According to a new report, Apple spent more than $1.2 million in a year to hire private police to protect three retail stores in San Francisco. The payment was reportedly made through a private security company.

San Francisco allows private companies to pay police officers to protect their stores and offices, and the report notes that many tech companies have benefited from this situation...

For many, the idea of a private company being able to hire on-duty police officers for the security of their facilities seems strange. However, according to a Wired report, this is a fairly common practice in San Francisco.

Locally known as 10B, this contract program is also part of the city code that authorizes it. Any person, company, or organization requesting extra personnel or equipment for “law enforcement purposes” may request such personnel to provide “such services,” but must first obtain the approval of the police chief. By law, companies pay the hourly rates that the city will pay.

It is said that technology companies are major clients, including Apple.

For example, Airbnb spent approximately $428,443 for the presence of uniformed, armed officers for the year 2024. Salesforce paid about $727,907 through a security provider […]

The Security Industry Experts firm paid more than $1.2 million for security services at three Apple stores in police records in 2024, making it the second largest client of the year.

This practice is not limited to California; Wired reports that approximately 80% of police departments across the U.S. allow officers to work as private security.

As expected, there are conflicting views about this practice. Some argue that it could create potential conflicts of interest and leave officers too tired to effectively perform their primary duties. Others suggest that it ensures more uniformed police on the streets without imposing any cost on taxpayers.

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