The three eras of American policing began in the middle of the 1800s. There are a total of three eras of policing, each changed overtime and advanced during each era. Each era has pros and cons that defines the era. The first was the political era, which started from 1840 to 1930. The second era was the reform era, which started from 1930 to 1980. The last era was the community era, which started from 1980 to the present day.
The political era (1840-1930) was distinguished by police officers seeking a friendly relationship with the community and politics influenced the police department and police practices. During this era, the police had limited technology, so they had to walk around and communicate with people. This era was influenced by Sir Robert Peele, the father of modern policing. He proposed appointing civilians to be paid by the community to serve as police officers. The pros of this era was that people had good relations with the police. The cons were that the police was corrupt and racist.
They only tend to protect the people that paid them. The outcome of this era was citizen and political satisfaction. This ended, and paved the way for the next era, which was the reform era. The reform era (1930-1980) was distinguished to enhance the police services. They brought in professionals to do policing; fighting crimes and arresting people. This was also known as the progressive era. The community relation with the police was going down and the police became heavily reliant on technology and concerned with efficiency. This era was influenced by August Vollmer, the first chief of police to require police officers to attain a college degree. He was also the first police chief to create a motorized force; placing officers on motorcycles and in cars so that they could patrol a broader area with greater efficiency. Radios were also included in patrol cars.
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The pros were that it was professional policing, they were not corrupt, they were trained and not as racist, and they used up-to-date technologies. The police only cared about getting the job done and not needing help from the people. The outcome of this era was that crime was being controlled. This era also ended, paving the way for the last era of policing, the community era. The community era’s (1980- present) main philosophy involves the police trying to reconnect with the people. This is the era of partnership with the public and problem solving. The era switched from reactive policing to proactive policing. In proactive policing, officers work to prevent crimes from happening. The police are seeking to reestablish a close relationship with the community. James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling have influenced this era.
They developed the broken window theory as a metaphor for disorder within neighborhoods. If no cares about their neighborhoods, then crime will thrive. Law enforcement and police tend to focus on serious crimes. The major concern was with crimes that were perceived to be the most serious and consequential for the victim. Wilson and Kelling took a different approach, they saw serious crime as the final result of a chain of events, theorizing that crime emerged from disorder and that if the disorder was eliminated, then the serious crime would not occur. The process feeds itself; disorder causes crime and crime causes further disorder. The broken window theory had an important impact on police throughout the 1990s and remains influential into the 21″ century. The pros of this era was the combination of the pros of the political and reform era. The cons is that too many people are being harassed and hurt by the police. The situation that is going on in 2015 can be an example of a con, where a minority of the police are killing people. The outcome of this era was the quality of life and citizen satisfaction. The three eras of policing each influenced American policing. They all had their flaws and what made them great.
Crimes were being solved and criminals were being arrested. The people were getting along with the police, working with each other to stop crimes. The relationship between the police and people are changing little by little, but it will eventually change for the better in due time. Each era paved a way for the others to come. The political era paved the way for reform era, and reform era paved the way for community era. Each era has added something better that the others could build off of and make law enforcement better. American policing will eventually change in the future, let us just hope it will change for the better.
References
- History.com – The Roaring Twenties
- Britannica – Police
- Eastern Kentucky University – A Brief History of Slavery and the Origins of American Policing
- HeinOnline – Policing and Collective Violence in The American South During Reconstruction: South Carolina as a Case Study
- Time – Why America Has Always Loved Cops
- Samploon.com – Get custom essay
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service – The Evolution of American Policing: From Political Era to the Post-9/11 Era
