1. Chapter Two The History of the American Police
Police in America
Chapter Two
The History of the
American Police
© 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.
McGraw-Hill

2. The Relevance of History
Knowledge of the development of policing contributes to our understanding of contemporary practices and problems.
Police organization, reforms, and police-community relations today are deeply rooted in the past.

3. The Relevance of History
The study of police history can:
Dramatize the fact of change
Put current problems into perspective
Help us understand what reforms have worked
Alerts us to the unintended consequences of reforms

4. The English Heritage The Constable, Sheriff, and Justice of the Peace
The Watch System
Sir Robert Peel
London Metropolitan Police (1829)
Mission, Strategy, Organizational Structure

5. First Modern America Police
New York - first police department with a day and night shift (1844)
Did not wear uniforms but had a hat and badge
Did not carry firearms
Officers hired based on who they knew

6. Three Eras of American Policing
The political era (1830s-1900)
The professional era ( s)
The era of conflicting pressures (1960s-present)

7. Law Enforcement in Colonial America
Sheriff
Appointed by colonial governor
Chief local government official
Law enforcement
Collect taxes
Conduct elections
Maintain bridges and roads
Constable
Some responsibility for enforcing law and maintaining order
Originally elected, later appointed
Watch
Watchmen patrolled to guard against
Fire
Crime
Disorder
Originally, only night watch
All males were expected to serve
Slave Patrol
Distinctly American
Guard against slave revolts and capture runaway slaves

8. American Policing in the 19th Century
Establishment of Modern Police Forces
Urbanization, Industrialization, Immigration
Breakdown in Law and Order
The Political Era
Police Personnel
Selection based on political connection

9. Patrol Foot patrol No communications system Weak supervision
In time, call boxes emerged
Weak supervision
Major social welfare institution
Corruption
Reforms

10. American Policing in the 20th Century
Police Professionalism
August Vollmer, the “Father of American Police Professionalism”
Advocated higher education for police officers
Chief of Berkeley, California
Wrote Wickersham Commission Report (1931)

11. Professionalization Movement
Reformers sought to define policing as a profession
Sought to eliminate the influence of politics on policing
Argued for hiring qualified police chiefs
Tried to raise standards for patrol officers
Applied modern management principles
Create specialized units like traffic, vice

12. The Diary of a Police Officer: Boston, 1895
The recently discovered 1895 diary of Boston police officer Stillman S. Wakeman provides a revealing glimpse into actual police work 100 years ago.
Officer Wakeman was “an officer of the neighborhood.” He spent most of his time on patrol responding to little problems that neighborhood residents brought to him: disputes, minor property crimes, and so on. He spent relatively little time on major offenses: murder, rape, robbery. He resolved most of the problems informally, acting as a neighborhood magistrate.
Officer Wakeman’s role was remarkably similar to that of contemporary patrol officers. He was reactive and a problem solver. The major difference was the absence of modern police technology: the patrol car and the 911 telephone system.

13. Important Issues in American Policing in the 20th Century
State Police Agencies
Federal Bureau of Investigation
New Technology
Supreme Court Decisions
Police Subculture
Racial/Ethnic Conflict
Crisis of the 1960s
The Research Revolution

14. New Technologies Patrol car just before WWI Two-way radio, late 1930s
Telephone for citizens to call police

15. New Developments Changing police officer Control of police discretion
Race and gender
Control of police discretion
Policies and SOP
Lawsuits
Unions
Significant improvement in salaries and benefits
Community policing and problem-oriented policing