7/2/22

History and organization of Law Enforcement

● History of law enforcement

○ As social groups became larger, formal means became required to deal with
situations that did not respond to informal means
○ The institutions of police is a relatively new phenomenon
○ The police are subject to rapid social change and constant challenges
● Early policing in England
○ The law enforcement function has existed in one form or another for thousands
of years
○ The form of policing that most directly led to that modern us policing was
England's Frankpledge system.
○ Henry and john fielding organized the bow street runners which was more
centralized than the watch and ward system.
○ Sir Robert peel convinced the British government to pass the metropolitan police
act which created a permanent public police force.
○ English policing contributed three features to US policing
■ Limited police authority
■ Local control
■ A fragmented system
● Early policing in the united states
○ Policing in the united states
■ Informal policing began in Boston in 1631 with the establishment of a
night watch
■ The modern new york city police department was formed in 1898
● Introduction of police professionalism
○ Reformers and reform efforts
■ The Pendleton civil service act of 1883
■ The Wickersham Commission and August Vollmer
■ J. Edgar Hoover
○ The 1883 Pendleton civil service act basically formed a civil service system that
dispensed with patronage and administered employment and promotions based
on merit rather than political connections
○ In 1931 August Vollmer wrote the Wickersham commission report that affected
police reform for the rest of the 20th century.
○ Featured of the progressive movement included an emphasis on technology.
● End of the 20th century to Today
○ September 11 affected law enforcement, whose mission has been radically
altered by demands to meet the threat of terrorism.
○ Law enforcement has changed in three ways.
■ Role expansion
■ Racial and Ethnic profiling
■ Immigration enforcement
● Federal level
○ Agencies have nationwide jurisdiction but concentrate on specific offenses
○ Federal law enforcement agencies are organized under the…
■ Department of Justice
■ Department of the Treasury
■ Department of Homeland Security
○ Federal Bureau of Investigations
■ Nationwide jurisdiction to combat federal crimes
○ Secret Service
■ Placed under Homeland Security, its mission had been expanded to
include terrorism
● State Level
○ There are many variations in agency organization from state to state
○ State industry or culture can determine the type of state police agencies
○ Many states have bureaus of investigation
○ Many states have organized their state law enforcement functions under the
highway patrol
○ All states have a highway patrol except Hawaii
● Local Level
○ Local law enforcement agencies handle most crime
○ Most local police forces are operated by municipalities
○ There are about 12000 departments in the united states
■ NYC police department is the largest
○ Sheriffs offices are the most common form of county law enforcement in the US
with 3,063 offices
○ Most sheriffs are elected
○ Most offices run at least one jail