Police and Society: History and Organization

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Chapter 5
Police and Society History and Organization
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The Pledge System

• Families banded together for protection
• People raised the hue and cry to warn others of
  trouble and to pursue criminals
• Tithings were formed (10 families)
• Ten tithings banded together to form a hundred
  supervised by a constable
• Hundreds banded together to form shires
  supervised by the shire reeve

3
The Watch System 13th Century

• More formal than the pledge system
• Employed watchmen to protect property against
  fire and robbery
• Justice of the peace established and given
  judicial duties
• Constables served as assistants to justices of
  the peace

4
18th Century English Policing

• Industrial Revolution takes place and crime
  dramatically increases
• London experiments with different kinds of
  policing
• In 1829, the Metropolitan Police Act (MPA) is
  passed in Parliament while Sir Robert Peel is
  home secretary
• The MPA creates the first organized police force
  of over 1,000 men

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American Colonial Experience

• County sheriff was the most important law
  enforcement person
• Investigated complaints
• Ran the jail
• Collected taxes, supervised elections
• Town marshal, aided by others, was responsible
  for urban areas
• Vigilante groups used to eradicate some social
  problems

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19th Century American Policing

• Development of police agencies prompted by mob
  violence
• Gentry feared restlessness of the underclass
• Gin became a major substance abuse problem
• Fear of urban street crime produced demands for
  greater police protection

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19th Century American Policing

• Police were incompetent, disliked and corrupt
• Primary functions were to
• Serve as enforcement powers for reigning
  political powers
• Protect private property
• Control the rising number of foreign immigrants

8
20th Century American Policing

• Technological advancements
• Telegraph boxes, motorcycles and police cars
• Local, state and federal crime commissions
• Public concern about police corruption led to
  reform efforts

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The Modern Era of Policing The 1960s

• Civil unrest and Vietnam
• Growing crime rates
• Supreme Court decisions
• Desire for more educated officers

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The Modern Era of Policing The 1970s

• Emphasis on good police-community relationships
• Federal assistance to local and state agencies to
  fight the war on crime
• Recruitment and promotion of women and minorities
  increased

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The Modern Era of Policing The 1980s

• Concepts of community and problem-oriented
  policing emerged
• Police unions grew
• Governments faced fiscal constraints and forced
  budget cutbacks in policing
• Riots and brutality claims led to an examination
  of traditional police practices and roles

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Policing in the 1990s

• Rodney King case prompted a renewed interest in
  police reform
• Evaluation of police broadened to include
  courteousness, helpfulness and deportment of the
  officers

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Exhibit 5.1 The Most Notable Achievements of
Contemporary American Police
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Federal Law Enforcement

• Numerous agencies found in a variety of
  departments of federal government
• No single agency has unlimited jurisdiction
• Most agencies have primarily investigative
  functions
• Function of each agency is determined by specific
  laws

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U.S. Department of Justice

• Headed by the U.S. Attorney General and is
  empowered to
• Enforce all federal laws
• Represent the U.S. in court actions
• Conduct independent investigations through its
  law enforcement services, e.g., FBI, DEA, U.S.
  Marshals The DEA home page is located at
  http//www.usdoj.gov/dea/

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation

• An investigative rather than police agency
• Jurisdiction includes all federal laws not
  specifically assigned to another agency
• Has over 11,000 Special Agents and over 16,000
  other professional, administrative and clerical
  staff
• Provides services to local agencies

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Exhibit 5.2 Special Programs and Divisions of the
Federal Bureau of Investigations
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Exhibit 5.3 Reformulated FBI Priorities
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Exhibit 5.4 Key Near-term Actions to Combat
Terrorism
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Department of Homeland Security

• The assigned mission of Homeland Security
• Prevent terrorist attacks within the United
  States
• Reduce Americas vulnerability to terrorism
• Minimize the damage from attacks that do occur
  and recover from them

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Five Independent Branches of the Department of
Homeland Security

• Border and Transportation Security
• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Science and Technology
• Information Analysis and Infrastructure
  Protection
• Management

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U.S. Treasury Department

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
• Controls sale of untaxed liquor and cigarettes
  and illegal sales, importation criminal misuses
  of firearms and explosives
• Internal Revenue Service
• Enforces violations of income, excise, stamp and
  other tax laws
• Often involved with a variety of types of crimes
  from a tax point of view

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U.S. Treasury Department (cont.)

• U.S. Customs Service
• Guards points of entry into the U.S. and prevents
  smuggling of contraband into and out of the
  country
• U.S. Secret Service
• Enforces laws against counterfeiting
• Protects the President, VP and others
• Maintains the White House Police Force

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State Police Agencies

• Texas Rangers was one of the first state agencies
  formed
• Responsible for
• Highway safety
• Law enforcement in various areas
• Technical support to other agencies

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County Law Enforcement

• Either the County Sheriffs Department (most
  common) or County Police Department
• 3,100 sheriffs operating nationwide
• Responsible for
• Law enforcement
• Local corrections (jail)
• Civil law authority
• Court-related duties

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Metropolitan Police

• Have majority of personnel
• NYPD is largest
• Large and small departments have same functions

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Table 5.1 Police Salaries
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Exhibit 5.5 The Use of Technology in the
Nations Police Departments
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Figure A Crime Map of Tempe, Arizona
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Technology in Law Enforcement

• Criminal identification through computer imaging
  (biometrics)
• Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems
• DNA testing