Summary

Taken together, the materials presented in this lesson sought to introduce you to the origins of security and the ways in which it has been achieved. From the very beginning, security has been about developing ways to protect self and society. But, over time, people have also sought to protect land and other material assets. To do so, they have used innovative security measures. In general, though, caves, architectural advances, gunpowder, locks, armored cars, spying techniques, and transportation advances have all played a role in ensuring security. Moreover, African, Asian, European, and American histories are all intertwined with the development of these security-related technological advances. Today, these technological advances continue, but, as you can see from the contents of this lesson, they still owe a large debt to ancient societies.

In America, while citizens, for good reasons, continue to focus on the security provided by public policing (e.g., state and municipal police), private security has a rich history and remains an area in which billions of dollars are invested each year. This investment has led to the call for more oversight and, as a response to this often pungent criticism, an increased emphasis on professionalizing the field. A review of the private security industry is presented in Lesson 2.