97

The goal of this paper is to enlighten the rationalities of the private security managers in the field of security in Montréal. Forty-five interviews were conducted and analysed through the metaphor of the capital in a way to understand their strategies. We found that the managers were organized enough to not excessively depend on the police, even if they still need them,most notably because of some of their unique powers. Moreover, the industry suffers from a lack of legitimacy that it seeks to get through a certain form of state recognition. Finally, we found that the industry is more interested in distinguishing itself than competing with the police, in a way to occupy a specific and unique place in the field.