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Eras of American Policing and Their Origin American policing originated from early English law and is profoundly influenced by its history. Early law enforcement in England took on two forms of policing, one of which heavily influenced modern policing and it is known as the watch (Potter, 2013). The watch consisted, at first, of volunteers which had to patrol the streets for any kind of disorder including crime and fire. After men attempted to get out of volunteering by paying others, it became a paid professional position (Walker & Katz, 2012). The three eras of policing in America are shaped by these early ideas and practices of law enforcement. Throughout time, sufficient improvements and advancements have been made from the political era to the professional era and finally the community era which attempts to eliminate corruption, hire qualified officers and create an overall effective law enforcement system. The first police department in America developed in New York and began the first era of policing which spanned from the 1830s to 1900 and is known as the political era (Walker & Katz, 2012). As emphasized by Walker (1999) not only did the political era of policing revolve around politics but provided officers with little to no training, education or recruitment standards (as cited in Police: History, 2014). The era also forced shaky job security for law enforcement and officers could be fired and hired at any point with little to no reason. Even men with criminal records were foot patrolling and women were only seen as “matrons” for the jail; they did not carry weapons and often times had very little arrest discretion (Walker & Katz, 2012). According to Walker and Katz (2012), “a $300 payment to the Tammany Hall poli... ... middle of paper ... ...l History Network. Retrieved May 10, 2014, from http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:TwoWay_Police_Radio_Communication,_1933 Police: History - Policing Nineteenth-century Americaâ€. (n.d.). "the Political Era. Retrieved May 9, 2014, from http://law.jrank.org/pages/1642/Police-History-Policing-nineteenth-century America-political-era.html Potter, G. (2013, June 25). The History of Policing in the United States, Part 1. Online Police Studies Degrees. Retrieved May 9, 2014, from http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/history-policing-united-states-part-1 Ruffinengo, M. (2014, February). Chapter 2: The History of American Police. Criminal Justice 102. Lecture conducted from Boise State University, Boise, ID. Walker, S., & Katz, C. (2012). Police in America: An Introduction (8th Edition ed.). New York: Humanities & Social Sciences; 8 edition.
...Territo, L., & Taylor, R. W. (2012). Intelligence, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Police administration: structures, processes, and behavior (8th ed., pp. 90-99). Boston: Pearson.
During the seventies in New Jersey created a program that could change life in society. This program occurred only in twenty-eight cities. Government and public officials were excited about this concept. Police officials were not so much. Foot patrol made officers walk in sleet and snow. Assigned foot patrol was a way of punishment for officers. State funding of foot patrol shut the mouths of some people. Silence stopped after the “Police Foundation”(Kelling) put foot patrol to the actual test. To contrary belief this rattled some arguments in the community an...
According to Kelling, Pate, Dieckman, & Brown (1974), patrol is the “backbone” of police work. This belief is based around the premise that the mere presence of police officers on patrol prohibits criminal activity. Despite increasing budgets and the availability of more officers on the streets, crime rates still rose with the expanding metropolitan populations (Kelling et al., 1974). A one year experiment to determine the effectiveness of routine preventive patrol would be conducted, beginning on the first day of October 1972, and ending on the last day of September 1973.
Peak, K. J. (2006). Views. In K. J. Peak, Policing America: Methods/Issues/Challenges (p. 263). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
In the political era of policing, police were agents who were accountable to the local politicians. What worked in this era is police were active members in the community and involved in community benefitting programs. What did not work were discrimination and the organizational disorganization. Police officers routinely abused individuals who were not members of the community and there was no accountability due to officers being only accountable to local politicians. The political era of policing transitioned to the reform era because of these problems. In the reform era of policing, police officers were agents of crime control. What worked in this era was the hierarchy created for agency organization is still used in modern day policing. What did not work in this era was public fear rose exponentially. The reform era transitioned into the community era of policing due to the reform era not being able to handle the socially changing landscape. In the community era of policing, police officers are about problem-solving and engaging the community members. What works in the community era of policing is the relationships built within the community and the changing approach of crime prevention instead of a reactive approach. What does not working is officer safety is more crucial because of officers
The Political Era of policing occurred in the early 1800’s and lasted until the 1930’s, and was under the direct influence of the local government and politicians. There were benefits of political influence; police departments began to develop intimate relationships within their communities offering a wide array of services to citizens. For example, the police worked soup kitchens and provided temporary housing for immigrants searching for work (Peak, 2015). In addition to providing an array of services to the community, officers were integrated into neighborhoods, which helped to prevent and contain riots. Typically, officers were assigned to neighborhoods where they lived or had the same ethnic background. Police departments
& Forst, L.S. (2016). An Introduction to Policing (8th Edition). Boston, MA USA: Cengage Learning. p.243 (245). Retrieved June 6, 2017, from https://www.betheluniversityonline.net
In the fifth chapter of Walker’s book, he discusses the idea that we can reduce crime rates if we “unleash” cops and give them more capabilities, deter future crimes through more severe punishments, and that we should lock up more criminals and for longer terms. The author of 14 books on issues of crime, policing, and policies surrounding those issues, Walker holds the title of Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he taught for many years, even though he has not taught there since 2005. Before this, in 1973, he acquired a Ph.D. in American History at Ohio State University which is his highest degree to date. Walker has written and done research on numerous subjects involving the criminal justice system and because of this has keen insight into the world of law and policing.
Rutkin, Aviva. "Policing The Police." New Scientist 226.3023 (2015): 20-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
From the roots of modern policing, we started with similar ideas as the English policing system in the colonies with a sheriff, constable and a town watch. Eventually, America found issues with this system as England did and had to evolve to withstand populations, civil disorders, and increase of crime. Tensions rose due to growth of immigrants competing for jobs against Native Americans. Thus, become the “Year of Riots” in 1834 which brought larger cities to accept and establish a new London-style police department which took many years due to the process of city and state legislature. Preventive patrol was the number one idea America took from London since it was found police presence does effect individuals’ behaviors. However, the
Time may pass and personal morals may change, but one of the strengths of the United States of America is its unwavering dedication to justice. Throughout time, this country’s methods and laws have grown and adapted, but the basis of the law enforcement’s work has remained the same: the safety and interest of the people.
American law enforcement agencies are based off the English models which began in the early 1800’s. In 1829, the English Parliament passed the Metropolitan Police Act (Walker, 1983). Sir Robert Peel who has been credited as the father of modern policing introduced this act to Parliament (Walker, 1983). This act established the London Metropolitan Police which was the model for American policing. This method of policing incorpor...
The Web. The Web. 15 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Gul, Zakir, Hakan Hekim, and Ramazan Terkesil. “Controlling Police (Excessive) Force: The American Case.”
There has always been a love-hate relationship between the public and the police. When called upon to help, they can be something sent from God, but when they are writing tickets, or taking a friend to jail, the view changes from a savior to a presence that is unwanted and often hated. An effort to improve the public view of law enforcement is being attempted by many departments. Using different styles of policing techniques, mainly community based policing, has proved to be the best way to improve the image of law enforcement.
America’s first known system of law enforcement originated in Boston more than 350 years ago. Almost as soon as settlers landed on the shores of the “New World”, a system of policing was put into place. This system was structured after the English system and included positions such as constables, watchmen, and sheriffs. As society progressed, so did the system of law enforcement. Law enforcement has grown into a well-honed system that incorporates technology and problem solving strategies into daily operations.