Historical Development of Policing

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Historical Development of Policing Ever wondered what living in a rural area without police protection or without any aid to support wrongful decisions? Ever thought what could happen if you were wrongfully arrested and thrown in jail without proper knowledge of your rights? Society today is conditioned to know that all police seek to preserve the public favor, not by catering to public opinion, but by demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law. (JUS 104 Lecture 3) Without proper guidance and training, police officials would be competing with tirades of public humiliation along with unsettling disputes of domestic abuse, public intoxication, and animal cruelty to name a few. Policing began in 1892 in Europe with watchmen to patrol and protect the public against fires, public disturbances, and theft. This system of policing was based on neighborhood participation where individuals were expected to assist neighbors and protect their communities from crime. This system was entrusted with policing minor problems such as disturbances, fire dispatches, wild animals and other threats. Soon after, Europeans developed day watchmen to keep the public safe during the day. European police officers were the first to serve the public and be paid for doing so. Americans soon adopted this concept an incorporated police officers to protect and serve. In the late 1840s, policing was looked upon as a safe guard for citizens to feel better about going out in public without fear of being assonated, robbed, or antagonized in any aggressive way. By the1900’s, working as a police official meant solid employment with a minimal salary with attractive benefits. Employment was independent of the business cycle and pay was not linked to individual performance. This line of work was high in demand and only one in five applications were accepted also during the nineteenth century,

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