History of American Policing

The History of Policing in the United States

The Beginning of American Policing: The English Influence

• American policing has been heavily influenced by the English system throughout history.
• In the early stages of development, citizens were responsible for law enforcement in their communities, known as kin police in England and watch groups in Colonial America.
• Watch groups provided social services, but their involvement in crime control activities was minimal.

Policing in Colonial America

• Night watch groups in Colonial America were largely ineffective, inefficient, and often socialized or slept on duty.
• The increasing social unrest of the late 1700s led to the formation of publicly funded police departments.

Sir Robert Peel and the London Metropolitan Police

• Sir Robert Peel introduced the Metropolitan Police Act in 1829, leading to the formation of the London Metropolitan Police, considered the first modern police department.
• Peel is known as the father of modern policing due to his impact on the department and the basic principles he established for policing.
• Members of the London Metropolitan Police Department are often called bobbies or peelers, in honor of Sir Robert Peel.

Principles of Policing

• Peel believed police must be under the control of the government with a central headquarters, accessible to the public.
• He prioritized the quality of police officers and ensured their competency.
• Officers were expected to remain calm, uphold discipline, and wear appropriate uniforms with clearly identifiable numbers.
• Although not allowed to carry firearms, police officers received proper training to be effective at their jobs.

Policing in America

• As the population grew in the 1700s, a more formal policing system began to emerge.

The Origins of Policing

• Immigrant groups moving into the US from Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Scandinavian countries significantly increased the population and social unrest.
• A more formal policing system began to emerge as these groups could no longer control the social climate.

Slave Patrols and Their Role

• The first publicly funded policing agencies in the US were slave patrols that emerged in South Carolina in the early 1700s.
• Slave patrols were meant to control the slave population and had three primary duties: searching slave lodges, keeping slaves off roadways, and disassembling meetings organized by groups of slaves.
• Slave patrols were known for their brutality and ruthlessness.

The Emergence of Modern Police Departments

• Slave patrols remained even after the Civil War and slavery ended, eventually resembling and operating more like modern-day police departments.
• Others believe that the unification of police departments in major cities, starting in the early to mid-1800s, is where modern policing began.
• Examples include the New York City Police Department (1845), the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (1846), the Chicago Police Department (1854), and the Los Angeles Police Department (1869).

Characteristics of Newly Created Police Departments

• Newly created police agencies adopted three characteristics from their English counterparts:
  • Limited Police Authority: The power of the police is defined by law.
  • Local Control: The local government is responsible for providing police services.
  • Fragmented Law Enforcement Authority: Several agencies, within a defined area, are responsible for providing police services.
• These characteristics are still present in modern American police agencies.