The government police agencies play a critical role in enforcing a law. Even though the primary mandate of police officers is to maintain law and order, the current political, economic, and social structures make the police department to take more roles. At present, there is a long chain beginning from the investigation of criminal activities to the management of criminal punishment. However, it is worth noting that policing evolved over several years to achieve the structure observed at the moment.
The origin of policing began in 1636 when individual citizens took responsibility of maintaining law and order. Participants did so voluntarily and did not receive any payment for the services they offered ("The History of Policing ", 2019). England named their servicemen as sheriff or shire reeves. In the United States, on the other hand, volunteers were known as “The Big Stick” or “Watch” ("The History of Policing", 2019). Even though the voluntary system worked well in less populated regions, population expansion in late 1700 and early 1800 in cities compelled the governments to strengthen the police departments. In the United States, for example, civil unrest and riots were common thus influenced the establishment of a professional and permanent law enforcers to assist the government in the 1830s ("The History of Policing", 2019). Such factors led to the emergence of constables and municipal police forces.
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Boston established the first American police force in 1838. The challenge influenced other cities to modernize their administrative structures. As a result, different regions including New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Baltimore also upgraded their policing systems in 1845, 1851, 1853,1855, and 1857 respectively ("The History of Policing", 2019). After the civil war, there was a need to control the freed slaves in the US. For this reason, the government formed the modern police organizations to assist in enforcing “Jim Crow” segregation laws ("The History of Policing", 2019). In the ninetieth and twentieth century, the urbanization development, the rise in immigration and the bulging population also forced several countries to modify their policing structure. In the U.S., for example, the government introduced police militarization as well as bureaucratic police forces ("The History of Policing", 2019). Today, there are numerous departments and ranks within the police administration.
The current structure also considers community policing as one of the developments. It is a value system which permits police officers an opportunity to interact with citizens by doing extra work including, counseling as well as identifying and resolving issues at the community level (Cheurprakobkit, 2014). The program allows the society and police force to work together to address criminal activities. Some of the factors considered in community policing include: establishment of crime reduction programs, creating accessible police stations to increase the number of police officers in the community, the establishment of foot patrols, developing systems that assist crime victims, and using citizens to get feedback on satisfaction and crime prevention (Holian, 2017). Assigning officers to specific geographic locations strengthens the ties between communities and law enforcers. As a result, the positive interaction between the two parties reduces crime and disorder, improves quality of life, and lowers fears of crime.
Development of technology also led to the emergence of CompStat, a system that revolutionized contemporary policing. New York City police department introduced this computerized method of fighting criminal activities to assist in tracking crime trends before coming up with a statistical baseline (Holian, 2017). CompStat is a computer comparison statistics that enhances the community’s quality of life by reducing crime. Its process of operation depends on four components. The process begins by gathering, analyzing and mapping data from a crime scene. The second step involves devising a practical approach for addressing a particular problem (Holian, 2017). Throughout the process, commanders in charge focus on the utilization of effective problem-solving strategies to reduce crime. The third process focuses on deployment of human, financial and non-financial resources on time. Finally, the commander utilizes aggressive approaches to conduct follow up and accountability services (Holian, 2017). CompStat, therefore, is a lucrative tool for enhancing accountability and communication within the policing system.
The lesson learned from the above evolution is that the strength of policing lies in accountability and management factors. Even though the resource deployment and technology play a critical role in strengthening the policing, it is worth noting that effective cooperation and leadership also assist police officers in conducting their duties. Policing is the most useful resource for reducing crime. However, developing local solutions for community problems is the best strategy for addressing issues. For this reason, strengthening community policing is likely to provide long term crime prevention needs.
References
Cheurprakobkit, S. (2014). Community policing: training, definitions and policy implications. Policing: An International Journal Of Police Strategies & Management , 25 (4), 709-725. doi: 10.1108/13639510210450640
Holian, M. (2017). Compstat, Community Policing and the Science of Success: A Market-Based Approach to Police Management. Economic Affairs , 27 (4), 23-29. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0270.2007.00776.x
The History of Policing in the United States, Part 1 | Police Studies Online. (2019). Retrieved from https://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/history-policing-united-states-part-1
