The Rise of Private Security in the US

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In the last 20 years, the number of security officers has doubled in the US. In some Chicago neighborhoods, it is safety at any cost. Some business executives are now even requesting armed security to take them to and from Chicago for meetings.

The three biggest private employers in North America are Walmart, Amazon, and a security firm you’ve maybe never heard of: Allied Universal. Time’s Alana Semuels explains the rise of poorly trained and poorly paid private security guards across America.

This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Michael Raphael, and hosted by Noel King.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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