The armed personal security industry is booming, as companies hire rent-a-cops to protect their assets and employees. In the United States, gated communities with armed security are common nowadays, but 50 years ago they were only found in Beverly Hills.

There are people that live within gated communities and yet still need constant security over their family. And instead of choosing to carry a firearm, they hire armed personal security, professionals trained for this kind of jobs.

Money

The armed personal security industry’s growth is the world’s top third fastest growing industry. Triggered by public outcry on violent crime, this sector is measured in the trillions.

In fact, there are more than 20,000 armed personal security companies located around the world.

Government Regulation

Due to the industry’s rapid growth, federal and state regulations will be present soon. Moreover, statistics experts state that the armed personal security industry will hire the most number of people by the next decade.

All this firepower exposed to the public who places their trust in uniformed guards, raises a variety of concerns. The private security industry is largely unregulated; the employees are often poorly trained, underpaid, and inadequately screened.

While most security guards cannot use force or make arrests, people usually stop their criminal behavior upon the sight of them. As such, observing, reporting, and attempting to stop crime can suffice as the guards’ authorized activities.

In a nutshell, the armed personal security industry started out with Pinkerton, the country’s oldest firm. It provided barons with guards to wipe out unions.

The firepower used to strike workers at Carnegie’s Homestead steel plant in 1892 was provided by Pinkerton.