Massachusetts special state police fall into this category of private police who operate under state statute. But the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that their records are not public. The chief judge at the time was Margaret Marshal, former General Counsel at Harvard University which employs many special state policemen. They are negligently trained and abuse their authority. Their jurisdiction is limited to the property of their employer, i.e., Harvard University. But they assert their authority on city streets and land adjacent to their property. They use their authority for personal and for political purposes. They do favors for faculty and administrators at the university. There is no way to address their abuses in Massachusetts because of the enormous influence of Harvard University on the state government and currently at the White House.
[From article]
Like more and more Virginians, Youlen gained his police powers using a little-known provision of state law that allows private citizens to petition the courts for the authority to carry a gun, display a badge and make arrests. The number of “special conservators of the peace” — or SCOPs, as they are known — has doubled in Virginia over the past decade to roughly 750, according to state records.
The growth is mirrored nationally in the ranks of private police, who increasingly patrol corporate campuses, neighborhoods and museums as the demand for private security has increased and police services have been cut in some places.
The trend has raised concerns in Virginia and elsewhere, because these armed officers often receive a small fraction of the training and oversight of their municipal counterparts. Arrests of private police officers and incidents involving SCOPs overstepping their authority have also raised concerns.
[. . .]
In neighboring D.C., a similar designation called “special police” requires 40 hours of training. Maryland officials leave instruction to the discretion of employers but have no requirements. Other states have similar systems.
[. . .]
No authority regulates the conduct of SCOPs or addresses complaints against them, although a court can revoke their commissions. The state does not track the number of arrests they make or citations they issue.
Most SCOPs patrol corporate campuses, work for neighborhood associations or perform code enforcement for counties or cities,
[. . .]
A 2012 study from a University of Illinois College of Law assistant professor found that private police are “chronically undertrained” and nearly a third nationwide face almost no regulation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/private-police-carry-guns-and-make-arrests-and-their-ranks-are-swelling/2015/02/28/29f6e02e-8f79-11e4-a900-9960214d4cd7_story.html
Private police carry guns and make arrests, and their ranks are swelling
By Justin Jouvenal
February 28, 2015 at 7:48 PM
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