faults of police forces indicate a lack of knowledge experience in areas where this impacts the most.

[Sunseeker]

1000 residences and 500 residences is hardly something to shout about in a city of 700,000. I would further speculate that those numbers also overlap, and the business owners use his services for their home as well as their business.

Your "article" reads like an anti-government trash rag though, instead of sticking to the facts of the matter, pushes further and further down the road to calling police "militarized stormtroopers" and acting like no-knock raids happen to every last person on the street.

And doing this without "law", I mean really that makes no sense, how do Joe and Bob know when one of them is in the wrong save the law? Moral goodness? I mean you make it out to sound like he's running this business on happy thoughts and puppies!

[THE Bigzoman]

Any problems that public departments have is eclipsed by the fundamental nature of the profit motive. You do not want the police to be trying to make money.

Are you suggesting that police forces never conduct practices just for the sake of revenue?

[Flatspriest]

The first thing I thought of when starting to read this thread was Mallcops to the Rescue and it made me laugh. Basically this company is a militia for hire. They are no better than the normal police force, and actually have less compulsion over other citizens than the normal police force do.

[THE Bigzoman]

1000 residences and 500 residences is hardly something to shout about in a city of 700,000. I would further speculate that those numbers also overlap, and the business owners use his services for their home as well as their business.

Your "article" reads like an anti-government trash rag though, instead of sticking to the facts of the matter, pushes further and further down the road to calling police "militarized stormtroopers" and acting like no-knock raids happen to every last person on the street.

And doing this without "law", I mean really that makes no sense, how do Joe and Bob know when one of them is in the wrong save the law? Moral goodness? I mean you make it out to sound like he's running this business on happy thoughts and puppies!

THat kind of growth in 10 years within the confines of a horrible city like Detroit is nothing to shake a stick at?

[Sunseeker]

THat kind of growth in 10 years within the confines of a horrible city like Detroit is nothing to shake a stick at?

No, it isn't. 10 years to get what, 1500 subscribers, out of 700,000? He's managed to grab oh... .002% of the market, whoop-de-doo. Numbers that most likely overlap(businesses aren't people, they're just run by them).

[THE Bigzoman]

No, it isn't. 10 years to get what, 1500 subscribers, out of 700,000? He's managed to grab oh... .002% of the market, whoop-de-doo. Numbers that most likely overlap(businesses aren't people, they're just run by them).

Depending on the good/service you are providing. That is quite a lot depending on the revenue. That and the fact that Detroit isn't doing very well in terms of private business

[Wells]

Are you suggesting that police forces never conduct practices just for the sake of revenue?

There's a difference between a police department having ticket quotas and a department actually running for profit.

[Gheld]

Privately owned police force in Detroit you say?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7rjLQuW2nQ

It's always awesome when movies come true.

[THE Bigzoman]

There's a difference between a police department having ticket quotas and a department actually running for profit.

How so? Both partake in practices for the sake of generating revenue. Yet you somehow put public police on a higher moral stand despite audacious practices and incompetence.

[Kraenen]

How so? Both partake in practices for the sake of generating revenue. Yet you somehow put public police on a higher moral stand despite audacious practices and incompetence.

you really can't tell the difference between charity and business? here i'll spell it out: one needs to make quotas to stay afloat while providing a service to help people, the other's entire existence is to make profits.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 06:16 AM ----------

I wasn't making a case for private business with that statement. Police forces shouldn't have business hours. Yet they do in some areas. That's the whole point. And to downplay any kind of private innovation that is reflective of the faults of police forces indicate a lack of knowledge experience in areas where this impacts the most.

It seemed like you were. But with this you admit that private police wouldn't be better than public police, so I'll leave it at that.

[Buckwald]

There's a difference between a police department having ticket quotas and a department actually running for profit.

PDs running on a policy of monetary profit isn't the greatest idea that's for sure, but to think a PD doesn't profit from the revenue from tickets is kind of naive. They don't directly profit but they get kick backs in more funding/equipment based on performance. Performance is based on tickets, arrests and convictions that come from those arrests. The more they have, the more they get.

[Jackmoves]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private..._United_States

Interesting.

Private businesses with good connections within the political establishment(lobbying) is a problem, the (super)free market is a great idea as long as we could trust everyone with being morally upstanding human beings. Call me cynical but thats not always the case, there will always be people out to profit on others misfortune, business owners are no different... security companies are no different, not sure what I'm getting at, but I think we need to keep an eye on certain areas of business more then others. Law enforcement is certainly one of those areas.

[THE Bigzoman]

you really can't tell the difference between charity and business? here i'll spell it out: one needs to make quotas to stay afloat while providing a service to help people, the other's entire existence is to make profits.

Except there are areas in which they fail hard in providing this very charity that you are speaking. And privatized police can help take up the slack if allowed.

Not all private business elements are like the SHinra corporation. Holding profit incentive to some great evil is somewhat narrow.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 06:20 AM ----------

Interesting.

Private businesses with good connections within the political establishment(lobbying) is a problem, the (super)free market is a great idea as long as we could trust everyone with being morally upstanding human beings. Call me cynical but thats not always the case, there will always be people out to profit on others misfortune, business owners are no different... security companies are no different, not sure what I'm getting at, but I think we need to keep an eye on certain areas of business more then others. Law enforcement is certainly one of those areas.

Private police officers are not under the same protections as public. Most private business have to fire abusive people on their payroll to avoid lawsuits.

[Sunseeker]

Police forces shouldn't have business hours. Yet they do in some areas. That's the whole point.

Sure, I've lived in those areas. Trick is of course, the police need money to stay in operation, at bare minimum, equal in to equal out. So either they raise revenue through taxes or through fees.

The article says exactly what is the problem with this :

Thanks to TMC's efficiency and profitability, they are also able to provide free or incredibly low-cost services to the poor as well.

What happens when profitability drops? A rise in crime? A drop in subscribers? Well then those who put the least in and get the most out will get cut.

It's a protection racket. "Pay up or we let bad people do bad things to you." You can't have a police force that just decides not to protect people who aren't well off, they're the most vulnerable to crime.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Private Protection force leads to problems. They turn into those Merc jerks you see in video games "Not going to pay up? Well screw you guys then"

[Kraenen]

Except there are areas in which they fail hard in providing this very charity that you are speaking. And privatized police can help take up the slack if allowed.

Not all private business elements are like the SHinra corporation. Holding profit incentive to some great evil is somewhat narrow.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 06:20 AM ----------



Private police officers are not under the same protections as public. Most private business have to fire abusive people on their payroll to avoid lawsuits.

Yes I do consider for-profit to be immoral. Which areas are these by the way? And how are they ameliorated by private, for-profit, mercenaries?

[GreatOak]

Privately owned police force in Detroit you say?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7rjLQuW2nQ

It's always awesome when movies come true.

The remake looks shitty tbh but Robocop is a classic.

I thought it reminded me of this because of the private security theme in Detroit

[THE Bigzoman]

Sure, I've lived in those areas. Trick is of course, the police need money to stay in operation, at bare minimum, equal in to equal out. So either they raise revenue through taxes or through fees.

The article says exactly what is the problem with this :

What happens when profitability drops? A rise in crime? A drop in subscribers? Well then those who put the least in and get the most out will get cut.

It's a protection racket. "Pay up or we let bad people do bad things to you." You can't have a police force that just decides not to protect people who aren't well off, they're the most vulnerable to crime.

Most people that take in these services are A, those who want additional protection, or B, people who lack protection. Those who lose additional protection just lose it and those who lack it have none again.

The ones that have none are simply in the same position they were in before they bought the services and are in better positions then they were if they never had the service to begin with.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 06:30 AM ----------

Private Protection force leads to problems. They turn into those Merc jerks you see in video games "Not going to pay up? Well screw you guys then"

Yeah, real life isn't the godfather Playstatin 2 game. If they lose the service, well, at least they had it for awhile.