The first era of law enforcement was the political era, which started in 1840 and ended in 1930. Evolution of Policing in the US-Influence of the Political Era reports that, “During this era, police performed much more comprehensive services, such as running soup kitchens, finding shelter for the homeless and helping immigrants find jobs, in addition to dealing with criminal activity. They were closely integrated within their communities and for those within the political sphere of the elected leaders within the community; the friendly image of the Irish beat cop emerges”(2013). Since it was the first era of policing there was a lot of pros and cons, compare to the era we are in now.
Scott from Police–community relations claims that, “police
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For example in the Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice Engel states, “There was little or no training given to officers, no recruitment standards to speak of, and no job security because officers could be hired or fired at will”(Engel, 2002). This was a really weakness in the community of Police officers because with no training given to officers there was no limit to what they can do. Also without the proper training the police officer would not know the law in order to apprehend a suspect. Engel also mention that, “Patrol officers often accepted bribes to not enforce laws controlling moral crimes (e.g., drinking, gambling, and prostitution). This type of corruption was well known and pervasive”(Engel, 2002). This type of corruption gave a bad reputation to officers because some community did not trust the police. Some community would rather take care of a problem them selves rather then calling the police. According to In Criminal justice in America by Cole and Smith states, “In many cities, the police seemed to work for the mayor’s political party rather than for the citizens”(Cole, Page 112). This shows that a police officer in the political era rarely interact with the
The four eras of policing are political era, reform era, community era, and homeland security era. The political era was between 1840s and 1919 where police agencies were underdeveloped, decentralized, and disorganized in their mission, role, and function. Police organizations nationwide were exposed for their inability to maintain order, to control crime, or to fairly provide appropriate services. The reform era occurred between 1920s and 1970s where police was removed from the political arena and established them more as members of a centralized, professional organization formed for the public good. The primary role of police in this era had contributed to the problems crating negative police-community relations. The community era was between
The Community Policing era has been one of the contemporary police activities in the last 30 years. It is more of a decentralized approach to reducing crime by involving the same officer in the same community on a long term basis, so residents will develop trust and then provide information and assistance to the officer. Community Policing does not replace motorized patrol or other police tactics but instead compliments them with community partnership and problem solving (Bailey, 2011).
Similarly to the Oakland boys, finally, I too have suffered from over/under policing. Certain negative behaviors in my elementary were overlooked, such as bullying, despite the zero-tolerance policy. Most teachers would ignore the zero-tolerance policy and choose not to police my bully's bad behavior. When it came to pushing me down stairs, calling me fat and ugly, or rubbing my possessions into the dirt to ruin them, my teachers were lackluster in their policing. However when it came to minor, easily punishable 'crimes' that I committed, like wiggling in my chair, they were over-policing machines. This led me to the same distrust in authority as it did for the Oakland boys, I despised my teachers and thought of them as incompetent, unfair, and part of the problem- not to be trusted.
Policing is a vital and visible component of our criminal justice system. To protect and serve is a basic responsibility of every police department, specifically in Canada. In Canada, citizens have a lot of faith in the police, as they look forward to police for any kind of safety concerns they may have, yet people are also very quick to judge the police. The police play an important role in minimizing threats and maximizing safety of their citizens. The role of the police in our society is shaped by social, economic and political factors.
Corruption within the New York Police Department is a quickly growing phenomenon; to an extent, this is largely due to the cop culture that encourages silence and draws the line at honesty. The good, honest officers are afraid to speak up against co-workers and in the process become corrupt themselves. When police departments were first established in the mid-nineteenth century, corruption quickly followed suit. It began with minor acts of misconduct and today deals with serious criminal activities. Scholars have noted that there is a strong correlation between the officers taking part in corrupt acts and officers wanting to fit in with the culture. In this paper, I argue that the deeper an officer in the New York police department gets into the police culture, the more likely it is that they become involved in narcotic corruption
Policing throughout the years. Policing has changed over time to become what it is today. The three eras of policing are, the political era (1840-1930), the reform era (1930-1980), and the community era (1980- present). During the political era, police officers had strong ties to the community because they lived in the communities they served and they focused on foot patrol (Miller et al., 2014). They knew who they served and protected because they were out with the same people each day. Police chiefs
During this era citizens felt safer and had a better relationship with the police but as time went on and technology got better the relationship that was developed between police officers and citizens changed dramatically. By the mid-1900s new technology had a significant influence on policing, two-way radio, patrol cars and the telephones, revolutionized policing. “Police: History-Policing Twentieth Century America^ C” the Reform Era( n.d.)
In 1994 a report by the Mollen commission on police corruption in New York exposed disproportionate corruption within the department. Violent crime, including gang type activity, cops in uniform routinely storming drug locations and stealing narcotics, money weapons and whatever they felt like taking. On duty police officers riding alongside drug dealers, providing protection while the dealers carried big amounts of drugs and cash. The commission also found cops who became drug dealers themselves starting up their own drug dealing networks and delivery centers. (Neighborhood Explanations) Although most officers are honest and hard-working, the Mollen report exposed serious, violent activity by some in the department.
The role of police officers is very significant to American history. Police work toward protecting citizens’ rights and helping America become the land of the free. The United States of America is built from the U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights and police play a major role in making sure American rights are met. Evolution has changed many of American history for the better; policing is part of those changes. As new issues in society arise, police must change and adapt to protect and serve the public.
The origins of policing in America can be traced back to its colonial years of the early 1600s. Unlike the formal police forces we have today, policing took different forms during its early years. In the Northern states, policing consisted of volunteers that warned their communities of any upcoming threat or danger. Although this mode of policing was not effective in controlling crime, it continued until the 1830s, at which the city of Boston was the first to establish a police force. By the 1880s, all major cities, such as Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia, had established municipal police forces. More interesting and controversial, the development of policing in the Southern states was shaped by slavery and the control of minorities.
Policing is a very difficult, complex and dynamic field of endeavor that is always evolves as hard lessons teach us what we need to know about what works and what don’t work. There are three different Era’s in America’s policing: The Political Era, The Reform Era, and The Community Problem Solving Era. A lot has changed in the way that policing works over the years in the United States.
Police corruption is one of the ethical issues affecting law enforcement officers. Corruption is defined as “impairment of integrity, virtue or moral principle; inducement to do wrong by improper or unlawful means” (Merriam Webster Online, 2009). While the most recognizable form of corruption involves officers taking money for favors (bribery), the actions that are considered corruption include filing false police reports, harassment of any person due to sex, race, creed, religion, national origin or sexual orientation, and failure to protect the rights of citizens. Corruption exists in all levels of law enforcement.
In the 1800s, America became extremely industrialized. Due to all of the new upbringings there was a need for organized policing. Policing in America went through many different stages beginning with organized American law enforcement, to formal policing. Michael Moore and George Kelling inferred that there were three eras of policing; political era, professional era, and community era. The political era came first along, as that era began to go downhill, the professional era arose. As the professional era began to take drawbacks, the community era started up and is still going on in present day. There are many positives and some negatives in today’s society living in the community era.
There are many effects on noble-cause corruption in police organizations and in any other complex organizations in our society. When dealing with criminals and/or other police associates you have to have certain values and beliefs. Generally these include the following qualities; “honesty, integrity, fairness, loyalty, kindness, courage, generosity, compassion, doing good, doing right, and unselfishness.” Without these qualities your unit or police force may see the effects of noble cause corruption. Noble-cause corruption can generally seep through the criminal justice system without anyone saying or doing anything about it.
From the first police station built in Boston to what is today's modern police force there has always been corruption inside the criminal justice system, whether it be something as little as a small bribe to look the other way, or something more serious like getting away with a major offense. The department of justice has had trouble from top to bottom with corruption and it has proven to be a difficult problem to fix. When policing in the U. S. were just starting out corruption and law bending was more prevalent but harder to see which Police officers who were following the rules and who was bending the law in their own favor to gain an advantage for themselves rather than looking out for the community as a whole. This is because when policing first started out there were limited officers, which meant less word of mouth and less people to respond to and