Police and Society: History and Organization

1. Chapter 5 Police and Society: History and Organization

2. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

9. The Modern Era of Policing: The 1960s • Civil unrest and Vietnam • Growing crime rates • Supreme Court decisions • Desire for more educated officers

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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/

15. 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

16. Department of Homeland Security • The assigned mission of Homeland Security: • Prevent terrorist attacks within the United States • Reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism • Minimize the damage from attacks that do occur and recover from them

17. 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

18. 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”

19. 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

20. 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

21. County Law Enforcement • Either the County Sheriff’s 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

22. Metropolitan Police • Have majority of personnel • NYPD is largest • Large and small departments have same functions

23. Technology in Law Enforcement • Criminal identification through computer imaging (biometrics) • Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems • DNA testing