zlacker

> and they get work doing private security for movie theaters, events, etc. Probably at a similar rate [...] That's not even getting into collusion by the department to defraud tax payers.

I once helped to organize a permitted bike race. As part of the permitting process, we needed approval from several city departments, including the police department.

In the prior five years of attending races, I never encountered a situation that would call for on-site security. Despite that, our permit required us to hire 4 security people. Oh, and the security people were required to be officers from the local jurisdiction.

It really felt like paying protection money to the mob.

>>labcom+(OP)
It didn't just feel like that, it is exactly like that. The mob, cartels, and government are pretty much all the same. Some group that claims a monopoly on force.

>>labcom+(OP)
I also had to go through this process when throwing an event. The little money we had for a < 300 private event venue was then put at risk and we had to raise money last minute. It was almost funny how many obstacles we had to go through in general for that event, but the requirement of security made everything a little bit worse