When you call 911, the clock starts. In cities across America, that clock ticks longer than most people realize. Emergency medical services average seven minutes to arrive in urban areas, but that number stretches past fourteen minutes in rural settings[s]. For some emergencies, those extra minutes can mean the difference between life and death. A new industry has emerged to fill that gap: private policing apps that promise security on demand, for those who can afford it.
Private Policing Apps Enter the Market
The landscape of personal safety shifted dramatically when the app Citizen launched its Protect subscription service in 2021. For $20 per month, users gained access to a “Get Agent” button connecting them to trained safety operators[s]. The company marketed the service for moments when users “may not want to be seen calling 911.” After testing with over 100,000 beta users, Citizen made the service available nationwide.
The concept gained momentum. In February 2025, a startup called Protector launched what its adviser Nikita Bier described as “Uber with guns”[s]. The app allows users in New York and Los Angeles to book armed security professionals, all of them active or former law enforcement, military, or special forces personnel[s]. The minimum booking is five hours at $629.
Bond, another entrant in this space, positions itself as a “24/7 Personal Security Concierge” with agents who include former FBI and Homeland Security personnel[s]. These services share a common premise: public safety systems are failing, and private policing apps offer an alternative.
The Crisis Behind the Opportunity
The growth of these services coincides with documented strain on traditional emergency systems. According to a Stanford Law analysis, increasing call volumes and severe staffing shortages are straining 911 centers in over half of U.S. states[s]. San Francisco lowered its internal goal for answering calls, dropping from picking up 90% within ten seconds to just 85%.
This vacuum has not gone unnoticed by neighborhoods with resources. In Chicago, residents of the Bucktown neighborhood retained an armed private security force after losing confidence in city leadership amid rising carjackings and homicides[s]. Atlanta’s Buckhead district launched privately funded patrols by off-duty police officers at a cost of $575,000 annually, with the Buckhead Coalition donating $250,000 toward the effort[s].
The Troubling Track Record
The companies behind private policing apps have faced serious criticism. Citizen’s CEO Andrew Frame ordered staff to post a $30,000 reward for information leading to the capture of someone he believed started a Los Angeles brushfire[s]. The Los Angeles sheriff’s office called the move potentially “disastrous.” The man was later cleared of wrongdoing.
Citizen also tested a private security force in Los Angeles, complete with company-branded vehicles resembling law enforcement SUVs. The pilot was quickly abandoned after public backlash. The company’s earliest investors include Peter Thiel, the venture capitalist and Palantir co-founder[s].
A Two-Tier System Takes Shape
Civil liberties advocates have raised alarms about where this trend leads. Matthew Guariglia of the Electronic Frontier Foundation told CBS News that apps like Citizen represent “a digital superhighway for racial profiling,” giving users “the power to say who is and who isn’t suspicious, and who belongs in their community”[s].
The global picture offers a glimpse of where America might be headed. More than 40 countries, including the United States, now have more private security workers than public police officers[s]. In Britain, 232,000 private guards were employed in 2015 compared with 151,000 police. The Guardian estimated the global market for private security services at $180 billion as of 2017.
The residential private security services market continues to expand rapidly. Industry analysts project it will grow at nearly 10% annually, reaching $8 billion by 2030[s]. This growth is fueled by what analysts describe as “heightened concerns over personal safety, property protection, and the rising need for a sense of security.”
Those who can afford private policing apps or neighborhood security forces will have access to rapid response and personal protection. Those who cannot will continue to wait for overstretched public services. The market for safety is booming, but the distribution of that safety increasingly depends on income, not citizenship.
The data reveals a system under strain. A study of 1.8 million emergency medical encounters found that EMS units average seven minutes from 911 call to scene arrival in urban areas[s]. In rural settings, the median response time jumps to over 14 minutes, with nearly one in ten encounters waiting almost half an hour for first responders. These delays create an opening for private policing apps that promise faster intervention.
Private Policing Apps and Their Business Models
Citizen’s Protect service, launched in August 2021 after testing with over 100,000 beta users, operates on a $19.99 monthly subscription[s]. The service includes a “Get Agent” button for direct connection to safety operators, a Protect Mode that uses AI to monitor audio for sounds of distress, and automatic connection to agents if users do not respond to prompts.
The Protector app operates on a different model. Launched in February 2025 in New York and Los Angeles, it allows on-demand booking of armed security personnel[s]. The minimum engagement is five hours at $629, with annual memberships available for an additional $129 that include “personalized threat assessments”[s]. All security professionals are described as active or veteran law enforcement, military, or special forces personnel. The company has also announced Patrol, a sister app that will allow neighborhoods to crowdfund ongoing security patrols.
Bond offers a subscription-based model with agents drawn from federal law enforcement backgrounds, including former FBI and Homeland Security personnel[s]. The service positions itself as providing “personal security for all,” though pricing details suggest the “all” comes with significant financial barriers.
The 911 Infrastructure Crisis
Stanford Law’s analysis of the 911 system documents the structural problems driving demand for alternatives. Staffing shortages strain 911 centers in over half of U.S. states[s]. In San Francisco, understaffing forced the city to lower its response time goal from picking up 90% of calls within 10 seconds to 85%. The profession suffers from high turnover, burnout, and a classification as “administrative” rather than “protective service” workers, which affects pay and benefits.
Research cited in the Stanford analysis shows that inaccurate dispatch information contributes to use-of-force incidents. Officers are significantly more likely to shoot when they receive misleading information about whether a subject is armed. Private policing apps implicitly market themselves as an alternative to this flawed system.
Neighborhood-Level Private Security
The trend extends beyond apps to neighborhood-scale private policing. Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood created a neighborhood association and retained an armed private security force amid rising violent crime[s]. Beverly Hills retained two private security companies after a high-profile murder and a series of smash-and-grab robberies.
Atlanta’s Buckhead district launched a $575,000 annual private patrol program using off-duty Atlanta Police Department officers[s]. The Atlanta Police Foundation donated three cruisers for the patrols, and the Buckhead Coalition contributed $250,000. Officers on these patrols retain full arrest powers and carry dedicated phones for direct contact from participating businesses and residents.
Corporate Controversies and Civil Liberties Concerns
Citizen’s history includes significant controversy. In May 2021, the company’s CEO Andrew Frame directed staff to post a $30,000 reward tied to a Los Angeles brushfire suspect[s]. Internal Slack messages obtained by NBC News showed Frame writing “FIND THIS F—” and “This guy is the devil.” The targeted individual was later cleared of wrongdoing, and the sheriff’s office called the action potentially “disastrous.”
The company also tested a physical security force in Los Angeles with branded vehicles resembling law enforcement SUVs. The company partnered with Los Angeles Professional Security, which describes itself as a provider of “subscription law enforcement”[s]. The pilot ended after widespread criticism.
Matthew Guariglia of the Electronic Frontier Foundation characterized apps like Citizen as “a digital superhighway for racial profiling“[s]. The concern is that these platforms give users power to designate who appears “suspicious” based on their own biases, and those designations can trigger real-world responses.
The Global Context and Market Trajectory
The United States is not unique in this shift. Over 40 countries now have more private security workers than public police officers, according to a Guardian analysis[s]. The UK employed 232,000 private guards compared to 151,000 police in 2015. The Guardian analysis estimated the global market for private security services at $180 billion as of 2017.
Market analysis projects the residential private security services segment will grow at a compound annual rate of 9.8%, from $4.62 billion in 2024 to $8 billion by 2030[s]. North America accounted for approximately 58% of this segment’s global revenue in 2024, with the United States holding 75% of the North American market.
Amazon’s Ring, which enables surveillance through doorbell cameras and the Neighbors app, represents another dimension of this privatization. After sustained pressure from civil liberties organizations including Mozilla and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Ring ended its policy of allowing police to directly request video footage from users[s]. The change came after criticism that the partnerships “lead to disproportionate levels of police surveillance among marginalized communities.”
The Emerging Two-Tier Reality
The proliferation of private policing apps and subscription security services creates a system where response times and protection levels correlate with income. At $20 per month for Citizen Protect or $629 for five hours of armed security through Protector, these services remain inaccessible to most Americans.
The question is whether the growth of private alternatives will drive investment away from public systems. Missouri Representative Cori Bush drew attention to this dynamic when she defended spending $70,000 on personal security while supporting reduced police budgets[s]. She stated: “I have private security because my body is worth being on this planet right now.” The implication is that not all bodies receive the same protection.
Private policing apps are not going away. The market conditions driving their growth, including strained public services and persistent safety concerns, show no signs of abating. What remains to be determined is whether these services will complement public safety or accelerate its decline into a luxury good.
