Community Policing

1
Community Policing

• Chapter 1
• The Evolution of Community Policing

2
Introduction

• Community Policing did not just magically appear.
  It has evolved over centuries and it may only be
  a steppingstone to something more different in
  the future. More specifically police departments
  across the United States and especially Sheriffs
  Departments are involved in community policing.
  68 of the local police departments and 55 of
  the Sheriffs departments have a community
  policing plan in place. Without community
  partnerships the chance of a successful problem
  solving police dept is zero.

3
Community Policing Defined

• Community Policing is Proactive
• Community Policing is Problem Solving
• Community Policing is Solution based

4
History of Policing

• The 1st known codified set of rules or laws were
  published by the Sumerian rulers in 2300 B.C.
• They were attempting to govern their society and
  punish those who broke the law.

5
History Continued

• From 849-899 King Alfred the Great structured
  people to govern themselves in small villages
• King Alfred the Great came up with the term
  tithing and requested that every male enroll
  for police purposes in a group of 10 families or
  more. Tithing worked well until 1066 when William
  the Conqueror invaded and conquered England
• He replaced the tithing system of home rule
  and replaced it with 55 military districts called
  shires
• The shires were headed by a Norman Officer
  called a reeve which produced the title shire-
  reeve which is now the origin of the word
  Sheriff

6
History Cont..

• By the 17th century in England there was a day
  and a night shift
• During the day Constables served as jailers and
  performed other duties
• Citizens worked on the night watch looking for
  fires, bad weather, and disorderly individuals
• If a citizen saw a crime in progress they were
  to summon all citizens within earshot to join in
  to pursue and capture the wrongdoer

7
History Cont..

• By the mid 1700's New York City was in turmoil
  and London was suffering from the impact of the
  Industrial Revolution and was experiencing
  massive poverty and high unemployment
• The problem was studied between 1780 and 1820 by
  English Parliament
• Sir Robert Peel was appointed the Home
  Secretary whereas he asked for and was given
  finances to start the 1st Metropolitan Police
  Dept in 1829

8
The Beginnings of Modern Police Forces

• Robert Peel was way ahead of his time and he set
  forth some policing philosophies that are still
  used today.
• We call them Peels Principles

9
Peels Principles

• Police were to prevent crime and disorder
• The power of the police was derived from public
  approval
• Peel asked that the citizens respect and observe
  the law
• The police must be impartial
• The police should strive to maintain a
  relationship with the public the public are the
  police and the police are the public
• The test of police is the absence of crime

10
Peels Principles Cont..

• The police should be organized like the military
• That qualified persons be hired and trained
• There should be a probationary period and
  officers should be fired if they did not meet
  standards
• The police should be under the control of the
  civil government
• There should be a central headquarters
• Records should be maintained
• Police should have patrol areas to respond

11
Peels Principles Cont..

• Peels principles emphasized the interdependency
  of the police and the public as well as crime
  prevention and disorder
• As the founder of the 1st police department Peel
  noted that a policemans job was primarily crime
  prevention and social maintenance, and not crime
  detection

12
Policing in The United States

• The south was very different
• There were slave patrols because the Southern
  Colonies were concerned about the dangers of the
  oppressed slaves
• They established a code of laws to keep slaves
  from having weapons, gathering in groups, leaving
  the plantation w/o a pass, or resisting
  punishment

13
The 3 Eras of Policing

• A major paradigm shift occurred in the evolution
  of policing.
• A paradigm shift is a new way of looking at a
  specific subject
• The 3 eras of policing are political, reform, and
  community

14
Political Era

• Lasted from 1840 to 1930
• The departments were closely tied to politics
• The chief did not have the authority to hire and
  fire
• Officers were closely tied to the communities in
  which they lived
• Officers were usually on foot patrol therefore
  they were close to the communities

15
Political Era Cont..

• The chiefs were politically appointed and had a
  vested interest in keeping those who had
  appointed them in power
• Politicians rewarded those who voted for them
  with special jobs and privileges
• This was known as the spoils system

16
Political Era

• Policing became so corrupt that in 1929 President
  Herbert Hoover appointed George Wickersham to
  investigate police corruption.
• Several things were exposed such as the 3rd
  degree, threats and intimidation, physical
  brutality, illegal detention, refusal to allow
  access to counsel
• This led to the 2nd era of policing

17
Reform Era

• The reform era is also known as the progressive
  era
• Police departments were re-organized and were
  designed to function differently
• August Vollmer was known as the father of
  American policing
• He was responsible for radios in patrol cars,
  fingerprint classification, MO files, motorcycles
  and bike patrols, and a police academy