Following a growing national trend a Philadelphia town hires private security officers to patrol neighborhood.
Meet Harry Mearing. He has handcuffs, a handgun and a uniform. He patrols Northwood, a neighborhood in the Frankford section of the the lower Northeast. But he's no city cop.
He's Northwood's very own armed security patrolman, possibly the first in a Philadelphia residential area. Each homeowner that seeks his protection pays Mearing $40 a month to look after a home and keep an eye out for suspicious activity.
Mearing is part of a national trend as neighborhoods across the country have hired private guards in the face of budget cuts to local police departments.
"I don't enforce vehicle code; I don't write tickets; I don't do arrests. I can detain, but only in certain situations," Mearing said. "This is more of an observe-and-report. I see something go down and immediately call 9-1-1."
"Any time you have an armed security guard working with the public, you just don't know what can happen," said Capt. Frank Bachmayer of the 15th Police District. "It's definitely a concern."
City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, whose district includes Northwood, says she understands the neighborhood's concerns, but is uneasy about a potential worst-case scenario.
"While I understand the 15th Police District is a very active district, there's always been a level of concern about the presence of police in the Northwood community," Sanchez said. "The last thing I want to encourage is any kind of vigilante-style policing, particularly someone who is carrying a gun and who is going to make judgment calls about what's going on," said Sanchez. "I would be concerned for anybody, given the Trayvon Martin situation, anybody who could potentially be following people around because they look suspicious, particularly someone who may not be trained."
"Northwood encounters soft crime like vandalism, theft, prostitution," said Frank Bennett, Mearing's cousin and vice president of the Northwood Civic Association, which sought to hire a guard following concerns from neighbors. "The softer crime can lead to higher crime. Security is the Number One thing for each homeowner."
Mearing, 42, of South Philly, has been patrolling Northwood since July 1. He isn't your average neighborhood watchman. He says he has 20 years of experience in law enforcement — including seven years with the Berks County Fire Police dealing with traffic control, five years with AlliedBarton security services, and as a personal guard for bigwigs at global companies and Disney celebrities including Emily Osment.
This is new territory, and the police department cannot stop the community from hiring a private guard, he said, adding that Mearing isn't unlike guards who patrol business districts.
"We don't just have someone who has a gun permit. It's a little different," Evers said. "I think the concerns are fair. It's something new."
Robert Stokes, an associate professor at Drexel University who has studied private security in public places, said the city will have to figure out how to deal with the possibility that more of Philly's residential neighborhoods will follow in Northwood's footsteps.
"Northwood is sending a political message to the city," he said. " ‘We're taxpayers and we want better services.' "
http://articles.philly.com/2012-08-09/news/33119388_1_security-guard-northwood-community-police-captain