Chapter 4: Police

Page 1

Four basic mandates

Prevent crimes without repressive forces

Maintain public order by nonviolent means

Reduce conflict between police and public

Show efficiency through absence of crime and disorder

Sir Robert Peels police - London 1828

Three periods of modern policing

Political Era (1840-1920)

characterized by close tied between police and politicians

politicians recruited and maintained police

police helped politicians gain votes

police took payoffs for not enforcing victimless crimes

1845 - NYC established 1st full-time police force

After Civil War - federal government appointed US Marshals

Professional Era (1920-1970)

progressive movement advocated police as a professional force

police should stay out of politics

should be well-trained, disciplined, organized

law should be enforced equally

should use new technology

procedures should be based on merit

main task should be to fight crime

Community policing era (1970-present)

Began as a result of civil rights/ anti-war movements and riots

Greater emphasis on keeping order and providing services

Broken windows theory-

Approach to order maintenance based on:

Neighborhood disorder creates fear

Unattended disorderly behavior is a signal the community doesn't care, results in worse disorder

To reduce fear, police must rely on citizens assistance to maintain order and appearance

Problem-oriented policing

community policing strategy, identify and adddress underlying causes of problems - closer police/community contacts