The New Sheriff in Town

By Star Loner in Seattle 2072
Lone Star is out and Knight Errant is in. So far as most people can tell, the only difference is the uniform that the cops wear, and the commercials that they spam you with. I mean, cops are cops, right? Wrong. Possibly dead wrong, if you don’t think it through. I’ll get this out of the way up front: Yes, I worked for Lone Star some years ago. I walked away from them long before they were on the outs with Seattle, and I don’t owe them any loyalty, nor do I really carry a grudge. I don’t have an axe to grind with Knight Errant, either, except in as much as I’ve seen how all of these private security companies are rotten to the core. Still, if you give them badges and tell people they’re cops, they’re still willing to accept the idea of these brutal and corrupt thugs as guardians of public welfare and justice. Okay, so I’ve got a bias, but it’s out where you can see it.

> Don’t think you’re going to find a lot of fans of private corporate security contractors
‘round here, Star.
> Hard Exit

> It’s not a matter of “fandom,” it’s about professionalism. The rent-a-cops do
a job. Corporate security does a job. We do jobs. Our job is just to find ways
around what they do. That’s all.
> Danger Sensei

Then there’s the reason for the transition in the first place, or reasons, technically. First off, so far as the public is concerned, Knight Errant is around because Lone Star wasn’t getting the job done, but the governor’s office thinks Knight Errant can. That means the Knights are starting out with something to prove, so they are hitting the streets hard, putting on a show so the citizens of Seattle know they are getting their money’s worth when it comes to security. As Knight Errant gets up to speed, expect to see more displays of law and order in the metroplex, along with vigorous pursuit of high-profile cases that demonstrate Knight Errant is on the job and lawbreakers have reason to be worried.

>Note that “high-profile” thing. KE wants the public to see they are doing a
good job, so they get no real points for subtlety. The truth of the matter is the
best security is invisible—you don’t even know about 90% of the threats that
it prevents—but that kind of security makes for lousy PR, especially for a new
client looking to see what kind of job you’re doing. The lesson for those of us
in the shadows is that dirty word “subtlety”—the less noise you make, the less
likely you are to rise to the top of Knight Errant’s to-do list. Make yourselves a
public spectacle and you can bet the Knights will throw everything they’ve got
at you to make a show out of bringing down the big, bad shadowrunners and
keeping the public safe.
> Danger Sensei

Seattle 2072

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