CJ101: Introduction to Law and Justice - Lecture Notes

Key Moments in the History of American Policing

• Early Forms: Policing evolved from sentinels, guards, shire reeves, night watchmen, thief takers, posses, and marshals.
• 1667: Lieutenant Général de Police was created by King Louis XIV to police 16 districts in Paris. This system spread to major cities by 1699.
• 1797-1841: Establishment of Thames River Police, City of Glasgow Police, and Royal Irish Constabulary.
• 1822: Sir Robert Peel established the London Metropolitan Police.
• 1838: Boston Police was established, replacing the night watch system.
• 1845: New York City Police was established.

Eras of Policing

• Political Era (1840-1920)
• Professional Era (1920-1970)
• Progressive Era (1970-)
• Homeland Security Era (2001-2020)

Four Basic Responsibilities of Police

• Enforcing the Law
• Providing Services
• Preventing Crime
• Preserving the Peace

Organizational Structure of a Typical American Municipal Police Agency

• Sheriff Commissioner
• Deputy Commissioner
• Chief Deputy Chief
• Assistant Sheriff
• Superintendent
• Deputy Superintendent
• Chief Deputy
• Colonel
• Lieutenant Colonel
• Major
• Commander
• Inspector
• Captain
• Lieutenant
• Sergeant
• Trooper/Officer (State Police only)
• Deputy/Cadet (Sheriff’s Offices only)

Types of Law Enforcement Agencies

• Level:
  • Micro/Institutional
  • City/Town
  • County/Region
  • State/Territory
  • Multi-State
• State (General Subject Matter):
  • University of Maine Police
  • DGS Protective Services Division
  • Penobscot County Sheriff
• State (Specific Subject Matter):
  • Causeway Police LA
  • New York City Sanitation Police
  • Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority
• Federal (General Subject Matter): Pentagon Force Protection Agency
  • US Drug Enforcement Agency
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Federal (Specific Subject Matter): Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center
  • US Customs and Border Protection
  • Tennessee Valley Authority Police
• Examples of Agencies:
  • Micro/Institutional: University police, protective services divisions.
  • City/Town: Bangor Police, Boston Police.
  • County/Region: Penobscot County Sheriff, Honolulu Police, Burlington County Police.
  • State/Territory: Maine Warden Service, Maine State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Nevada Highway Patrol, US Virgin Islands Police, WA State Gambling Commission
  • Multi-State: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police, MBTA Transit Police.
  • Federal (General): FBI.
  • Federal (Specific): US Customs and Border Protection, US Coast Guard, Tennessee Valley Authority Police.

U.S. Police Agencies Statistics

• 80-85 Federal Agencies
• 100-120 State Agencies
• 3060-3090 Sheriffs' Offices
• 1,700-1,800 Special Jurisdiction (incl. universities)
• 12,000-13,000 Municipal Agencies
• 17,000-18,000 Total Agencies

Classification of Agencies

• Legal authority (federal or state)
• Jurisdiction
  • Geographic jurisdiction
  • Subject matter jurisdiction
  • (Rarely) demographic jurisdiction

Sheriff’s Offices

• Usually elected positions.
• Vary greatly in size e.g. from 9,915 (LASD) to 1 (in many counties).
• Service levels:
  • Restricted (civil process, jail).
  • Limited (police unincorporated areas).
  • Full (police all areas).
• Every state is different.
• Some have joint city/county agencies.
• Common sheriff’s duties:
  • Run jails and provide jail security.
  • Serve legal paperwork.
  • Enforce civil judgments.
  • Transport prisoners.
  • Provide courtroom security.
  • Police duties in unincorporated areas and cities too small for their own police, or “contract” cities.

State Police

• Varieties:
  • Highway patrol.
  • State property police.
  • State-wide police.
• Name doesn’t necessarily indicate specific duties.
• Most states have homicide investigation units in state police.
• Referred to as “Trooper” except in CA, NM.

Largest Federal Law Enforcement Agencies (by number of personnel)

• Customs and Border Protection: $43,724$
• Federal Bureau of Prisons: $19,093$
• Federal Bureau of Investigation: $13,799$
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement: $12,400$
• U.S. Secret Service: $4,697$
• Drug Enforcement Administration: $4,181$
• U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services: $3,985$
• Department of Veteran Affairs Police: $3,839$
• U.S. Marshals Service: $3,788$
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives: $2,675$
• Internal Revenue Service: $2,198$
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service: $1,891$
• National Park Service Rangers: $1,822$
• U.S. Capitol Police: $1,773$
• Bureau of Diplomatic Security: $1,215$
• Federal Protective Service: $1,007$
• Pentagon Force Protection Agency: $777$
• Smithsonian Institution: $620$
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: $619$
• U.S. Park Police: $560$
• U.S. Forest Service: $514$

Realities of Policing

• Issues for Women:
  • Added scrutiny.
  • Sexual harassment.
  • Tokenism.
• Issues for Minorities:
  • Tokenism.
  • Double marginality.
• Issues for Everyone:
  • Risk.
  • Stress.
  • Constant changing environment.
  • Secondary policing.

The “Basic” Department Characteristics

• Agency responds to emergencies and other calls for service as quickly as possible.
• Patrol officers drive around randomly and do what they want in between calls for service.
• Investigators work 9-5 and investigate select cases based on seriousness and “solvability”.
• Crime prevention officer gives community presentations using basic tips.
• Chief and executives handle administrative things and hope nothing major happens.
• Maybe some basic metrics are used.

Key Terms

• Police
• State Police/Highway Patrol
• Sheriff
• Militarism
• Tokenism
• Double Marginality
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Secondary Policing

Bangor Police Incidents, 2024 (Examples)

• Welfare Check: $5,852$
• Traffic Accident: $2,205$
• Trespassing/Vagrancy: $1,744$
• Alarm: $1,667$
• Suspicious Person/Circumstance: $1,505$