Agreed. Those positions attract the wrong people who should not be in them, and then those people don't give a damn about you or your loved ones or anyone really other than themselves. It is not the way the system should work. A private firm makes an agreement with you though, and their reputation is on the line.
They are not cowards either, and they accept the risks along with the rewards.
Even in war similar situations used to happen often. Many forces were private, and it was a for profit venture. Those forces were often far superior to conscripted ones also. Private investigators, bounty hunters, and close protection officers are all the same as well. The entire system can and should be replaced wtih free agents and companies of them.
Curious... how'd you get into this line of work, and when did you start going after these rings of detestable beings? Also, do you ever partner with Craig Sawyer of Vets for Child Rescue? (I know those are all very personal Qs; if I'm being too inquisitive, pls disregard.) https://vets4childrescue.org/
I'm 45 and back in the 1990's I wanted to be a detective. No police agency would hire me though. At the time there was legal and open reverse discrimination. Then I gave up on doing police work to be a detective.
I was an Intel Analyst in the Army, and I've done a lot of private security work in the past. I went through six months of reserve deputy academy for my county only to be suspended for my political beliefs (defending individual liberty). Now I wouldn't dream of being a police officer, but I still wanted to do investigative work.
Because of my background though, I easily qualified in Virginia to be a PI. Now I can do the work I've always wanted to do. Even having the background qualifications and experience, it still took three years to get to where I am today as a registered PI with my own PI business.
The process is not easy, but at least it is possible in Virginia. Some state limit PI work to only former LEO's.
I have not worked with anyone else yet but would welcome the opportunity depending on the cause/objective.