Private Sponsorship of Public Policing

As fiscal constraints on public police agencies intensify, law enforcement agencies in many jurisdictions will become receptive to donations in cash or in kind by private individuals or organizations. This paper seeks to develop a framework for analysing the balance of advantage derived from private sponsorship of public police. It discusses a number of risks posed by private sponsorship, including capture by the donor, inequality in the provision of service, and the erosion of legitimacy. Creative thinking about the future funding of public police will include consideration of the limits of private sponsorship, and of the management of sponsorship programs that are introduced.