Another Side to Crowdfunding: Private Police Forces for Those Who Can Pay

Oakland, California is making lavish investments in high tech surveillance, but at the same time, it’s spreading regular police thin — and driving city residents toward new solutions of their own.

Residents in a growing list of Oakland neighborhoods have come together online to crowdfund privatized, unarmed security patrols of their neighborhoods. Theft and mugging are major concerns — Oakland has the highest robbery rate in the nation. Neighborhood opinion about the new patrols is divided along race and class lines in a gentrifying city. Private patrols are funded by, and accountable to, the economically secure residents who can afford to hire them.

Residents of color may draw anxiety rather than comfort from the new patrols. During one recent community meeting,

a Latino resident and a transgender resident questioned the safety of those that do not fit the description of an “average citizen.” Both spoke to the idea that they could be considered outsiders in their own neighborhood and would actually feel less safe with private security. “I believe that increasing police presence in a neighborhood only increases safety for some people,” said Kane.

In Lower Rockridge, three such campaigns have succeeded, pulling in a total of 641 contributions totaling more than $60,000. The money will fund neighborhood patrols on a trial basis over the next four months, and “subscriptions” established through the campaign may support the service indefinitely.

Residents leading the campaign say it is a temporary solution until police performance improves, but if private patrols make things better, they may reduce incentives for improvement. The initial patrols won’t carry weapons, but the organizers “may make adjustments” to this policy later.