1. Introduction to Criminal Justice
Chapter 5: History and Structure of American Law Enforcement

2. Limited Authority of American LE
U.S. has more than 15,7000 public LE agencies
Jurisdiction of each agency is limited
Jurisdiction: the right or authority of a justice agency to act in regard to a particular subject matter, territory, or person
LE enforcement is also limited by procedural law derived from U.S. Supreme Court decisions

3. English Roots
Tithing System: a group of 10 families agreed to follow the law, keep the peace in their areas, and bring law violators to justice
In larger areas, 10 tithings grouped together to a hundred
One or several hundreds constitute a shire, under the direction of the shire reeve

4. English Roots Constable-Watch System
Statute of Winchester, in 1285, formalized constable-watch system
A system of protection in early England in which citizens, under the direction of a constable, or chief peacekeeper, were required to guard the city and to pursue criminals
2 elements made their way to the colonies
The people were the police
The organization of the protection system was local

5. English Roots Bow Street Runners London Metropolitan Police
Henry Fielding
Paved way for more professional response to crime
London Metropolitan Police
Robert Peel
Organized according to military rank and structure
Under command of two magistrates
Main function to prevent crime by preventive patrol

6. Peel’s Principles of Policing

7. Early American LE
Settlers brought with them the constable- watch system
LE in the Cities
Industrial Revolution
Overcrowded & unhealthy living and working conditions
Americans resisted established of public police force
Plainclothes watchman did not try to prevent or discover crime

8. LE in the Cities Municipal Police Forces
In 1844, New York City created the first paid, unified police force in the U.S.
It was not until after the Civil War that police forces routinely began to wear uniforms, carry nightsticks and even carry firearms
Tangle of Politics and Policing

9. LE in the Cities Brief History of Blacks in Policing
“free men of color”
Hired around 1805 to serve as members of the New Orleans city watch system
By 1910, fewer than 600 black police officers in the U.S.

10. LE in the States and on the Frontier
Southern Slave Patrols
Frontier LE often meant vigilantism
State Police Agencies
Texas Rangers, 1835
Pennsylvania established first modern state LE agency in 1905
By 1930s, every state had some form of state LE agency

11. Introduction to Criminal Justice
Chapter 5: History and Structure of American Law Enforcement

12. Professionalism and Reform
Until late 19th century, there were no qualifications required for LEO
Cincinnati was the first to require qualification of police officers:
High moral character
Foot speed
Was not until early 20th Century that reformers began advocating training and education for police officers

13. Conflicting Roles Police have acted as: Peacekeepers Social workers
Crime fighters
Public servants

14. Community Policing
Contemporary approach to policing that actively involves the community in a working partnership to control and reduce crime
A problem-oriented approach
Greater emphasis on foot patrols
Building a relationship with citizens

15. Structure of American LE
American LE agencies are extremely diverse in:
Jurisdictions
Responsibilities
Employers

16. Introduction to Criminal Justice
Chapter 5: History and Structure of American Law Enforcement

17. Local Police Duties Law enforcement Order maintenance or peacekeeping
Service
Information gathering

18. Organizational Structure
How an agency is structured depends on:
The size of the agency
The degree of specialization
The philosophy the leadership has chosen
The political context of the department
The history and preferences of a particular community

19. Organizational Structure
Large departments have many specialized departments
Small departments rarely have specialized departments
Police departments are usually organized in a military structure

20. County LE Investigating crimes Supervising sentenced offenders
Enforcing criminal and traffic laws
Serving summons, warrants, and writs
Providing courtroom security
Transporting prisoners
Operating a county jail

21. Politics and County LE
Most sheriffs are directly elected and depend on an elected board of county commissioners or supervisors for funding
Sheriffs generally have a freer hand in running their agencies than do police chiefs

22. State LE
Provide criminal and traffic law enforcement, and other services particular to the needs of that state government
Two models:
State Police Model
Highway Patrol Model

23. State LE Both state police and highway patrol agencies:
Help regulate commercial traffic
Conduct bomb investigations
Protect the governor and capital grounds/building
Administer computerized information networks for the state

24. Federal LE FBI, Secret Service, Treasury Department, etc.
Major differences between federal LE and state/local police:
Federal agencies operate across the nation
Federal agencies usually do not have peacekeeping duties
Some federal agencies have very narrow jurisdictions

25. Department of Homeland Security
Prevent terrorist attacks within the US
Reduce the vulnerability of the US to terrorism
Minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks in the US
Carry out all functions of entities transferred to the department

26. Department of Homeland Security
Ensure that the functions of the agencies and subdivisions within the department that are not related directly to securing the homeland are not diminished or neglected except by an explicit act of Congress.
Ensure the overall economic security of the United States is not diminished by efforts, activities, and programs aimed at securing the homeland.
Monitor connections between illegal drug trafficking and terrorism, coordinate efforts to sever such connections, and otherwise contribute to efforts to interdict illegal drug trafficking.

27. Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security has five major divisions, or “directorates”:
Border and Transportation Security (BTS)
Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)
Science and Technology (S&T)
Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP)
Management

28. American Private Security
Estimated that twice as many people work in private security as in public LE
Private security employment is often categorized in two ways:
Contract Security
Proprietary Security

29. Reasons for Growth
A number of factors have stimulated the phenomenal growth of private security since the 1970s:
Declining revenues for public policing.
The private nature of crimes in the workplace.
Companies can control and hide crimes by employees.
Better control and attention to the problem, particularly within a business.
Fewer constitutional limitations on the actions of private security officers.

30. Issues Involving Private Security
A number of unresolved problems and issues hamper the private security industry:
Legal status and authority derive from the rights of the employer.
Private security has few constitutional limitations and can be held civilly liable.
Public policing in a private capacity.
Sworn officers often work for private companies, blurring the lines of responsibility and liability.

31. Issues Involving Private Security
Qualifications and training vary widely.
Diminished public responsibility
The government may not be living up to its responsibility to provide for the general welfare.