Transcript Early Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement I
Unit I
Early Law Enforcement
Who guarded the cave?
Egypt
The first recognized police organization occurred
in Egypt under the reign of PHAROAH HUR
MOHEB around 1340 B.C. A river security force
with strong boats was formed to ensure
navigational safety on the Nile. They were
responsible for…
• Preventing piracy
• Guarding commerce
• Searching suspect ships
“POLICE”
Came from the Greek word “POLITERIA” which
referred to that portion of government that had to
do with protecting life and property, the
preservation of public peace and order, and the
prevention and suppression of crime.
Power struggles between
various city-states and civil unrest
plagued early Greece.
Ancient Greece
In ancient Greece, publicly owned slaves
were used by magistrates as police. In Athens,
a group of 300 Scythian slaves – known as RODBEARERS – were used to guard public meetings,
for crowd control and to assist in making arrests.
When areas became larger and kingdoms were
ruled by kings, they were guarded by a military
police force.
Emperor
Augustus Caesar
Under the reign of Augustus, the capital grew to
almost 1 million inhabitants. A special police
force was formed with grades of officers who
maintained order and security in Rome. Each of
the 14 districts, known as WARDS, were
protected by seven squads of 1,000 men – called
VIGILES who acted as firemen and night
watchmen. Each had a commanding officer.
The VIGILES were supported by the URBAN
COHORTS who acted as a heavy duty anti-riot
force. The military police - PRAETORIAN GUARD –
would be called in to assist when necessary.
Europe
American law enforcement concepts originated
in medieval England around 900 A.D. In the
beginning, local residents policed themselves
and justice was a private matter based on
revenge and retribution.
FRANKPLEDGE SYSTEM
During the Norman Conquest in 1066, King
William instituted a form of community policing
referred to as the “FRANKPLEDGE SYSTEM”.
Groups of ten families called a TITHING were
sworn to hold other members of their tithing
responsible for crime. They would apprehend,
detain, bring to court and testify.
SHIRES: England 1202 - 1307
In England 10 tithings (of ten members each)
were group together to form groups with 100
members. This large group was called a SHIRE.
The top law enforcement official in the group
was known as the SHIRE REEVE – the forerunner
of the American Sheriff. They were organized
posses to chase and apprehend criminals.
NIGHT-WATCH SYSTEM
In 1285, the Statute of Windsor
was passed establishing the
NIGHT-WATCH SYSTEM of
protection. Under this statute,
one man from each parish was
selected to serve as CONSTABLE.
This man was granted the power to draft citizens
as WATCHMEN to guard the city at night.
WATCHMEN
The WATCHMEN were on duty from sundown to
sunrise and:
• Enforce curfews.
• Protected properties against fires.
• Guarded the gates of the city.
• Arrested those who broke the law.
Since the Watchmen weren’t paid for their
services they were often not found doing their job.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
In 1326, the Shire Reeve was replaced with the
office of the JUSTICE OF THE PEACE. With the
help of the Constable, the Justice supervised
various law enforcement activities, including
investigations, securing criminals for trial and
organizing the Night Watch System.
This system lasted well into the 1700’s.
OVERVIEW
In the early European System of law
enforcement …
1) The citizens were the police
2) Law enforcement organization was local
3) The military was used for crime control
The BOW STREET RUNNERS
In 1748, HENRY FIELDING, a London magistrate,
founded a group of law enforcement agents to
apprehend criminals and recover stolen
property from the entertainment district of
London known as Bow Street.
This group – the BOW STREET RUNNERS – were
organized and highly effective, and paved the way
for a more efficient and professional response to
crime and the apprehension of criminals.
The INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Around mid to late 1700’s the INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION brought many more people into
the big cities. This population boom:
• Increased crime in the cities and on the
highways leading into the industrialized areas.
• Caused a need for a more organized approach
to law enforcement.
PAID POLICE
In 1829, the English Parliament, led by SIR
ROBERT PEEL, mandated publically funded
police forces throughout England via the
LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE ACT. This act
created a 1,000 member uniformed police force
whose members became known as BOBBIES or
PEELERS due to their founder. They were
structured according to military rank to ensure
discipline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8jphxpi1ro
Peel’s 12 Principles
1) Police must be stable, efficient and organized
along military lines.
2) The police must be under government
control
3) The absence of crime will best prove their
efficiency.
4) The distribution of crime news is essential.
5) The deployment of police strength by both
time and area is essential.
6) No quality is more indispensable to a policeman
than perfect command of temper; a quiet,
determined manner has more effect than a
violent action.
7) Good appearance commands respect.
8)The securing and training of proper persons is at
the root of efficiency.
9) Public security demands that every police
officer be given a number.
10) Police headquarters should be centrally
located and easily accessible to the people.
11) Policemen should be hired on a
probationary basis.
12) Police records are necessary to the correct
distribution of police strength.