The History of American Police

Sir Robert Peel  1829 – Metropolitan Police  Hesitant approval...  Concern over use of police as a mechanism for political tyranny  Should we sacrifice or limit INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY to improve the ability of the police to prevent or detect crime?

Influence of English Heritage  Limited Police Authority  Local Control  Decentralization

Pre-Political Era  Birth of the nation to 1870  Diverse, uncoordinated attempts to develop police to meet the unique needs of a community  e.g. Texas Rangers…cattle rustling  Sheriffs & Marshals…maintaining order in towns

Political Era  Mid-19 th Century  Political machines recruited cops to encourage citizens to vote for the “right” candidates  Thugs were hired to intimidate, intrude, and to exert political influence  Lots of corruption, payoffs, organized crime, etc…  Reform…replacing “his” cops with “mine”

Professional Era  20 th Century  Three forces for change:  Organized move for professionalism  Modern communications technology  Civil rights movement

August Vollmer  Chief of Police, Berkley,  Principles of police administration  Higher education  Hiring college graduates  Better training

Reform Agenda  Eliminate political influence  Appoint qualified chiefs  Nonpartisan public service  Raise personnel standards  Scientific management (centralized command and control)  Develop specialized units

Community Policing Era  1970’s  Wilson, Kelling, Trojanowicz  Decentralized  Generalist

Bayley’s Development of Police  Public  Paid by & directed by communities  Specialized  Designed to perform one particular task (applying force)  Professional  Explicit attention given to quality