Nonessential police services included parking enforcement, burglary alarm response, completion of minor incident reports, investigation and reporting of non-injury traffic accidents, prisoner transportation, guarding prisoners at hospitals, and the arrest and transportation of shoplifting suspects to detention facilities. The Nominal Group technique was used to gather data and project future events and trends concerning issues of the future capability of local law enforcement to provide nonessential police services by 2001, types of nonessential police services private industry will be providing to the public by the year 2001, and cost-effectiveness of privatization of nonessential police services. The study showed that California law enforcement agencies could benefit from contracting out essential police services. In particular privatization would reduce personnel expenditures, with up to 51 percent salary savings as well as problems associated with costs of recruiting, training, and disciplining in-house employees involved in the performance of nonessential tasks. The money saved could be used to fight violent crime, drug related problems, and other community concerns. 5 tables