{"id":7965,"date":"2022-01-18T15:29:47","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T22:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegonewsdesk.com\/?p=7965"},"modified":"2022-01-18T15:29:47","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T22:29:47","slug":"opinion-as-crime-rises-san-diego-neighborhoods-should-consider-private-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegonewsdesk.com\/?p=7965","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: As Crime Rises, San Diego Neighborhoods Should Consider Private Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published by Times of San Diego<\/a><\/p>\n

With crime on the raise, San Diego neighborhoods should consider hiring private security.<\/p>\n

Many communities throughout San Diego already have private security companies patrolling their neighborhoods. The\u00a0San Diego Police Department now takes\u00a0hours to respond to non-emergency calls<\/a>\u00a0due to an officer staffing shortage and citizens are getting frustrated.<\/p>\n

Hiring private security is not a new concept.\u00a0In Oakland, California, several neighborhoods have hired private security<\/a>\u00a0to patrol their neighborhoods in response to escalating crime rates and reductions in police staffing. More than 600 Oakland households pay $20 a month for unarmed patrols in clearly marked cars to run 12 hours a day, Monday through Saturday.<\/p>\n

Local law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to provide basic service to their communities due to a reduction in personnel. Some feel the cutback in police is due to the\u00a0\u201cdefund police\u201d movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That is not the case in San Diego, where the police budget increased in 2021. But the\u00a0increase was for\u00a0pension funding that supports retired police officers<\/a>\u00a0and to cover other non-discretionary expenses like rising insurance rates and utility bills. There was not a boost in the ratio of police officers to civilians which is already low in San Diego.<\/p>\n