As Los Angeles Struggles with Public Safety, Residents Increasingly Turn to Private Solutions
los Angeles is witnessing a growing trend: residents, feeling underserved by public safety resources, are turning to private security companies to protect their neighborhoods. This shift, while raising concerns about equity and the role of government, is being driven by a perceived increase in crime and a sense of diminishing public services.
Companies like Protector and Patrol offer subscription-based security services, essentially allowing residents to “rent a cop.” While Futurism has labeled these services “dystopian,” proponents argue that if the state isn’t adequately fulfilling its duty, the private market should be able to step in.
The author recounts a personal experience illustrating this growing anxiety. During the summer following college graduation, their family spent nightly routines meticulously securing their home, tracking neighborhood robberies within their family group chat.A recent conversation at a conference further reinforced this concern, with an Angeleno advising them to consider hiring private security collectively with neighbors.
Anecdotal evidence of rising crime is prevalent. The author describes an incident in Westwood where a homeless man aggressively approached them,and a workout class attendee shared her experience of being assaulted.
Statistical data supports the perception of increased insecurity. According to the Real-time Crime Index, violent crimes in Los Angeles County rose from 11,210 in January 2022 to 12,893 in January 2023. As of June 2025, the 12-month total stands at 12,172. Property crimes peaked in June 2024 at 61,456 for the trailing 12 months, and currently sit at 56,524 as of May 2025 – a decrease, but one that hasn’t considerably altered residents’ feelings of vulnerability.
the author, a fourth-generation Angeleno, reflects on a city that feels increasingly different from the one their ancestors knew. Their grandparents met in Los Angeles, with roots stretching back to businesses established in neighborhoods like Los Feliz and families escaping persecution in Poland. Their father fondly remembers a los Angeles that fostered intellectual life alongside everyday living.
However, the author observes a decline in public amenities coinciding with the struggles of industries like Hollywood. This has led to a two-tiered system where the ultra-wealthy can afford thorough private security, exemplified by gated communities like Beverly Park, which mandates homes exceeding 5,000 square feet. Meanwhile, those with more moderate means, like residents in the five neighborhoods currently served by Patrol, are increasingly relying on private solutions. This leaves lower-income residents especially vulnerable.
The author points out the irony that residents are already heavily taxed to fund public services that are failing to deliver. They note that some wealthy Angelenos contribute a substantial portion of their income to a government unable to provide adequate policing, fire control, education, or public safety. The current situation, they suggest, has even reached a point where the sheriff’s office is offering self-defense training to residents – a solution the author finds inadequate given the level of taxation already paid.
Top Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
