Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1955-09-08
County's Newest Business
Is Private Policing Firm

Along with shopping centers.
government offices, and indus
trial plants, the growth of Mont
gomery County has attracted one
representative of a little-known
business - the private policing
line.
The county's own Sam Spade
is John Harden, a 30-year-old
Navy veteran who owns the Arl-
Mont Investigatiye Agency.
Mr.. Harden started his agency
in Arlington, Va. two and a half
years ago, but moved his head
quarters to Montgomery County
this year because he feels that in
this expanding area there is room
for his business to grow.
He has an office in the Naylor
Building in Wheaton, and he and
Mrs. Harden - and their 10 cats
= live at 300 Reading Avenue in
Rockville.
Probably the best known
branch of this firm is the
Security Patrol, private police
service that was recently hired
by the city of Rockville to police
its Fairgrounds. The patrol has
also been covering Wheaton, and
hopes to get contracts from bust
nessmen and vacationing home
owners to check their property.
Security Patrol officers wear
khaki uniforms with deputy
Sheriffs' badges. They have
been deputized by the county
sheriff, so they have full powers
of arrest.
The patrol works in coopera-
ton with the county police depart
ment. Mr.. Harden explains that
he feels that police patrolling in
the newly-built up areas, especi-
ally Wheaton, is inadequate be-
cause the size of the county force
hasn't kept up with the areas
growth.
Therefore, he provides proper
ty- owners with concentrated
policing to supplement the public
patrol.
So far, the Security Patrol
hasn't fooled any major crimes.
Most of its action, Mr.. Harden
says, has been to tell young
people wandering around at night
to go home. For instance, one
evening he noticed a group of
youngsters playing on the heavy
equipment at the Wheaton Plaza.
When they couldn't explain their
business there, the teen.agers
were asked to go home.
Scores of young lovers seeking
privacy in Rockville's play.
grounds after dark have been
asked to go elsewhere, Mr.. Har.
den says. And they always leave,
The patrols cars are equipped
with radio-telephones so that its
officers can keep in touch with
their central office and with the
police department.
Besides the Security Patrol, the
Arl-Mont agency has two other
branches criminal investiga.
ton and domestic relations. The
services of the criminal division
are often used by persons wrong.
ly accused of crimes, who hire
Mr.. Harden and his staff to find
the real culprit. Several such
cases are due to come up for court
action soon.
This division also catches bad.
check writers. The agency has
its own file of known check ar.
lists, and work with police de.
partments in tracking them
down.
The domestic relations branch
gathers information for divorce
suits, vanished spouses and Gus.
tody cases.
Mrs. Harden, who worked as a
speech correctionist in the Wash.
ington school system in June, also
helps her husband. keeping rec.
ords. making document checks,
and gathering confidential infor.
nation. Unlike her husband, who
studied psychology and Grimm.
ology at the University of Cali.
fornia at Los Angeles and the
American University, and served
a year and a half as a patrolman
In Arlington, she has no formal
training in detective work.
But before Mr.. Harden started
his own firm she worked, along
with him, for another private de
tective agency, and he has taught
her the elements of the trade.
Come December, when little
Harden is scheduled to make his
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