Police Enforcement And The Civil Authority Of The Government

It is important to examine the history of policing in the United States in order to understand how it has progressed and changed over time. Alterations to the purpose, duties, and structure of American police agencies have allowed this profession to evolve from ineffective watch groups to police agencies that incorporate advanced technology and problem-solving strategies into their daily operations Police officers represents the civil authority of the government. Police typically are responsible for maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities. The development of policing in the United States closely followed the development of policing in England. In the early†¦show more content†¦During the political era of policing, the function of law enforcement was to provide a wide range of social service to the community. It was both informal and communal, which is referred to as the Watch, or private-for-pr ofit policing, which is called The Big Stick† (Spitzer, 1979). The watch system was composed of community volunteers whose primary duty was to warn of impending danger. Boston created a night watch in 1636, New York in 1658 and Philadelphia in 1700. The night watch was not a particularly effective crime control device. Watchmen often slept or drank on duty. While the watch was theoretically voluntary, many volunteers were simply attempting to evade military service, were conscript forced into service by their town, or were performing watch duties as a form of punishment. Philadelphia created the first day watch in 1833 and New York instituted a day watch in 1844 as a supplement to its new municipal police force (Gaines, Kappeler, and Vaughn 1999). These informal modalities of policing continued well after the American Revolution. It was not until the 1830s that the idea of a centralized municipal police department first emerged in the United States. In 1838, the city of Boston established the first American police force. By the 1880s all major U.S. cities had municipal police forces in place. In the Southern states the development of American policing followed a different path. The genesis of the modern police organization in the South is the SlaveShow MoreRelatedThe Development of Independent Professional Police Forces and Civil Services940 Words   |  4 Pagesof the criminal justice system: The development of independent professional police forces and civil services The rise of formal police organizations, in contrast to kin-based retribution, was one of the most significant developments of modern civilization. The Romans were the first civilization to have a permanent policing force that was made up of neither mercenaries nor soldiers. 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