Police Agencies: Policing in the United States Essay

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Police Agencies:

Policing in the United States has mainly been based and expanded on the ideas of English way of policing. The English way of policing has not only been used as the basis for American policing but it has also been used to commence an era of evolving police agencies. In its early years, policing in the United States was largely regarded as a civic duty or responsibility of community members. The appointed officers were neither trained nor paid for their services to community members. Consequently, the chosen Sheriffs were usually motivated by financial incentives and lost their focus on enforcement of the law, which contributed to the perception that policing was primarily reactive in nature. However, the nature and structure of policing changed significantly following the emergence of urbanization, industrialism, and the society, which resulted in increase in crime. This forced the police or law enforcement officers to adopt a more proactive approach rather than the reactive approach that was traditionally associated with law enforcement. Notably, the history of policing has been characterized by considerable changes from time to time due to several factors like technological advancements and increase in threats to security.

History of Police Agencies:

The modern police agencies have grown and developed since the early 1600s to become an increasingly organized group that endeavors to prevent crime while preserving the rights and professionalism of citizens.

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Generally, modern policing in the United has been shaped by the early English police styles ("The History of the Police," n.d.). This is primarily because the first organized policing agencies were witnessed in the early 1800s but experienced many challenges. During these early years of policing in England and colonial America, citizens were in charge of law enforcement in their communities. The early English police styles were known as kin police where citizens were responsible for looking after their relatives or kin. This system was used in policing in Colonial America, where a watch system comprising of citizen volunteers was established until the mid-19th century. However, these styles of policing in England and the United States were largely ineffective since they were based on a volunteer system characterized with disorganized and sporadic patrol method.

As the responsibility of law enforcement in England shifted from law enforcement by individual citizen volunteers to groups of men living with the community known frankpledge system, America adopted a similar system where constables, citizen-based watch groups, and sheriffs were responsible for apprehending criminals. The law enforcement personnel were also responsible for working with courts and collecting taxes. However, law enforcement was not a major priority for sheriffs since they could generate more income by collecting taxes throughout the community. This was followed….....

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