The Police Mission: Historical Perspective

The Police Mission : A Historical Perspective

I . Introduction

In any progressive community , there always exists a set of laws governing the chosen set of cultural values collectively agreed upon by individuals elected to represent its members . These laws are created through an assessment of needs and requirements unique to the community and must be upheld at every instance . It is not surprising , even expected , to find those that oppose or violate the law , thus the need for a specific group assigned the responsibility of protecting the community and its members p

This is the precise role of the police , defined as the community- or government-formed unit that is tasked to maintain public , as well as the detection and prevention of crime . Its most essential mission is to keep peace and through law enforcement , a goal that has been present since ancient times (Police , 2008

II . Politics

The rise of early civilizations equated to progress and growth , and this new state enjoyed by people triggered disturbances caused by personal and territorial interests that took on the form of wars Slaves were then put in place to protect the marketplace and other areas strategic for attacks from invaders (Real Police , 2001 . Because of the call of the times , policing was soon organized to form units that also investigated criminal acts and referred the results to the legal process covering each community or country

In the United States , the Boston Police Department was the first police department organized in 1838 , with the New York City Police Department following in 1844 . Corruption was a major concern in those days , and the police did not enjoy the community 's respect . The British police model was followed by the Americans , though , unlike the British , the American police often involved themselves in local partisan politics The apparent loyalty of the British police to the law than to public officials became the basis of their authority , credibility , and independence (Police , 2008

III . Progressive Reform

The 20th century heralded a new purpose in policing , and ended the era of mundane tasks such as licensing , inspecting , and even dog-catching The Pendleton Act , which categorically discriminates against nepotism and promotes job security , was the first anti-corruption stand made to reform the US police . In the 1920s , the introduction of the Volstead Act allowed the police to influence law enforcement by controlling vices the public indulged in , such as imposing a ban on alcohol . However this also resulted in the birth of organized crime - giving the police more room for improvement . Crime fighting became the ultimate goal , and what the police needed were leaders who would be able to bring forth the image of being effective crime fighters . FBI 's J . Edgar Hoover and Elliot Ness of the Prohibition Bureau soon became the bane of organized criminals and political subversives , with Hoover credited for the establishment of the FBI National Academy (Real Police , 2008

Another name that resounds in police history is August Vollmer , whose vision of innovating the force was...