Chapter 1 Dempsey_IntroToPolicing_CH01_Instructor_Manual

Learning Objectives

  • The purpose of this chapter is to explore the history and early forms of policing, particularly focusing on the influence of English policing on American practices.

  • Importance of studying history: "Those who fail to study and learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

  • Policing in the U.S. began with colonial systems:

    • Northern colonies utilized watch and ward systems.

    • Southern colonies had slave patrols, considered early forms of police.

  • Overview structure:

    • Eighteenth and nineteenth-century policing experiences: urban, southern, and frontier contexts.

    • Focus on modern policing developments from 1900 to 1960, the transformations during the 1960s and 1970s, and changes since then, specifically post-9/11.

Objectives Addressed

  1. Prior Safety Means - Explain safety measures before organized police departments.

  2. Influence of English Experience - Discuss English police experience's impact on American policing.

  3. Colonial Policing Differences - Outline regional policing variations in the colonial period.

  4. Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries - Summarize regional differences in policing during these centuries.

  5. Events Influencing Policing - Explain how events from the 1960s and 1970s influenced American policing. Identify four significant events or individuals and discuss the significance of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.

KEY TERMS

  • Beat System: Created by Sir Robert Peel (1829) for the London Metropolitan Police; police assigned to small, permanent posts.

  • CompStat: Weekly crime strategy meetings designed for policing, using computerized crime statistics, established by NYC in the mid-1990s.

  • Constable: An official tasked with maintaining peace in England’s mutual pledge system.

  • Department of Homeland Security: Created post-9/11 terrorist attacks to enhance domestic security.

  • Dred Scott Decision: 1857 Supreme Court ruling declaring slaves had no rights as citizens, being property instead.

  • Equity: Concept centered on fairness and justice.

  • Hue and Cry: A historical method for citizens to summon assistance in early England.

  • Jury Nullification: Jurors ignoring evidence or judicial instructions to reach a verdict based on conscience.

  • Mutual Pledge: A self-protection method developed by King Alfred in ninth-century England.

  • National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission): Established in 1968 to investigate the causes of riots during the 1960s.

  • Peel’s Nine Principles: Guidelines by Sir Robert Peel for London Metropolitan Police emphasizing community cooperation.

  • Posse Comitatus: A common law principle applying to calling for militia law enforcement when necessary.

  • Praetorian Guard: A select military group formed by Roman Emperor Augustus for protection.

  • President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice: Issued a 1967 report titled The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society.

  • Origin of the term “police”: Derived from Latin politia, meaning civil administration; indicates involvement in city governance.

  • Importance of police as a civil authority and the discussion of policing history.

Early Police (Learning Objective 1.1)

  • Early civilizations lacked organized police departments.

    • Sixth century BCE: Unpaid magistrates in Athens.

    • Fifth century BCE: Rome established questors as the first specialized investigative units.

    • First century BCE: Formation of Praetorian Guard and establishment of Vigiles in Rome.

    • Twelfth and Thirteenth Century: Kings began to administer laws.

    • Eighteenth Century: Armed, professional police developed in Paris and Munich.

Early History

  • Key Historical Figures:

    • Alfred the Great: Introduced the mutual pledge system.

    • Statute of Winchester: Empowered community self-protection through mutual pledge and the roles of constables, hue and cry, and watch and ward.

  • Fielding's Investigative Unit: Discuss lessons the U.S. can learn from the Bow Street Runners established by Henry Fielding for effective criminal apprehension.

Seventeenth-Century Policing: Thief-takers

  • The fragmented criminal justice system began with:

    • Role of magistrates and beadles.

    • Thief-takers: Private citizens acting as bounty hunters without official status.

    • Dangerous lifestyle associated with being a thief-taker.

Henry Fielding and the Bow Street Runners

  • Established a modern police force in 1748, laying foundations for organized investigations in London.

Peel’s Police: The Metropolitan Police for London

  • Peel's Nine Principles (1828) focused on community cooperation and preventive policing.

    1. Mission to prevent crime and disorder.

    2. Police's efficiency depends on public approval.

    3. Securing cooperation of the public in law observance maintains respect.

    4. Use of force must be minimized with public cooperation.

    5. Police service should be impartial, not swayed by public opinion.

    6. Physical force should be used only when necessary.

    7. Police should maintain a public relationship illustrating that they are from the public.

    8. Police should not usurp judicial powers.

    9. Efficiency is defined by the absence of crime, not visible police action.

AMERICAN POLICING

The North: The Watch

  • Seventeenth-century establishment of civil law enforcement reflecting English models; town marshals and sheriffs played pivotal roles.

The South: Slave Patrols and Codes

  • Implementation of formal control systems through slave patrols, leading to the establishment of slave codes negating rights of slaves.

    • Notable judicial ruling: 1857 Dred Scott decision.

Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Urban Experience

  • Growth of police departments and their corrupt nature supported by local political influences.

    • 1838: Boston Police Department's creation; police responsibilities expanded to include various civil duties.

Southern Experience

  • Slave patrols remained common; policing maintained a military aspect, with limited hiring of black officers.

Frontier Experience

  • Sheriffs, town marshals, and federal marshals focused on law enforcement with militia-like structures.

  • State police agencies began emerging around this time, e.g., Texas Rangers.

Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries (Learning Objective 1.5)

1900 to 1960

  • Professionalism trends initiated by key figures (e.g., August Vollmer) and the establishment of crime-fighting technology.

1960s to 1970s

  • Significant Supreme Court rulings affecting law enforcement practices (e.g., Mapp v. Ohio).

    • Responses to civil rights movements impacting police operations. - National commissions emerged to address policing issues.

1980s to 1990s

  • Political focus shifted; community policing and problem-solving policing became emphasized.

Policing in the 2000s

  • Post-9/11 restructuring of police departments to deal with terrorism; the Department of Homeland Security was created.

  • Involvement of social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, and the impact of high-profile police incidents (e.g., George Floyd's death).

  • Assignments related to summary and reflection on discussed topics and events affecting policing significantly.

Note: This study guide captures the definitions, significant historical events, concepts, and discussion points from the provided transcript on the history of policing in the United States. It is organized hierarchically and retains exhaustive details to serve as a comprehensive reference for the subject.