Depending on one's definition of private police, it can include firms to which the government contracts out police work (e.g. the 1975–1977 Oro Valley, Arizona-Rural/Metro contract, the 1980 Reminderville, Ohio-Corporate Security contract, the 1976 Indian Springs, Florida-Guardsmark contract, and the 1976 Buffalo Creek, West Virginia-Guardsmark contract).
Other jurisdictions that have had contracts for police services with private firms include Indian Springs, Florida, Buffalo Creek, West Virginia (which was served by Guardsmark) and Reminderville, Ohio which contracted with Corporate Security in 1981; as well as Sussex, New Jersey, which contracted for police services with Executive Security and Investigations Services after the town's entire four-officer police force was dismissed in 1993 because of a drug scandal.