Talk:Pinkerton National Detective Agency

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[edit] Pinkerton Investigations?

Removed this from the Pinkerton page because I'm suspicious it has no valid meaning: "Correction: Pinkerton Security is no longer; however, Pinkerton Investigations lives on!!" (semicolon+comma mine) There is no Wikipedia listing for "Pinkerton Investigations" and a Google search turns up nothing separate from the Pinkerton Security discussed in the body of the article. Anyone care to elaborate? -Aratuk 21:07, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Securitas Security bought Pinkerton Security HOWEVER, the article states the Pinkerton name has been retired. This is not true. I am an employee of Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations, A Securitas Company. The latter is what our business cards state. Pinkerton Security services are now entirely Securitas. Ci-pinkerton.com is the investigations website.
Specifically, Pinkerton was not begun as a ‘Security Guard’ agency and the name has has not been retired. Check your facts ‘Aratuk’. From the companies website:


In 2001 Pinkerton and Burns International merged operations to become Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. the largest security services provider in the world. This brought together the two most renowned private investigative firms in the world.
Our History
Pinkerton's history dates back to 1850 in Chicago, when Allan Pinkerton, the original "private eye", founded Pinkerton's National Detective Agency. Pinkerton achieved national renown in 1861 when he uncovered and foiled an assassination plot on the life of Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, Pinkerton organized America’s first secret service. His pursuits of Jesse James, the Younger, the Dalton gangs and his longstanding pursuit of the Wild Bunch brought extraordinary visibility to his agency.
Burns International also boasts a rich history. In 1909, William J. Burns founded the William J. Burns Detective Agency with headquarters in Chicago , Illinois . Burns was a man of integrity and served as a national crime watchdog. During his career, he was labeled "the greatest detective the U.S. has ever produced." In 1921, he was appointed the director of the newly formed National Bureau of Fingerprint investigation that later became the FBI.
The Legacy Continues...
Now operating as Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, the legacy of these two great men continues to this day with a force of investigators and security specialists that retain the same reputable dedication and commitment to protecting clients and their assets worldwide.
Experience. Integrity. Trust.
Pinkerton's tradition of excellence continues with the experience you can trust, and the integrity you can rely on as a respected leader in the security consulting and investigation industry. Pinkerton offers corporations comprehensive security services, a consultative approach to identifying risks and the professional expertise to partner in effective solutions. With offices located in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, and Asia, you can depend on an organization with a rich history and a dynamic future.
Our Parent Company Securitas Group has operations in more than 30 countries, primarily in Europe and North America. We are a world leader in security, with annual sales of approximately $7 billion. Every day, more than 200,000 employees work to carry out our mission of protecting homes, work places, and community. We provide security services in close cooperation with customers. To this end, business areas have been added and the service content has been specialized and developed. Our business areas are: Guard Services, Alarm Systems, and Cash Handling. TOP—Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.45.165.42 (talk • contribs)
well, it is obvious we need to watch out about those who have conflicting interests on this site.Travb 00:35, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Shouldn't the article mention

Shouldn't the article mention that this company was able to murder strikers with impunity for many years? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.119.114.46 (talk • contribs)
Not that there's anything wrong with that. They were trespassers; they deserved to die. Kurt Weber 17:20, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
Ah spoken like someone who wants to debate with people simply because he is bored, but has no debating skills, and has absolutly no understanding of the issues.Travb 00:22, 19 April 2006 (UTC)
Incorrect on all three counts. Kurt Weber 21:45, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
My apologies if I am wrong. Please read the Churchill account of the history of the Pinkertons, and let me know what you think.Travb 23:26, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
Yes, but not with such POV terms--read the excellent history of the Pinkertons by Churchill (I added yesterday to the external links) incorporate similar non-POV language to this article.Travb 17:14, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Founding of Pinkerton National Detective Agency

Founding of Pinkerton National Detective Agency in 1850 is dubious - a 1914 letterhead states this - but Library of Congress says circa 1852. Pinkerton was a shameless self-publicist and may have airbrushed his brother out of the history of the company. See: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8980/the_early_pinkertons_main.htm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.48.152.107 (talk • contribs)

SIGN YOUR POSTS using ~~~~
Signed:Travb 00:25, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Shouldn't the article mention

Shouldn't the article mention how modern day Pinkerton Investigations treats it's employees? Not very well I can assure you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.119.114.46 (talk • contribs)

[edit] Don't write about it here, do the edits yourself

If I had a dime for every time someone suggested something on a talk page and that suggestion was ignored. If you want to make an edit. Make it yourself. No one will take up the cause and edit the page for you.Travb 00:24, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Homestead strikers

Don't you think it should be noted in the first section that the Homestead strikers were the ones who attacked the Pinkertons, and not the other way around in. It also doesn't mention that the Pinkertons took casualties themselves?
I would also suggest a "neutrality disputed" banner at the top of the page. It seems to favor the unionists. (I don't know how to perform this action myself, which is why I am not editing the page). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.21.161.229 (talk • contribs)
User:24.21.161.229 obviously never read what I wrote just above him: Don't write about it here, do the edits yourself.
I am going to rewrite this page completly in the next couple of days, not waste my time asking someone to do it for me on the talk page, but unfortunatly, not as User:24.21.161.229 wants, I am going to expand on the history of the Pinkertons supression and dirty tricks. Travb 11:52, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New additions of anon

Anon (72.135.35.51) added the following text:

It consisted of murderers, scums and thugs.

This sentence is completly inappropriate.

In addition, the anon added the following:

One of the main service of the Agency was to organize judicial plots, instigations and conspiracies against the trade unions. The Agency was hired by owners of Railroads, Factories, Mines, etc. to incriminate prominent members of the trade unions for cases of murder, explosions, robberies etc.
A famous case, in which the Pinkerton Agency was involved, is the exploitation of the murder of Frank Steunenberg by Harry Orchard to accuse the leaders of the Western Federation of Miners. The plot was mainly organized by James McParland, a Pinkerton agent.

Although I agree with this users POV, the paragraphs need to be written in a NPOV manner, and the bold text needs to be changed. In addition, some of the material is already contained in the article:

During the labor unrest of the late 19th century, businessmen hired Pinkerton guards to keep strikers and suspected unionists out of their factories.

Signed:Travb (talk) 05:53, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Dead wood

Pinkertons are often referred to ominously or with contempt in the popular HBO series Deadwood. In season 3, originally aired during 2006, they entered the storyline, hired by the character of George Hearst.

The last editor said they were in all three seasons...someone is incorrect. Travb (talk) 18:39, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually, they were. Not Pinkerton "Detectives" themselves, but there was a woman who was a Pinkerton agent, and they were referenced throughout the first and second seasons. JorgeMacD 06:29, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Removed section

The following has been removed:

Due to its conflicts with labor unions, the word Pinkerton remains in the vocabulary of labor organizers and union members as a derogatory reference to authority figures who side with management (in the opinion of the union). [citation needed]

Travb (talk) 23:44, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

The removed information certainly describes a fact among those aware of their labor history. I worked in a factory which hired Pinkerton guards, and i thought of that bloody history every time that i saw one of them. I expect that a source could be found for the statement.
(It appears that it hasn't yet been removed, as i write this.)
Anticipating that the information will be removed, i have a couple of questions--
Was this removed because it was poorly worded and not stated in a neutral manner? (I might be persuaded of such a claim, although i'm not certain it justifies removal. A rewrite seems more reasonable.)
Or was it removed because of no source?
And if it was removed because of no source, how long was it thusly tagged?
Thanks for transferring the section to the talk page for discussion... Richard Myers 03:26, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Matewan and Pinkertons

Although it is likely there were Pinkertons involved in much of the history relating to mining in West Virginia, the movie Matewan was based upon the interactions of the miners' union, the chief of police, and the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency, which operated in a manner similar to the Pinkertons. Richard Myers 04:16, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Homestead strike

An editor just attempted to make the same edit suggested by 24.21.161.229 above (diff) but I reverted (diff). The current text has good summary style now, and refers readers to the longer article on the Homestead strike which fully explains the various perspectives on the conflict. In my view it's better to keep it short & refer per SUMMARY than bloat out this article again on Homestead. --Lquilter (talk) 21:52, 22 December 2007 (UTC)