History of Law Enforcement Task 500
Rational:
Law enforcement of today has been influenced by many different civilizations over hundreds of years.
Understanding the history of law enforcement is important for officers to know and understand why
things have changed and how in the law enforcement profession.
Student objectives and engagement
Students shall be able to:
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Define and understand important terms and vocabulary
Discuss and identify the early origins and development of modern law enforcement
Research the historical development of law enforcement and key actors
Research the role and duties of law enforcement officers from various eras
Identify the concept, role and duties of law enforcement today
Identify time line in history of law enforcement
Identify time line in crimes in law enforcement and how it has changed over the years
Create a presentation to teach a segment in the history of law enforcement
Essential Questions:
1. Define the word “police” what is the words origin?
2. Explain the Code of Hammurabi and compare it to today’s standards of law.
3. Describe the Night Watch System. How did it function and what were some of the equipment
used?
4. Identify what the Norman conquest brought to England, cite positive functions from it.
5. Explain what a tithing was and what was the purpose?
6. Explain what a hundred was , what was the purpose of it, who was in charge of it?
7. Explain what is meant by “English Roots” for American Law Enforcement.
8. Explain the purpose of the Statute of Winchester.
9. Who replaced the Shire Reeve and list three of their responsibilities.
10. Explain who Robert Peel was and what were his attributions to law enforcement?
11. What is meant by police professionalism?
12. List Robert Peels twelve Principals.
13. Compare Peels twelve principals of policing to today’s police standards.
14. Explain who August Vollmer was and what were attributions to law enforcement?
15. Explain who Henry Fielding was and what were his accomplishments?
16. Summarize what the political era was and time frame.
17. Explain who O.W. Wilson was and what were his attributions to law enforcement?
18. What was a result of the Reform Era-what was the public asking for?
19. List and compare to today’s standards Vollmer’s six essential elements.
20. Explain the cause and effect of the Community Era in policing.
Key terms/vocabulary:
a. Bobbies- in 1829, English Parliament mandated a publically funded police force throughout
England. They became known as “bobbies”.
b. Constables-individuals at the local level who assisted the shire reeve and organized posses to
chase and apprehend criminals
c. Jurisdiction- the right or authority of a justice agency to act in regard to a particular matter in a
territory. It is a politically defined geographical location.
d. Constable watch system- a system of protection in early England In which citizens, under the
direction of a constable, or chief peacekeeper, were required to guard the city and to pursue
criminals.
e. Leather heads-The Watchmen first came into existence in the late 1700's, when the Dutch ruled
New York City. Their job was little more than patrolling the streets at night, looking for any
possible disturbances, but mostly avoiding them. They would also call out the hours of the night,
with such inane declarations as, "By the grace of God, two o'clock in peace.
f. Slave patrols- the earliest form of policing in the south. They were a product of the slave codes.
The plantation slave patrols have been called “the first distinctively American police system.”
g. Frankpledge system- a form of community policing instituted by King William in 1066.
h. Tithing system- a private protection system in early medieval England, in which a group of ten
families or a tithing, agreed to follow the law, keep the peace and bring violators to justice. In
the frankpledge system, every male over twelve years of age was required to form the group of
a tithing.
i. Posses- group of able-bodied citizens of the community who were called into service by a
constable or sheriff. They were to assist in apprehension of criminals.
j. Shire- ten tithing’s were grouped together to form a hundred and these territories were called a
shire.
k. Sir Robert Peel- was a member of English Parliament in 1829 who led the movement for
mandating a publically funded police force throughout England via the London Metropolitan
Police Act. Peel advocated the 12 principles of policing.
l. Henry Fielding- a London magistrate who in 1748, formed a group of law enforcement agents
called the “Bow Street Runners”. Their responsibility was to apprehend criminals and recover
stolen property from the entertainment district.
m. Justice of the Peace- 1326 the office of justice of the peace replaced the shire reeve.
n. Night watch system- In England, the night watch system provided citizens with protection from
crime. Men on watch would raise the hue and cry to summon assistance from citizens o the
community. If it was a larger community, they would get assistance from other citizens already
on watch. The night watch men were equipped with various signaling devices, such as bells,
ratchets and rattles.
o. Hue and Cry-In Medieval England, a process whereby citizens noting trouble in the community
were obligated to call for help.
p. Statute of Winchester- the codified law mandating service on the watch.
q. Shire Reeves- the top law enforcement official, who was the forerunner of the American Sheriff
r. Peelers- another name for “bobbies” because of Sir Robert Peel’s influence in creating the
Metropolitan Police Force
s. Politeria- the Greek work that “ police” is derived from
t. Pharaoh Hur Moheb- established the first recorded police organization in Egypt around 1340 B.C
u. Law Enforcement- The most visible representatives of the criminal justice system; typically
citizens’ most common and direct contact with law enforcement.
v. Police- entrusted to serve and protect the public, and to control and prevent crime.
w. Political Era- 1840’s to 1920’s: the period when police agencies were first established to provide
a unified a unified law enforcement force in the major American cities.
x. Reform Era- wanted to take law enforcement out of politics, introduce modern technology to
make law enforcement more efficient, and establish police administrative boards that were
responsible for appointing police administrators and controlling police affairs.
y. Professional Era- 1920’s to 1970’s: the period when there was a call for the establishment of
measures to assist with law enforcement agencies to improve their effectiveness and become
more professional
z. Community Model Era- 1970’s to the present: the period when it was advocate for law
enforcement to move away from the crime-fighting focus of law enforcement towards greater
emphasis on maintaining order and providing service to the community.
aa. August Vollmer- Was known as the most famous police reformer in the early part of the
twentieth century. He believed the police should be a professional force.
bb. Spoils- A system that used political power to hire supporters and fire those considered disloyal.
This led to a period of incompetent, corrupt, and disliked police force.
cc. O.W. Wilson- A student of Vollmer’s who advocate for law enforcement agencies to employ
technological advances, such as motorized patrols, effective radio communications, and rapid
response, to aid effective crime fighting.
dd. Police- Entrusted by society to serve and protect the public, control and prevent criminal activity
ee. Law Enforcement-a visible representation of the criminal justice system.
Outline of instructional points
American Law Enforcement has limited authority by law. Each agency must adhere to the laws within
their jurisdiction. Jurisdictional boundaries are also limited to each agency. These limitations are in place
to protect individuals against governmental intrusions.
Statutes or laws explain and describe criminal acts and permits police agencies to enforce laws in a
particular manner. This is known as procedural law. Procedural law is derived from United States
Supreme Court decisions. These precedent cases impose limitations and also allow procedures for
officers to follow.
Law enforcement and early civilizations extend back to the earliest of civilizations. It was early on that
groups of people understood that they needed to meet social needs for the groups wellbeing, safety and
security. The most common and effective form of punishment was banishment. This was upheld by
camp guards of early civilizations.
The first recorded police organization in human history was found in Egypt in 1340 B.C under the reign
of Pharaoh Hur Moheb. The Pharaoh had established a security force on the Nile so intruders could not
come in or attack his people. The security force was also responsible for preventing piracy, guarding
commerce, and searching ships. Egyptians also had laws that were enforced. Most punishments ended
with death.
Police is derived from Greek word “Politeria”- the portion of government that deals with protection of
life and property.
Romans contributed many aspects to Law Enforcement. During the reign of Emperor Augustus Caesar,
police were a special feature of the Roman government. He had established different grades of officers.
Caesar also had seven divisions with 14 districts, each district represented the first precincts.
English roots in law enforcement:
A.
B.
C.
D.
American law enforcement concepts originated in England in 900 A.D.
Justice was primarily a private matter based on revenge and retribution.
Victims and/or family members would see justice
Disputes were often settled by blood feuds between families, families would have wars between
each other.
E. King William- 1066
1. Brought the Frankpledge system in to place
2. Developed tithings
3. Developed Shires
4. Established Shire reeves
5. Established Constables
F. Statute of Winchester- two important features of this system were that the people were the
police and the protection system was local.
1. Males 15-60 had to respond and maintain a weapon
2. If they did not respond when called, the male citizens were subjected to penalties for aiding
the offender.
3. This instituted a selection of constables
4. This instituted a draft system of citizens as watchmen by constables
G. Justice of the Peace-1326
1. Replaced the shire reeve
2. Supervised law enforcement activities including organizing the night watch system, criminal
investigation, apprehending and securing criminals
3. System continued until the 1700’s- This system worked up until the late 1700s, but as the
population grew, cities began to expand, and crime increased, it became apparent that
changes were needed. The constables became corrupt, and fewer and fewer took the job
seriously. Often, the job of constable fell to drunken derelicts who often abused their
powers. To make matters worse, justices of the peace often took bribes to either lay or to
drop charges. The salary of the judges was based on the number of cases they heard.
Entrepreneurial justices became eager to create as many cases as they possibly could. Many
charges were often "trumped-up" and "fictional". It is estimated that thousands of innocent
people were tried on fictional charges. By the mid-1800s, many people began to eagerly
press for reforms. The most notable was author Henry Fielding, who wrote about various
crimes and published descriptions of known criminals. In addition, Fielding set up the "Bow
Street Runners", who actively sought out known criminals and brought them to justice. This
concept was continued after Henry Fielding's death by his brother, John.
4. Citizens were the police- protection remained local
H. Henry Fielding-1700’s
1. The military was used for crime control
2. Established Bow Street Runners who apprehended criminals and recovered stolen property
3. Bow Street Runners were the most effective form of law enforcement during that time
4. Fielding and his Bow Street runners opened the way for a more professional and efficient
responses to crime and the apprehension of criminals
I. Sir Robert Peel- 1829
1. Worked with the English Parliament to mandate a publicly funded police force under the
London Metropolitan Police Act
2. Created uniformed police force known as the “Peelers” or Bobbies”
3. Created Peel’s 12 Principles of Policing-reforming to a more professional force
Historical Eras of Law Enforcement:
A. Political Era (1840-1920)
1. Close ties between police and politicians
2. First emphasis on making politicians happy
3. The period when police agencies were established to provide a unified police force in major
American cities
4. The “Spoils” system, the metropolitan police in the 19th century were powerful, corrupt,
poorly trained, unsupervised, and frequently abusive to the public that they were hired to
protect and serve
5. The primary focus was on the crime prevention and the maintenance order through foot
patrols
B. Reform Era
1. Professional crime fighting
2. Police resources focused on arrests
3. Began in early part of the 20th century, as a result of the middle and upper class citizens’
concern with corruption
4. They wanted to get rid of political patronage and improve the efficiency of government,
especially in law enforcement
C.
D.
E.
F.
1.
5. They called for professional police forces to remove law enforcement from politics and
introduce modern technology to help law enforcement become more efficient
6. Established administrative boards who were responsible for appointing police
administrators, control police affairs and help establish guidelines and standards
7. Civilian review boards were established to reduce local political control over the police
8. Problem with the civilian review boards and their failure was due to appointed leaders
lacked law enforcement knowledge
Professional Era (1920’s to 1970’s)
1. August Vollmer
a. Chief of police in Berkley, California
b. Was the most famous police reformer in the early part of the 20th century
c. Instituted university training for police officers
d. Assisted in development in the School of Criminology at the University of California at
Berkley. The school became the model for university level justice programs around the
United States
e. Pushed for police forces to become professionals
f. Model of professional policing was developed from Vollmer’s six essential elements:
1. The police force should stay out of politics
2. Members should be well trained, disciplined and tightly organized
3. Laws should be equally enforced
4. The police should sue technological developments
5. Merit should be on the basis of personnel procedures
6. The crime-fighting role should be prominent
O.W Wilson
1. Responsible for redirection of the police from maintenance of order to one of crime control
altered the nature of policing in America more than any of the other elements of the
professional era
2. Was a student of August Vollmer, Wilson advocated that law enforcement use motorized
patrols, radio communications, rapid response to aid effective crime fighting
3. Suggested that use of one-man patrols as the best way to deploy police personnel, and the
importance of rotating beat assignments in order to prevent police corruption
Community Era 1970 to present
1. Researched professional models, completed studies on law enforcement and found them
not effective because:
a. Increasing the number of patrol officers in a neighborhood was found to have little
effect on crime
b. Rapid response to calls for service does not greatly increase the arrest of criminals
c. It is difficult or almost impossible to improve solving crime rates because of crime rate
ratio per police officer
Service to the community
1970’s there was a movement away from the crime fighting focus of law enforcement towards a
great emphasis on maintaining order and providing service to the community
2. Police officers were requested to get out of their patrol cars and spend more time on the street
assisting citizens while maintaining their crime-fighting role
Activities:
Learning guides
student self-assessments
Handouts
Quizzes
Time line activities
Completed rubric’s
Research projects
Power point presentation