Chapter 5
History and Structure of American Law Enforcement
Chapter Objectives
•
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
– Briefly describe the jurisdictional limitations of American law
enforcement.
– Trace the English origins of American law enforcement.
– Discuss the early development of American law enforcement.
Chapter Objectives
•
•
•
•
Describe the major developments that have occurred in American
policing.
Describe the structure of American law enforcement.
Explain the relationship between the FBI and the Department of
Homeland Security.
Discuss the development and growth of private security in the United
States.
The Limited Authority of American Law Enforcement
•
•
•
•
The United States has almost ______________ public law
enforcement agencies.
The jurisdiction of each agency is carefully __________ by law.
•
Jurisdiction: The right or ______________ of a justice agency to
act in regard to a particular subject matter, territory, or person.
Law enforcement is also limited by the ___________________ law
derived from U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
In comparison with other democratic nations of the world, the United
States has remarkably ______________ police agencies that operate
under far more restrictions on their authority.
1
•
•
Like much of the criminal justice system,
model came from _____________.
English Roots
this limited law enforcement
Our familiar law enforcement system, in which uniformed officers
respond to calls for help and plainclothes detectives investigate,
_________________ over hundreds of years in England.
The Tithing System
•
By the twelfth century in England, the practice of resolving disputes
privately gave way to a system of group ________________, called
the tithing system.
– Tithing System: A _____________ self-held protection system in
early medieval England, in which a group of _________ families,
or a tithing, agreed to follow the law, keep the peace in their
areas, and bring law violators to justice.
•
In larger areas, ten tithings were grouped together to form a
________________, and one or several hundreds constituted a shire.
– The shire was under the direction of the _________ reeve.
– The shire __________ was assisted by posses.
Shire Reeve and Posses
•
•
•
Shire Reeve: In medieval England, the chief law enforcement officer in
a ______________ area called a shire.
– Later called the _____________.
Posses: Groups of able-bodied ______________ of a community,
called into service by a sheriff or constable to ____________ and
apprehend offenders.
The Constable-Watch System
The Statute of _________________, in 1285, formalized the
constable-watch system of protection.
2
– One man from each ____________ was selected to be constable.
– Citizens were drafted as (unpaid) ______________, and were
required to come to the aid of a constable or watchman who
called for __________.
•
A system of protection in early ______________ in which citizens,
under the direction of a constable, or chief peacekeeper, were
required to guard the city and to pursue criminals.
– Constable: The __________________ in charge of protection in
early English towns.
The Constable-Watch System
•
•
•
•
•
•
Two elements of this system made their way to the American colonies:
•
•
The people were the _______________.
The organization of the protection system was
___________.
The Bow Street Runners
In 1748, a London magistrate named Henry ____________ (best
known for his writings, including the novel Tom Jones) founded the
____________ publicly funded ____________________ force in a
district of London known as Bow Street.
The Bow Street ___________________ paved the way for a more
professional response to crime.
The ________________ Revolution brought a huge influx of people
into London, and along with them, increasing poverty, public disorder,
and crime.
In 1829, Parliament created the London ________________ Police, a
1,000-member professional force.
The police became known as ________________ or peelers after
Robert _____________, the British Home Secretary, who had prodded
Parliament for their creation.
3
The London Metropolitan Police
•
•
•
•
•
•
The police were organized around _____________ Principles of
Policing.
The London Police were organized according to military __________
and structure.
The police were under the command of __________ magistrates (later
called commissioners).
The main function of the police was to prevent crime by preventive
______________ of the community.
Robert Peel’s Principles of Policing
The Development of American Law Enforcement
The United States has more ________________ departments than
any other nation in the world.
Virtually every community has its own _____________ force, creating
a great ______________ in the quality of American police personnel
and service.
Early American Law Enforcement
•
•
•
•
•
Settlers of the new American _______________ brought with them the
constable-watch system, which became common (although not
necessarily effective) in cities.
In many rural areas, a sheriff and _____________ system was
commonly used.
America developed with _______ separate law enforcement systems.
Law Enforcement in the Cities
The Industrial Revolution brought a flood of people to American
______________, often immigrants.
____________________ and unhealthy living and working conditions
led to fights, ______________, and riots.
4
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Americans _________________ the establishment of a public police
force.
Plainclothes watchmen did not try to _______________ or discover
crime.
Municipal Police Forces
In 1844, _____________________ created the first paid, unified police
force in the U.S.
Other cities followed suit, creating their own police departments, often
merely an organization of the existing _____ and night watch.
It was not until after the ____________ War that police forces routinely
began to wear uniforms, carry nightsticks and even carry firearms.
Tangle of Politics and Policing
Until the 1920s in most American cities, local ___________ leaders
maintained complete control over the police force.
The political and police systems in many cities were ___________.
Jobs, politics, and law enforcement all depended on paying money to
the __________ person.
A Brief History of Blacks in Policing
For most of American history blacks who have wanted to be police
officers have faced blatant ______________ and have generally been
denied the opportunity.
The first black police officers in the United States were “_________
men of color.”
– They were hired around ________ to serve as members of the
New Orleans city watch system.
A Brief History of Blacks in Policing
•
By 1910, there were fewer than __________ black police officers in the
United States, and most of them were employed in northern cities.
5
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It was not until the 1940s and ___________ that black police officers
began to be hired routinely in most northern and southern U.S. cities.
Law Enforcement in the States and on the Frontier
Without large population centers to patrol, law enforcement was more
likely to respond to specific situations:
– Rounding up _________ rustlers
– Capturing escaped ___________
The basic structure of police units with ___________ responsibilities
grew out of this system
Southern Slave Patrols
In the South, the earliest form of policing was the plantation
__________ patrols.
–
–
The earliest form of policing in the _________.
They were a product of the slave __________.
Slave codes prohibited slaves from:
•
•
•
•
holding ______________.
leaving the plantation without _____________.
traveling without a ___________.
learning to _____________ and write.
Slave patrols often _______________ and terrorized slaves.
Frontier Law Enforcement
In the American frontier, justice often meant ______________.
Self-protection remains very popular in the South and ____________.
State Police Agencies
•
Growing ___________________, as well as the inability of some local
sheriffs and constables to control crime, led states to create their own
6
law enforcement agencies.
•
•
•
•
•
Texas officially created the _____________ in 1835.
____________________ established the first modern state law
enforcement agency in 1905.
By the ______________, every state had some form of state law
enforcement agency.
Professionalism and Reform
Until the late nineteenth century, there were no
___________________ required for law enforcement officers.
_____________________ was the first city to require qualifications of
police officers:
– High _____________ character
– _________________
Professionalism and Reform
•
•
•
•
It was not until the early 20th Century that reformers began advocating
training and __________________ for police officers.
Reformers also aimed to remove the police from _______________
influences.
Conflicting Roles
Americans have never been sure what role they want police officers to
play.
Police have acted as:
– peacekeepers
– social ______________
– crime fighters
7
– public servants
Conflicting Roles
•
•
•
•
•
In the nineteenth century, police acted as peacekeepers and social
service agents, feeding the __________ and housing the homeless.
In the 1920s, police began to focus on __________-fighting.
In the 1960s, the civil rights movement often resulted in violent
______________ between police and citizens.
Four blue-ribbon commissions studied the police in the U.S. from 1967
to 1973.
The reports recommended:
– Careful _______________ of law enforcement officers.
– Extensive and _________________ training.
– Better ________________ and supervision.
Community Policing
•
•
A contemporary approach to policing that actively involves the
community in a working partnership to control and _______________
crime.
A desire to actually improve neighborhoods led to the modern concept
of community policing, which involves:
–
–
–
•
A problem-oriented ______________ aimed at handling a broad
range of troublesome situations.
Greater emphasis on ___________ patrols.
Building a ______________________ with citizens, so they would
be more willing to help the police.
Compstat
Compstat is an abbreviation for “_______________ stats” or
“computer statistics meetings”
8
•
Based on 4 interrelated crime-reduction principles:
•
•
•
•
•
provide accurate and timely crime data to all levels of the
police organization
choose the most effective ________________ for specific
problems
implement those strategies by the rapid
__________________ of personnel and resources
diligently evaluate the _______________ and make
_________________ to the strategy if necessary
The Structure of American Law Enforcement
American law enforcement agencies are extremely diverse in:
– Jurisdictions.
– ___________________.
– Employers (hospitals, colleges, transit authorities may have their
own police).
Public Law Enforcement Agencies in the United States
Local Policing and Its Duties
•
•
•
If people know a law enforcement agent at all, it is probably a
_____________ police officer, but it is doubtful that even they
understand what local police officers in America really do, besides
what they see on television and in movies.
Municipal Police Departments
Most police departments in the United States employ fewer than
________ sworn officers.
Most police officers:
– In 2003, 69.4% of full-time sworn officers were __________ men.
– In 2003, a high school diploma or higher education was
9
________________ by 99% of the local police departments.
Characteristics of Local Full-Time Police Officers
Local Police Duties
•
Four categories of local police duties are:
•
•
•
•
•
Law enforcement—investigating crime and ____________
suspects.
Order maintenance or peacekeeping—controlling crowds,
intervening in ______________ disputes.
Service—escorting funeral processions, taking people to the
______________.
Information gathering—determining neighborhood reactions
to a proposed liquor license, investigating a missing child.
Organizational Structure
How a police agency is structured depends on:
– The ___________ of the agency.
– The degree of _________________.
– The philosophy the _________________ has chosen.
– The political context of the department.
– The history and preferences of a particular _______________.
Organizational Structure
•
•
•
•
Large departments have __________ specialized departments.
_____________ departments rarely have specialized departments, or
officers trained in complex investigation.
Police departments are usually organized in a ___________ structure.
Some people think a military structure does not fit police work because
the work is so varied, and the structure _______________ the flow of
communication.
The Political Context of Policing
10
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Police departments are part of larger governments. Municipalities
generally operate under one of four forms:
–
–
–
–
____________ Mayor-Council
__________ Mayor-Council
City __________
______________
Each style of government varies in the amount of ___________
citizens have over their leaders, including the chief of police.
County Law Enforcement
A substantial portion of law enforcement work in the United States is
carried out by the __________ departments.
In 2003, the nation had ___________ sheriffs’ departments, employing
330,274 _______________ personnel.
Characteristics of Sheriffs’ Personnel
County Law Enforcement Functions
County sheriff and department personnel perform many functions:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
______________ crimes
Supervising _______________ offenders
Enforcing criminal and ___________ laws
Serving summons, ____________, and writs
Providing __________________ security
Transporting _____________
Operating a county _____________
Politics and County Law Enforcement
Most sheriffs are directly ______________ and depend on an elected
board of county ___________________ or supervisors for funding.
Sheriffs generally have a _______________ hand in running their
11
agencies than do police chiefs.
State Law Enforcement
•
•
•
State law enforcement agencies provide criminal and ____________
law enforcement, and other services particular to the needs of that
state government.
In 2003, the ________ primary state law enforcement agencies
(Hawaii has no state police agency) had 82,419 employees
State Law Enforcement
Each state has chosen one of ________ models for providing law
enforcement services:
– ____________ Police Model:
•
Example: Texas Rangers
– ______________ Patrol Model:
•
•
•
•
Example: California Highway Patrol
State Police Model
Highway Patrol Model
__________ Police Model:
–
A model of state law enforcement services in which the agency
and its officers have the _____________ law enforcement powers
as local police, but can exercise them anywhere within the
____________.
______________ Patrol Model:
–
A model of state law enforcement services in which officers focus
on ____________ traffic safety, enforcement of the state’s traffic
laws, and the investigation of _______________ on the state’s
roads, highways, and on state property.
State Law Enforcement
Both state police and highway patrol agencies perform the following
services:
–
Help regulate commercial ____________.
12
–
–
–
•
•
•
Conduct ______________ investigations.
Protect the ______________ and the capitol grounds and
buildings.
Administer computerized information _____________ for the
state, which link up with the National Crime Information Center
(NCIC) run by the ______.
Federal Law Enforcement
Among the best-known __________ law enforcement agencies are:
–
–
–
–
FBI
U.S. _____________ Service
Treasury _________________
Drug _______________ Agency
As of September 2004, federal agencies employed nationwide about
____________________ full-time personnel authorized to make
arrests and carry firearms.
Major differences between federal law enforcement and local and state
police are:
– Federal agencies operate across the ___________.
– Federal agencies usually do not have ________________ duties.
– Some federal agencies have very ______________ jurisdictions.
Training Federal Law Enforcement Officers
•
•
The Federal Law Enforcement _____________ Center (FLETC) is
the ________________ law enforcement-training establishment in the
United States.
It provides some or all of the training for a majority of ______________
law enforcement agencies, as well as for many ___________, local
and international law enforcement agencies.
The Department of Homeland Security
13
•
•
•
The United States Congress responded to the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, by enacting the ________________ Security
Act of 2002.
The act established the Department of ________________ Security
(DHS).
According to the legislation, this new executive department was
created to:
•
•
•
Prevent ______________ attacks within the United States.
Reduce the vulnerability of the United States to ___________.
Minimize the _____________, and assist in the recovery, from
terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States.
•
•
•
•
•
Carry out all functions of entities transferred to the department,
including by acting as a ___________ point regarding natural
and manmade crises and ______________ planning.
Ensure that the functions of the agencies and subdivisions within the
department that are not related directly to securing the homeland are
not _______________ or neglected except by an explicit act of
Congress.
Ensure the overall _________________ security of the United
States is not diminished by efforts, activities, and programs aimed at
securing the homeland.
Monitor connections between illegal drug ______________ and
terrorism, coordinate efforts to ____________ such connections,
and otherwise contribute to efforts to interdict illegal drug trafficking.
The Department of Homeland Security has five major divisions, or
“directorates”:
•
•
Border and ______________ Security (BTS)
Emergency _______________ and Response (EPR)
14
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Science and _______________ (S&T)
Information Analysis and ___________________ Protection
(IAIP)
__________________
Department of Homeland Security Organization Chart
The Department of Homeland
Security
One of the first efforts of DHS was the creation of a ____________coded warning system to alert citizens to the ______________ of a
terrorist attack.
Through the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, law
enforcement agencies at all levels of government, and vigilant
American citizens, acts of terrorism can be ______________ in the
future.
Homeland Security Advisory System
American Private Security
Private ________________ in the United States is a huge enterprise.
It has been estimated that _____________ as many people work in
private security as in public law enforcement.
American Private Security
•
Private security employment is often categorized two ways:
•
•
_______________ Security:
•
Example: security guards hired for a college football
game
_______________ Security:
•
Example: the security force for a corporation’s
manufacturing plants
15
•
•
•
•
•
_______________ Security: Protective services that a ____________
security firm provides to people, agencies, and companies that do not
employ their own security personnel or that need extra protection.
–
Contract security employees are not ___________ officers.
Proprietary Security: In-house protective services that a security
staff, which is not classified as sworn peace officers, provide for the
entity that ________________ them.
Private Security Officers
In 2000, there were more than one ______________ private security
officers.
A private security officer’s duties vary and depend on the employer’s
particular ______________.
Private security officers may protect:
– Office _____________
– ____________ garages
– _____________
– Schools
Reasons for Growth
•
A number of factors have stimulated the ___________________
growth of private security since the 1970s:
–
–
–
–
Declining ________________ for public policing.
The ______________ nature of crimes in the workplace.
•
Companies can _________________ and hide crimes by
employees.
Better control and ____________________ to the problem,
particularly within a business.
Fewer ____________________ limitations on the actions of
private security officers.
16
Issues Involving Private Security
•
A number of unresolved problems and issues hamper the private
security industry:
– Legal status and authority derive from the rights of the
____________.
•
Private security has few constitutional _____________ and
can be held civilly liable.
– Public policing in a private capacity.
•
•
•
Sworn officers often work for _______________ companies,
blurring the lines of responsibility and liability.
________________ and training vary widely.
Diminished ____________ responsibility
– The government may not be living up to its responsibility to
provide for the general welfare.
Private Security's Role in the Fight Against Terrorism
•
•
Private security officers are often the first line of ______________
against terrorism in the United Sates.
They ______________ government buildings, utilities, schools, courts,
corporate headquarters, office complexes, laboratories, and
transportation facilities.
17