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Chapter 5
Police and Society: History and Organization
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Modern Era of Policing: The 1960s
Civil unrest and Vietnam
Growing crime rates
Supreme Court decisions
Desire for more educated officers
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
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
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
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
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/
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
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
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
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”
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
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
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
Metropolitan Police
Have majority of personnel
NYPD is largest
Large and small departments have same functions
Technology in Law Enforcement
Criminal identification through computer imaging (biometrics)
Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems
DNA testing