History of Law Enforcement
Key terms
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Bobbies – In 1829, English Parliament mandated a publicly funded police force
throughout England. They became known as the “bobbies.”
Constables – Local level individuals who assisted the shire reeve and organized
posses to chase and apprehend criminals
Frankpledge System – A form of community policing instituted by King William in
1066
Tithing – In the Frankpledge System, every male over twelve years of age was
required to form a group of ten families called a “tithing.”
Sir Robert Peel – A member of the English Parliament in 1829 who led the
mandating of a publicly funded police force throughout England via the London
Metropolitan Police Act. He advocated the 12 principles of policing.
Shires – Ten “tithings” were grouped together to form a hundred, and these
consolidated groups were called shires.
Henry Fielding – A London magistrate who, in 1748, formed a group of law
enforcement agents to apprehend criminals and recover stolen property from the
entertainment district. They were called the “Bow Street Runners.”
Justice of the Peace – In 1326, the shire reeve was replaced with the office of the
justice of the peace.
Night Watch System – In England, the night watch system provided citizens with
protection from crime. During times of duress, the men on watch would raise the
hue and cry to summon assistance from the citizens of the community or, in the
case of a larger community, from others already on watch. The watch standers
were equipped with various signaling devices, including bells, ratchets, and rattles.
Shire Reeves – The top law enforcement official, who was the forerunner of the
American sheriff
Peelers – Another name for the “bobbies” because of Sir Robert Peel’s influence
in creating the force
Politeria – The Greek word that “police” is derived from
Pharaoh Hur Moheb – Established the first recorded police organization in Egypt
around 1340 B.C.
Law Enforcement – The most visible representatives of the criminal justice
system; typically citizens’ most common and direct contact with law enforcement
Police – Entrusted to serve and protect the public, and to control and prevent
crime
Political Era – 1840’s to 1920’s: the period when police agencies were first
established to provide a unified law enforcement force in the major American cities
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
Professional Era – 1920’s to 1970’s: the period when there was a call for the
establishment of measures to assist law enforcement agencies to improve their
effectiveness and become more professional
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Community Model Era – 1970’s to the present: the period when it was advocated
for law enforcement to move away from the crime-fighting focus of law
enforcement towards a greater emphasis on maintaining order and providing
service to the community
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.
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.
O.W. Wilson – A student of Vollmer’s who advocated for law enforcement
agencies to employ technological advances, such a motorized patrols, effective
radio communications, and rapid response, to aid effective crime fighting.
III. Law enforcement and early civilizations
A. Extends back to the earliest civilizations
B. Met a social need for promoting a group’s well-being
C. Banishment was the most effective means of punishment. Camp guards of early
civilization represent the first traces of law enforcement practices.
D. First recorded police organization – 1340 B.C., in Egypt, under the reign of
Pharoah Hur Moheb
a. River security force established to ensure security on the Nile
b. Responsible for preventing piracy, guarding commerce, and searching
suspect ships
E. Police is a derivative of the Greek work “Politeria” – the portion of government that
deals with protection of life and property.
F. Roman contribution – during the reign of Emperor Augustus Caesar
a. Police were a special feature of the Roman government.
b. Various grades of officers
c. Seven divisions with 14 districts; districts represent the first city precincts
IV. English Roots
A.
B.
C.
D.
American law enforcement concepts originated in England in 900A.D.
Justice was primarily a private matter based on revenge and retribution.
Victims and/or family members would seek justice.
King William – 1066
a. Frankpledge system
b. Tithing
c. Shires
d. Shire Reeve
e. Constables
E. Winchester Statute – 1285
a. Night watch system
b. Selection of constables
c. Draft of volunteer citizens as watchmen
F. Justice of Peace – 1326
a. Replaced Shire Reeve
b. Supervised law enforcement activities including crime investigation,
securing criminals, and organizing the night watch system
c. The system lasted into the 1700’s
d. Citizens were the police
e. Law enforcement organization was local
G. Henry Fielding – 1700’s
a. The military was used for crime control
b. Established the Bow Street Runners who apprehended criminals and
recovered stolen property
i. More effective than any other law enforcement of its day
ii. Paved the way for a more professional and efficient response to
crime, and the apprehension of criminals
H. Sir Robert Peel – 1829
a. Worked with the English Parliament to mandate a publicly funded police
force under the London Metropolitan Police Act
b. Created uniformed police force known as “bobbies” or “peelers"
c. Peel’s 12 Principles of Policing
i. The police must be stable, efficient, and organized along military
lines.
ii. The police must be under government control.
iii. The absence of crime will best prove the efficiency of police.
iv. The distribution of crime news is essential.
v. The deployment of police strength, by both time and area, is
essential.
vi. No quality is more indispensable to a policeman than a perfect
command of temper; a quiet, determined manner has more effect
than a violent action.
vii. Good appearance commands respect.
viii. The securing and training of proper persons is the root of efficiency.
ix. Public security demands that every police officer be given a number.
x. Police headquarters should be centrally located and easily
accessible to the people.
xi. Policemen should be hired on a probationary basis.
xii. Police records are necessary to the correct distribution of police
strength.
V. Historical Eras of Law Enforcement
A. Political Era (1840 to 1920)
a. The period when police agencies were established to provide a unified
police force in the major American cities
b. The “Spoils” system; the metropolitan police in the 19th century were
powerful, corrupt, poorly trained, unsupervised, and frequently abusive to
the public they were to serve and protect.
c. The primary focus was on crime prevention and the maintenance of order
through the foot patrol.
B. Reform Era
a. Began in early part of the 20th century, as a result of the middle and upper
class citizens’ concern with corruption
b. They wanted to get rid of political patronage and improve the efficiency of
government, especially in law enforcement.
c. They called for professional police forces, to remove law enforcement from
politics and to introduce modern technology to make law enforcement more
efficient.
d. One result of the Reform Era was the establishment of police administrative
boards who were responsible for appointing police administrators and
controlling police affairs.
e. These civilian review boards were established to reduce local political
control over the police.
f. These review boards failed because the appointed leaders often lacked law
enforcement knowledge.
C. Professional Era (1920’s to the 1970’s)
a. August Vollmer
i. Chief of police in Berkley, California, was the most famous police
reformer in the early part of the 20th century
ii. Instituted university training for police officers
iii. Helped to develop the School of Criminology at the University of
California at Berkley. The school became the model for universitylevel criminal justice programs around the U.S.
iv. Believed that the police should be a professional force
v. The 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 use technological developments.
5. Merit should be on the basis of personnel procedures.
6. The crime-fighting role should be prominent.
b. O.W. Wilson
i. The redirection of 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.
ii. A student of Vollmer’s, advocated that law enforcement use
motorized patrols, radio communication, and rapid response to aid
effective crime fighting.
iii. Suggested the use of one-man patrols as the best way to deploy
police personnel, and the importance of rotating beat assignments in
order to fight police corruption
D. Community Era (1970 to present)
a. Research findings indicate that the professional model was not working:
i. Increasing the number of patrol officers in a neighborhood was
found to have little effect on crime.
ii. Rapid response to calls for service does not greatly increase the
arrest of criminals.
iii. It is difficult, if not impossible, to improve rates of solving crimes.
E. Service to the community
a. In the 1970’s there was a movement away from the crime-fighting focus of
law enforcement towards a greater emphasis on maintaining order and
providing service to the community.
b. It was suggested that police officers get out of their patrol cars and spend
more time on the street assisting citizens, while maintaining their crimefighting role.