Historical Development of Policing in America - Essay Example

The period of prohibition is considered one of the dark periods in the development of law implementation and enforcement. It is during this era that so many organized criminal incidents escalated, illegal businesses grew without hindrance, and corruption in the police forces was entertained allowing unlawful acts to go on at their watching. It was until the Wickersham Commission realized that the prohibition era was doing more harm than good that then significant law changes were initiated fight corruption and unlawfulness.

This included the growth of civil rights whereby the Supreme Court stated individual rights, scrutiny of police operations, and formation of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. Law improvement and enforcement strategies were defined and adopted by the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals.Federal law enforcement agenciesThere are several federal law enforcement agencies in America each with a specific function geared towards promoting the law. The US Department of Justice is responsible for reporting crimes, locating fugitives, finding sales of seized property, identifying missing individuals, and building test between law enforcement and the general public they serve.

The Central Intelligence Agency is charged with the duty of preempting threats and advance the US national security objectives by gathering intelligence that is significant, analyzing data, initiate action as prompted by the president, and protect the national secretes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation protects the US from terror attacks, against foreign intelligence operations, protect civil rights, and against cyber-link crimes (Schmalleger, pg. 79). Local law enforcement agenciesMunicipal police departments-this This is created within the city and employs many part-time officers with jurisdiction within the municipality.

There is also the Sheriff’s Department that enforces law all over the counties, patrol areas outside the municipalities, with their jurisdiction extending the entire county. They run county jails apart from maintaining order in state courts. Other special groups such as campus police and transit police exist and all work with a unified purpose of enforcing the laws.Private protective servicesSeveral private security firms largely contribute to law enforcement programs; private individuals or companies that are profit-centered fund them.

They provide various security services to their customers including the government. These private security agencies have grown drastically and they hire more persons than the national public police forces. Today the private security sector is working hand in hand with the government to enforce laws in the whole country. The private-public security integration is more effective in federal law enforcement, civil rights protections, and the prevention of terrorism attacks. With the acceptance and utilization of private security, optimistically the private security agencies will continue to thrive and largely contribute to national security just as the public sector if well managed and funded.