History of Law Enforcement - Essay Example

Law enforcement is undoubtedly critical to the criminal justice system. The police, who are responsible for law enforcement, are the gatekeepers of the justice process. Its origins are back in England, where primitive forms of policing gradually evolved until reaching the model which was later copied and used in colonial America. This form of policing then developed further in the U.S and has undergone tremendous changes. The modern police emerged in the 19th century following increased mob violence, but was quite different than the one today, being corrupted, unreliable and much disliked by the public. Thereve been several attempts to change it, but they all failed and gained little change, if at all. However, at the turn of the century, change was in the air and the police changed substantially after being reformed by the IASP, a professional society which became the leading voice in police reform, which rid the police forces of politicians influence, advocated for a change in the organizational and behavioral structures of the police and caused the creation of specialized units. The police then became much better, but suffered many difficulties in the 20th century, including riots and civil disorder, marches against the government which the police had to deal with and other bloody confrontations, the greatest of which was in the early 1990s. But after that, the police started reforming quickly and made many improvements in its organization and behavior towards the community in general, and women and minorities in particular, populations which were then better incorporated into the police force. Police in Society: History & Organization The origins of U.S police agencies, like that of criminal law, can be traced back to the English society. England had no regular police force before the Norman Conquest. Every person living in the scattered villages was responsible for aiding others and protecting the settlement from thieving and marauding. This was known as the pledge system. People were grouped in groups of 10 families, who were responsible for their own minor problems. When trouble occurred, someone would call for mutual aid, and they were into a hundred, and whose affairs were supervised by a constable appointed by the local nobleman. He was in charge of larger breaches of law, and might be considered as the first real police officer. Shires, which resembled todays counties, were controlled by the shire reeve appointed by the Crown or local landowner to supervise the territory and ensure the order will be kept. The shire reeve, equivalent to todays sheriff, soon began to apprehend law violators as part of his duties. In the 13th century, the watch system was created to help protect property in Englands larger cities and towns. Watchmen patrolled and night and helped protect from robberies, fires and disturbances. They reported to the area constable, who was the primary metropolitan law enforcement agent. In 1326 the office of the Justice of the Peace was created to assist the shire reeve to control the county. This eventually became the early judicial system, as the constable continued to supervise to night watchmen, investigate offences, serve summonses, and execute warrants and secure prisons. Law enforcement in colonial America paralleled the British model. The sheriff became the most important law enforcing agent in colonies, and not only did he keep the peace and fight crimes, but he also collected taxes, supervised elections and handled a great deal of other legal businesses. He didnt patrol at night or sought crimes, but rather reacted to citizens complaints and investigated crimes which had occurred. In cities, though, town marshals were in charge of law enforcement, and were aided by constables, night watcher, police justices and others. Alongside this, another type of law enforcement was beginning to surface- a loathsome and cruel one- the vigilantes. They were called on to eradicate social problems by force or intimidation. However, as citied grew, it became more difficult for local leaders to organize the vigilantes. Also, seeing as how the early 19th century was an era of widespread urban unrest and mob violence, local leaders began to realize that a more structured police function was needed to control demonstrators and keep the peace. The modern police department was born out of the urban mob violence that wracked the nations cities in the 19th century. Boston created the first U.S police department in 1838. New York formed its police department in 1844 and Philadelphia in 1954. The new police departments replaced the former night watch system. The new departments inherited the functions of the institutions they had replaced at first, and so the Boston police was in charge of maintaining health and the New York one was responsible for sweeping for a few decades. Politicians, who dominated the departments, insisted on new recruitment, which led to hiring people without qualifications for the job. Early police agencies were corrupt, brutal and inefficient. The police work itself was primitive, as nearly none of the simplest technological innovations were existent/or their disposal. Most officers patrolled at foot, without having the ability to call for help and without backup. They were even taunted by toughs of the streets. They were certainly not the crime fighters they are today. Police during the 19th century were regarded as incompetent and corrupt, and were disliked by the people. Their role was minimally directed at law enforcement, its primary function being to serve as the enforcing arm of the political power which reigned at the time. They protected private property and kept control over the rising number of immigrants. Slowly, the police began to evolve in the second half of the 19th century. Uniforms were introduced in 1853 in New York, and a technological breakthrough, the telegraph, was used to link precincts to the central headquarters in the 1850s. Additional technologies were introduced to the police force in transportation, as some patrolling officers were given bicycles, and later, the use of police cars began, starting at Akron, Ohio, in 1910, where the first of them was used. Still, being unsuccessful in their role as crime stoppers, the police continued to be disrespected by the public. The control politicians had on police departments prevents good law enforcement and makes an atmosphere of graft and corruption. There were several attempts to make reforms in the police organization, which tried to change the concentration of power and move it in the hands of administrative boards or some other commission or organization. The greatest one of them was the Boston police strike in 1919, which heightened interest in police reform. Though it and the other attempts failed, the aftermath of the strike was that crime commissions began investigating the extent of crime and how to prevent it, and made recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the police. Unfortunately, a justice reform became less important as the Great Depression struck the USA. But at the turn of the century, several leaders called for professionalizing and improving the police force, and in 1893, the professional society of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IASP) was formed. This association became the leading voice for police reform during the first two decades of the 20th century. It called for creating a civil service police force, removing political influence and control of the police and advocated central organizational structure. It also fostered the creation of specialized units. This led to the police to be incorruptible, tough, highly trained and rule-oriented. The modern era of policing started from the 1960s, which were years of turmoil and crisis, and during which decisions were made by the Supreme Court of the U.S to control police operations and procedures. Suspects civil rights continuously grew and police officers actions were limited, and the latter group was feeling "handcuffed" by the courts. African Americans, in these years, were fighting to achieve more rights and freedoms, and riots broke out in some major cities, some of which happened after police shootings and other bloody incidents involving African Americans as victims of the police (Jones, 2007). Also, students across the nation began marching in anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, and the police were forced to deal with these matters. The 1960s for the police were marked as ones with bloody confrontations between the police and the public. The organization of the police changed as structural changes were being made in police agencies in the 1970s. Federal government support led to the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) devoting a significant portion of its funds to police agencies, funds which were used to support innovative research on police work and advanced training of police officers. The LEAA also developed hundreds of programs to help police officers both educationally and psychologically. This is why the 1970s is a very important decade in the evolution of crime-related education in America, since police officers became much more educated (Foster, Mager & Mullikin, 2007). And finally, the police in the 1970s began to recruit more women and minorities to their ranks. In the 1980s the police role seemed to be changing significantly, as some experts acknowledged that the police shouldnt only be crime fighters, but should also be aware of community issues, and this resulted in the development of the community policing concept. And still, riots continued and so did the conflicts between the police and the community. The 1990s were years of change which began badly yet ended with optimism. A case of officers abusing a black man suspected at driving under intoxication or under the influence of drugs caused serious impacts on society. The incident was videotaped and caused a huge riot in Los Angeles, which ended with about 50 people dead, nearly 2,400 injured and over 13,000 arrested. However, this tragic incident and its results yielded a positive effect and brought forth en era of reform to the U.S police as well as to the state of California (Unz, 1999). The police adopted the community policing model, a form of policing which involved cooperation with the community and problem solving. As technological innovations increased, police departments started being more community-organized. Furthermore, an ongoing effort was made to bring diversity to the police, and African Americans began to be hired to chiefs of police. Finally, today the police force is much more effective and organized, has a much higher intellectual caliber than before, and demands more of candidates, as the standards are higher to be accepted to the police force. Also, the police is very diverse in terms of gender and race, and the police is starting to change its behavior as well as appearance gradually. One can only hope that these trends will continue and make the police even better and more efficient in the future. References Foster, J.P, Magers, J.S & Mullikin, J. (2007). Observations and Reflections on the Evolution of Crime-Related Higher Education. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, Vol. 18 (Issue 1), p.123-136. Jones, S (2007, February 27). Black History Revisited. USA TODAY. Unz, R (1999). California and the End of White America. Commentary, Vol. 108 (Issue 4), p. 17. Read More