class9: More History and Key Concepts for Policing the Racial Divide

timeline themes: perennial questions/ controversies

1) What matters more: people or culture?

2) are their duties (“enforcing the law”, social services, community work)

3) Localization: Where and who gets policed/protected?

4) How do police adapt to changes (in law, technology, crime rates)

colonial era: west

vigilantism

colonial era: south

• slave patrol

• 3-6 men with whips, ropes

• job was to capture people fleeing slavery

policing in the early republic/colonial era: north

• waves of german/irish immigrants between 1820/60

• “night watch” focused on perceived problems caused by immigrants

political era (rapid urbanization)

• north: big cities establishes formal departments

• south: convict leasing replaces slavery

patronage model

• close links between politicians and police: hiring and enforcement

• jobs/social services for supporters, harassment for opponents

lexow report (1885)

• led by republicans (opposing political party at the time)

• estimate that tammany operators were stealing roughly 10mil doll/ yr

• outcry led to a cleaning out of police depts and big electoral changes, helped usher in the “Progressive Era”

review: colonial policing (1783- early 1900s)

• Colonial: Informal community patrols and

self-defense (different by region)

• Political Era: Big city dept. est. NYC 1845; Buffalo 1871 ---widespread corruption, Tammany Hall

review: “reform” or professional era (1900s -1950s)

• Kicked off by Lexow (1885)

• Increased training and internal standards

• Police on foot in neighborhoods (“beats”)

• Wickersham Report (1929)

What did the Wickersham Summary identify as the main causes of inadequate police patrols in U.S. communities?

• Multiplication of duties: Growing traffic problems from the automobile industry absorbed too many officers.

• Complex vice issues: Gambling, liquor, and narcotics took up significant time.

• Lack of qualified personnel: Complex problems were assigned to untrained, mediocre officers without special abilities.

review: modern era (1950s -1980s)

• Continued professionalization

• Technology advances; police in squad cars w/ 911 (REACTIVE)

• Rise in crime: critiques of police effectiveness

review: community era (1980s)

• (PROACTIVE) policing- community policing & broken windows; “Data- driven” hotspot policing

• War on drugs & mass criminalization

• Rise of cell phones: citizen- filmed police activity

• Black Lives Matter

• Defund/Abolish Police

community-oriented policing

the community should play a key role in defining problems that the police address. These problems should extend beyond conventional law enforcement.

community orientated policing: police duties broaden to include

• Order maintenance

• Conflict resolution

• Provision of services through “problem solving”

proactive

focus on preventing crime

Operationalized in a lot of ways

• one common way is the police have to live in the city they are policing

• Police proactively build relationships with members of the community

• Includes foot patrol, police patrolling same areas, getting to know residents.

• D.A.R.E is an example

police are political and social entities

• urbanization

• policing race

long standing tensions

• recruitment v culture

• proactive v reactive

river city

• Rust belt city

• Deindustrialization, financial austerity

• Local governments efforts to rebound

  • Economic focus on consumption, entertainment, attracting

affluent residents

• “The abandoned warehouse is converted into artists’ lofts or a local distillery”

clearance rates being low

stopping certain crimes but not often