Chapter 4 Police in Society: History and

Organization

Learning Objectives

Describe how law enforcement developed in feudal England

Summarize characteristics of the first law enforcement agencies

Discuss the development of law enforcement in the United States

Analyze the problems of early police agencies

Discuss how reformers attempted to create professional police agencies

Learning Objectives

Describe the major changes in law enforcement between 1970 and today

Be familiar with the major federal law enforcement agencies

Summarize the differences among state, county, and local law enforcement

Explain the role of technology in police work

The History of Police

Origins of police traced to early English society

Before 1066 BCE:

Pledge System - families banded together for protection

Prior to the thirteenth Century in England:

Shires Similar to counties

Reeves Appointed to supervise the territory

The History of Police

In the thirteenth Century England:

Watch system

Employed watchmen to protect against robberies, fires, and disturbances

In 1326:

The office of the Justice of the Peace was created

Private Police and Thief Takers

During early eighteenth century:

Rising crime rates encouraged and new form of private, monied police who profited from legal and illegal conduct as informal police departments

These private police were referred to as “Thief Takers”

Creating Public Police

1829: Sir Robert Peel, England’s home secretary lobbied an “Act for Improving the Police in and near the Metropolis” Established the first organized police force in London with over 1,000 men

By 1856, all boroughs and counties in England were required to form their own police force

Law Enforcement in Colonial America

Paralleled British model

County Sheriff

Collecting taxes, supervising elections, and performing other matters of business

Instead of patrolling or seeking out crime, the Sheriff reacted to citizens’ complaints and investigated crimes

Early Police Agencies

Boston created first formal U.S. police dept. in 1838

New York Police – 1844

Philadelphia Police – 1854

Conflict between police and the public was born in the difficulty that untrained, unprofessional officers had in patrolling the streets of cities and controlling labor disputes

Early Police Agencies

Police during the nineteenth century: Involved foot patrols

Were regarded as incompetent and corrupt

Police agencies evolved slowly during the second half of the nineteenth century Uniforms were introduced in New York (1853)

Communication links between precincts using telegraph (1850s)

Bicycles introduced (1897)

Primary responsibility was maintaining order

Policing in the Twentieth Century

The emergence of professionalism

The 1960s and Beyond

Policing in the 1970s

Policing in the 1980s

Policing in the 1990s

The Emergence of Professionalism

1893 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)

Called for a civil service police force

August Vollmer

Most famous police reformer

Instituted university training for young officers

Helped to develop the school of Criminology at the University of California, at Berkeley

The 1960s and Beyond

Turmoil and crisis in the 1960s

Supreme Court decisions impacted police

Civil rights of suspects expanded significantly

Civil unrest between the public and police

Rapidly growing crime rate in the 1960s

Both violent and property crimes increased

The 1970s

1970s

There were structural changes in police departments, increased federal support for criminal justice

Law Enforcement Assistance Administration provided resources:

Improved police training

Supported innovative police research

More woman and minorities were recruited for police work

The 1980s and 1990s

1980s Emergence of community policing, unions fought for

increase in salaries, state and local budgets were cut

1990s Rodney King case prompted an era of

police reform

Police departments embraced forms of policing that stressed cooperation with the community and problem solving

Policing and Law Enforcement Today

Law Enforcement agencies are adapting to the changing nature of crime (Ex: terrorism and internet fraud)

700,000 sworn law enforcement officers throughout these jurisdictions: Federal

State

County

Metropolitan

Private

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies

U.S. Justice Department Agencies:

Federal Bureau of Investigations

Drug Enforcement Administration

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

U.S. Marshals

Department of Homeland Security Agencies:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

The Secret Service

State Law Enforcement Agencies

First agency was the Texas Rangers, created in 1835

First truly modern state police agencies:

1903 – Connecticut

1905 – Pennsylvania

State police agencies

60,000 officers and 30,000 civilians

Primarily responsible for highway patrol and traffic law enforcement

County Law Enforcement Agencies

Today sheriffs’ offices contain 330,000 full-time employees including 175,000 sworn personnel

Provide court securityOperate the jail systemDuties vary widely depending on size

Metropolitan Law Enforcement Agencies

Range in size from agencies with 40,000 officers to departments with only 1 part-time officer

Nearly 13,000 departments with over 460,000 sworn personnel

Majority of departments have fewer than 50 officers and serve a population under 25,000

Most provide a wide variety of services and functions

Private Policing

Private security has become a multimillion-dollar industry

10,000 firms and 1.5 million employees

People employed in private security outnumber public police by almost three to one

Privatized security costs less than public officers

Technology and Law Enforcement

There is little doubt that the influence of technology on policing will continue to grow:

Crime Mapping

License Plate Recognition Technology

Digitizing Criminal Identification

Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems

Digital Dental Records

DNA Testing

Future Technology

Genetic algorithms

Augmented Reality technology

Automated Biometric Identification System