Chapter 5 Notes: Public Policing and Private Security (Siegel & Worrall, 17e)

Learning Objectives (5.1–5.9)

• 5.1 Recount the early development of the police in England.
• 5.2 Recount the development of the police in colonial America.
• 5.3 Discuss the emergence of police professionalism.
• 5.4 Identify the main events in policing between 1960 and the present.
• 5.5 Identify the four levels of law enforcement in America.
• 5.6 Identify the most prominent federal law enforcement agencies.
• 5.7 Discuss the differences among local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
• 5.8 Discuss the differences between public and private policing.
• 5.9 Identify various technologies currently used in law enforcement.

The History of Police in England

• Early systems and structures
  • Pledge system with components:
  • Tything (group of 10 households)
  • Hundredman (constable) overseeing multiple tythings
  • Administrative units: shires and shire reeves
  • Watch system as a form of urban policing
  • Justice of the peace emerges as a local judicial/administrative figure
• Private policing and thief takers
  • Private policing and thief takers are described as universally corrupt
  • Court bailiffs also served as thief takers
  • Notorious for violence
• Fielding’s Bow Street Runners
  • A marked improvement over earlier private policing efforts
• The London Metropolitan Police
  • Sir Robert Peel’s Metropolitan Police Act establishes the first organized police force in London
  • Early issues persist: corruption, limited effectiveness, and influence by the wealthy
  • Establishment of nine principles of policing

The History of Police in Colonial America

• Colonial policing mirrored the British model
  • Roles: keeping the peace, fighting crime
  • Responsibilities: collecting taxes, supervising elections
  • Rural areas: slave patrols as an early form of law enforcement
  • Vigilantes used force or intimidation to combat social problems (e.g., livestock theft)
• Early police agencies in major cities
  • Boston, New York, Philadelphia
  • Characteristics: political influence, primitive organization, little formal training, minimal legal education, limited supervision, and wide discretionary power
• Twentieth-century reform and modernization
  • Police administrative boards installed to reduce corruption
  • State legislatures takeover of police functions
• Emergence of professionalism
  • International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
  • Civil service police forces
  • Centralized organizational structures
  • Specialized units
  • The Wickersham Commission and its impact on policing reforms

Policing from the 1960s to the Present

• 1960s: Judicial limits and public tension
  • U.S. Supreme Court decisions aimed at controlling police operations and procedures
  • Growing tension between police and the public
  • Rising crime rate
• 1970s: Federal funding and training emphasis
  • Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) provided substantial funding to police agencies
  • Emphasis on officer training and research
  • Focus on recruitment of women and minority recruits
• 1980s: Role evolution and reform challenges
  • The police role was changing; unions grew; LEAA ended
  • Police–community relations remained a central issue
• 1990s: Reform era and community policing
  • Rodney King incident accelerates reform efforts
  • Beginning of community policing strategies
  • Increased diversity in police departments
• Since 2000: Post-9/11 reorganization and evidence-based policing
  • Federal agencies reorganized in response to September 11, 2001
  • Emergence of the evidence-based era
  • 2008 economic recession affecting policing resources and strategies

Discussion Activities (Overview)

• Discussion Activity 1 (Think-Pair-Share ideas)
  • Watch a history video predating the 1960s and compare preconceived notions with the presented history
  • Reflect on how policing today differs, for better or worse
• Discussion Activity 1 Debrief
  • Share favorite TV police show; identify the era depicted; connect show elements to historical policing
• Discussion Activity 2
  • Rodney King incident: its role in prompting reforms and how policing might differ today without it
• Discussion Activity 2 Debrief
  • Assess whether policing has improved since the 1960s; consider media bias and overlooked positive police work; propose future reform ideas

The Levels of Law Enforcement

• The four levels of law enforcement: $4$ levels – Federal, State, County, Local

The Agencies of Law Enforcement (1 of 4)

• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
  • Legal arm of the federal government; headed by the Attorney General
  • Divisions enforcing federal laws and protecting citizens
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • Handles violations of federal law, crime statistics, and operates a comprehensive crime lab

The Agencies of Law Enforcement (2 of 4)

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
  • Controls sales of untaxed liquor and cigarettes and illegal gun activities
• U.S. Marshals Service
  • Judicial security, fugitive apprehension, witness protection, prisoner operations, transport for prisoners and aliens, asset forfeiture program

The Agencies of Law Enforcement (3 of 4)

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • Core mission: prevent terrorist attacks, reduce vulnerability, minimize damage and aid recovery from attacks
  • Agencies included: Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Secret Service

The Agencies of Law Enforcement (4 of 4)

• State law enforcement agencies
  • Created by legislation to address nonurban crime and enforcement needs
• County law enforcement agencies
  • Some sheriff’s departments are devoted solely to law enforcement; others handle court-related duties or corrections/judicial matters
• Metropolitan law enforcement agencies
  • Make up the majority of the nation’s law enforcement workforce

Differences Between Federal, State, County, and Metropolitan Law Enforcement (Concept Summary 5.1)

• Jurisdiction
  • Federal: $Entire ext{United States}$
  • State: $State$
  • County sheriff: $County$, mostly unincorporated areas
  • Metropolitan: $Metropolitan ext{police}$ jurisdictions
• Crimes most often targeted
  • Federal: Violations of federal law
  • State patrol/police: Violations of state law; traffic on highways
  • County sheriff: Violations of state law and county ordinances
  • Metropolitan police: Violations of state laws and city ordinances
• Area of operation
  • Federal: nationwide
  • State: within a single state
  • County: within county boundaries
  • Metropolitan: within a city or metropolitan area

Think-Pair-Share Activity

• Think about the most recent crime-related TV show and its portrayal of criminals, police, crime, and fear
• Discuss whether the show reflects reality; consider impact on public perception and fear

Private Policing (1 of 4)

• A multibillion-dollar industry
  • > $10{,}000$ firms and >$2{,}000{,}000$ employees
  • Some private security firms have grown into billion-dollar companies
• Reasons for private policing
  • Nongovernmental provision of services, especially crime control
  • Growth of mass private property
  • Belief that government police cannot provide desired level of service or presence

Private Policing (2 of 4)

• Private vs public policing comparisons
  • Concerns: privatization may prioritize profit and client interests over public welfare
  • Public policing focuses primarily on enforcing criminal law
  • Private policing could potentially replace government policing

Private Policing (3 of 4)

• Four distinguishing factors between private and public police
  • Focus on loss (protection from theft) rather than crime prevention
  • Preventive methods (surveillance technologies such as CCTV)
  • Private justice (consequences imposed by private companies; matters may be shielded from public view)
  • Private property focus (primarily concerned with private property rather than public interests)

Private Policing (4 of 4)

• Types of private policing
  • Protective, Intelligence, Publicly contracted, Corporate policing

Criticisms of Private Policing

• Primacy of motive and profit pressures
• Potential to replace government/public police
• Legal scrutiny and accountability concerns

Technology and Law Enforcement (1 of 4)

• Identifying criminals
  • Linking computer software; Computerized imaging systems; Data mining

Technology and Law Enforcement (2 of 4)

• Locating criminals
  • Gun detectors; CCTV; Enclosed Space Detection System; Thermal imagers

Technology and Law Enforcement (3 of 4)

• Crime scene investigation
  • High-definition surveying (HDS)

Technology and Law Enforcement (4 of 4)

• Crime mapping and profiling tools
  • Crime mapping: Hot spots; Alternative mapping initiatives; GPS
• Biometrics and identification
  • Fingerprint identification; Voice; Retina; Facial features; Handwriting
  • Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)
• DNA and data networks
  • DNA profiling: CODIS (Combined DNA Index System)
• Social media and networking
  • Platforms: Facebook, Myspace, Twitter
• Predictive policing
  • Forecasting/predicting crimes; identifying at-risk individuals/offenders; predicting perpetrators’ identities (profiling) and victims

Polling/Survey Activity

• Ethical questions about advances in technology and their use by law enforcement
• Create a chart of results; record age and gender; analyze trends
• Questions: Which advances raise ethical concerns for suspects? Do advances invade privacy?

Self-Assessment

• List problems faced by today’s police departments that were present in the early days
• Identify technological advances that should help solve more crimes and discuss their potential dangers

Summary (1 of 2)

• Recount the early development of the police in England
• Recount the development of the police in colonial America
• Discuss the emergence of police professionalism
• Identify the main events in policing between the 1960s and the present
• Identify the four levels of law enforcement in America

Summary (2 of 2)

• Identify the most prominent federal law enforcement agencies
• Discuss differences among local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies
• Discuss differences between public and private policing
• Identify various technologies currently used in law enforcement

Additional Notes

• Icebreaker prompts (from Page 2): consider duties and challenges of different officer types (federal, state, local, private)
• Written Assignment Activities (Page 11): essays and timelines for England and colonial America; comparison of timelines
• Visual cue: “Violent Crime in Providence, Rhode Island” indicates examples or case visuals used in the chapter
• The nine principles of policing (Peel) are highlighted as foundational ideals for modern policing
• Wickersham Commission referenced as a landmark reform effort in the professionalization of policing
• LEAA (Law Enforcement Assistance Administration) played a key role in funding training and research during the 1970s
• Rodney King incident cited as a catalyst for reforms and a shift toward community policing
• CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) are key biometric/molecular tools in modern policing
• Predictive policing and profiling are introduced as forward-looking but ethically debated technologies