The formation and the development of the police in the United States has a rich, vivid history, and the research problem remains relevant today. In total, there are three stages of the formation of police activity in America – the political, reform (professional), and community era (Burke & Carter, 2019). The political era is the first period of activity in the United States, which began around 1800 (Longley, 2020). This period was marked by a high increase in crime and riots caused by massive changes and restructuring of society under the influence of innovations in technology (Longley, 2020). Local politicians patrolled certain areas and managed the sites as small departments. They were not only responsible for police activities but also for the organization and distribution of personnel.
In the era of reforms, the police solved problems with the help of various technological tools and emergency response systems. Thanks to Chief August Folmer, innovative ideas appeared that changed the views on the current state of affairs in the activities of the police (Burke & Carter, 2019). The state service was introduced to replace political influence as the basis of legitimacy. Compared to the political one, it is noted as a better era, bringing diversity to police practice, new management concepts, and employee training.
The community era is the third period in the development of police activity that is currently taking place. The origins of this era can be traced back to the 1970s (Parsons & Kremling, 2020). The police could no longer solve all the problems alone; the community should also contribute to allowing all the issues (Burke & Carter, 2019). Consequently, everyone can contribute to countering the spread of crime and offenses. Despite the considerable progress in the technical component since the beginning of the era, this is still considered an essential element in the public practice of doing business.
In conclusion, there are three main epochs of the police service’s formation; each of them has its distinctive characteristics. Initially, the police were under the power of politicians; they could make their adjustments, hire, and fire staff following their beliefs. Then came the era of changes and additions to the alignment of events. The police do not depend on political influence; new methods of investigation are emerging, and educational institutions are developing where candidates undergo professional training. Soon, law enforcement agencies begin to cooperate with society to focus on current problems and solve them together.
References
Burke, A. S., & Carter, D. (2019). Introduction to the American criminal justice system. Open Oregon Educational Resources.
Longley, R. (2020). The history of modern policing.ThoughtCo.
Parsons, D. A., & Kremling, J. (2020). Community policing today: Issues, controversies, and innovations. SAGE Publications, Inc.