Throughout the history of the police, attempts have been made to integrate the police, commerce and the public. These efforts have been fragmented and uneven although guided by distinct laws, policies, customs and practices. The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of force used by citizens to support the police. It first reviews the literature on the structure and function of these partnerships and how force against citizens can be used. Finally, it makes suggestions concerning further research and the control of force by police and their partners.