Eras of Law Enforcement
Rob Peterson
11/24/2014
Criminal Justice
The roles, responsibilities, and styles of policing in the United States have changed dramatically since the first “era” of policing was established in 1840. Until recently, there were only three established eras of policing: The Political Era, Reform Era and Community Era. We are now in a fourth era- the New Era. All of these eras are reflections of evolution amongst law enforcement officers, as well as political figures of their times. The roles and styles of policing have been a never-ending topic of change, which has grown to fit the demands of the public. Each new era has been born out the desire to make the United States as safe as possible given an evolving climate of
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Despite all the corruption and bribery within the policing community during this era, there were also benefits. Within the Political Era there was a connection between the community and officers who did foot patrols, often referred to as “walking a beat.” While walking a beat, the officers would walk through town streets or city blocks and interacting with the community. This created personal bonds and a sense of trust with those who lived in these areas. If anything happened or seemed suspicious, it was brought to the officer’s attention, giving the officer an opportunity to react to a crime that might have gone unreported in other eras. The police power of this era was characterized as the “muscle” of the politicians. Police harassed and even committed violent crime against adversaries with opposing views and other political opponents. Requirements to become an officer were at a minimum, with almost no set requirements. Because of the rampant political corruption, police were easily bribed or paid off, causing a literal scene of chaos rather than crime control. For one who genuinely strived to serve the public in this era, the job was hard, and much of his efforts were overlooked or hidden by the corruption of others. This chaos eventually took its toll on the public, and it began to push for political reform, marking the end of the Political Era in the 1930’s and ushering in the Reform Era.
The Reform Era of policing in America
Gaines, L. K., & Kappeler, V. E. (2014). Policing in america (8th ed.). (S. Decker-Lucke, Ed.) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America: Anderson Publishing. Retrieved January 2017
Formal policing model began to arise in the late 1800’s and leaders at the time
Policing in the United States has changed dramatically since it was first brought to the thirteen colonies from England. However, some of the issues faced then are being faced in policing today. There are also new trends that are prevalent, and these trends will continue to have lasting effects on the future of policing. Even though new trends improve policing overall, they can also cause more serious issues. It is crucial to continue making changes topolicing because it allows law enforcement officers to keep up with the rest of society, including the knowledge of new crime trends. This paper will
The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By
Policing has come a long way since the London Metropolitan Police. In the mid-1800 's policing was more about crime prevention and use of force was a rare last ditch effort to gain compliance from a suspect ( White p. 69-69 ) New technologies have changed policing from an informal neighborhood watch to a sophisticated organization.
In 2014, the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial website Statistics (November 2014), Retrieved from (http://www. odmp.org) has estimated there have been 106 law enforcement officer deaths. Of those listed there were 43 deaths were from gunfire, 10 from vehicular assaults and 2 from physical assault. Does the community have a relationship with law enforcement? This term paper will review incidents of attacks on law enforcement, efforts of community policing and past incidents leading toward possible future threats on officers. The intent of this paper will discuss the question of are law enforcement safe and are they equipped or prepared for the threats of the present and future? Additionally, this term paper will review the possibilities of officer safety being compromised.
The three eras discussed in this week’s reading are the Political, Reform, and Community-based eras (The fourth era detailing policing in the 21st Century hasn’t been covered yet). The Political Era - 1840-1930 - was characterized by the appointment of police chiefs by local politicians and so were beholden to those that appointed them, often times adjusting the justice they exercised to the benefit of their patron, or rather the politician or party that appointed them. Due to this essentially powerless policing, chiefs tended to be no more than political strong-arms with very little authority over the officers under them. This lack of oversight and control tended towards corrupt or incompetent officers. Because there was virtually no hierarchy or accountability, most officers lacked adequate training which caused poor decisions and unlawful arrests and searches.
“The History of Policing in the United States” by Dr. Gray Potter raises an important question of how the idea of policies roll has changed over time. In the late 18th century the watch system was created to enforce 24/7 surveillance on the neighborhood and warn the community of incoming danger. However, the selective few were not the most reliable at the job; because many were found drunk on the job, or sleeping during the shift. Not much watching was actually taking place because the conditions of the position were all voluntary, many took the job lightly. Over time the United States organized this ‘modern police’ organization group who was supported publicly by a bureaucratic style of government administration. This set police office apart
As opposed to the old times, such departments had been fully entrenched in political affairs and were used as political mercenaries. In particular, they offered assistance to political allies and even harassed their opponents. The irony of this is that police departments were promoting the vices that they were expected to fight. For instance, they were fully expected to fight crime. However, it was widely known that the political machines that the police were protecting and acting to their interests ran activities such as prostitution, illegal gambling, racketeering, and even distribution of drugs. It was, therefore, impossible for the officers to act against their masters; all in all, they ended up protecting the vices that they were supposed to fight. By the turn of the 20th century, police were seen as agents of politicians, enforcing organized crimes in every city in the United States of America. This tarnished their reputation, and they were subjected to public ridicule by the citizens who needed
Since the beginning of police work in America, the system has changed from disorganized chaos into a well structured and rather complex network of communication, response efforts, and detection of lawless behavior. From the creation of the town watch to the transformation of the first police force in the colonies to the lawlessness of the old west and the efforts to revive efficient police work, America has been ever advancing its protection of those who live in the White House, the suburbs, the slums, and even those struggling on the streets. The History of Policing in America is not derived from one origin of time but rather taking the highest qualities of protection from within itself and countries of both friend and foe.
The consequences of such training weren’t seen immediately; the only significantly negative concern that arose instantly as result of informal training was an ineffective police department full of unethical, inaccessible officers. Many reports indicate that officers easily evaded duty and spent much of their time in saloons and barbershops (Walker 29). Lacking direct supervision and internally-driven motivation, many street officers slacked off and began to use corruption as an additional form of income and power. As street officers worked their way up to leadership positions within the police departments, patronage became a significant issue; officers were selected entirely on the basis of their political connections. Men with no formal education, those in bad health, and those with criminal records were hired (Walker 28). The intense need for a secure, reliable police department became evident. The police academy was born as a result of a demand for ethically and morally stable officers free of corruption and formally trained to keep the community safe.
Soon after, as the development of policing began to grow, many different cultures made use of different policing systems. Practices created throughout the development of policing has played a major role in shaping modern policing in the U.S. In this paper, I will discuss the history of policing, the different eras, how professional standards have affected the way police officers carry out their duties, how standards have affected modern policing and what can be modified to make policing profession
The American policing system has its origin already in the 1600s when the first police officer was referred to as a shout. Due to the demographic shift between rural and urban areas in the 1800s, a need for protection became apparent in the city environment. During such urbanization period, British, as well as New York policing forces, presented great similarities. Initially, the policing system was strictly connected to the ‘watch system’. The watchmen were mostly responsible for protecting urban property and population from rapidly increasing crime and fire. In 1829, Sir Robert Peel reforms the watch system making it one of the first full-time professional force controlled by the British government. The professionals watched London streets constantly; they were also “uniformed and highly visible; and they stressed prevention rather than investigation of crime” (Lardner and Reppetto 17). As it can be seen, policing became an apparent and visible component of social and urban setting.
After the war, Vollmer left the military and returned to back to Berkeley. A few years later, Vollmer became a police officer. As working as a police officer he saw that they known more for their brutality and corruption than their crime-solving skills. The owner paid off the city officials because gambling and opium parlors operated openly in Berkeley. After a while, Vollmer banned graft and gifts, and made many series of reforms that are recognized for changing the way policing worked into a modern profession.
Under the influence of political power, during the late 1800’s to early 1900’s police officers helped those with political power and imposed punishment on the individuals who opposed the present political powers. Due to their beastly actions and how they went about helping those in control of them, the public viewed Law Enforcement as a corrupt and felt they were there to only do more harm than good. After the public protested and complained to the government about the behavior of officers on duty, revisionist was able to break the police away from its political influence and