Police Department Roles and Functions

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Police Department Roles and Functions Stefanie Jackson CJA214 January 28, 2013 Michael Ecker Police Department Roles and Functions Unquestionably, American policing is much different from the first police officer who walked his beat without of the tools that are available to police officers today. In 1838 when the “police officer went out on patrol, he had received no training, patrolled on foot, had not two-way radio, could not be dispatched through a 911 system, and carried no weapon. Moreover, he had little education, received no formal preserves training, and had no manual of policies” (Walker, 2011). Fast forward over a century to the modern officer, it is clear that today’s police officer is the product of their history. Since evolution bring about change it stands to reason that the principle role and functions of the police would change. Among the many changes was the role that the police department would play in regards to the law as it applies. As America grew various types of police agencies were developed at the local, state, and federal levels. With the growth of many agencies the roles and functions of the police department would, in some cases, narrowed the barriers in solving crimes. When viewing “The idea of police role, function, purpose, or mission in society requires us to think beyond the technical and operational aspects of police work, and consider, if you will, the philosophy of policing, and/or more generally, the place of legitimate authority in society. Policing is one of those few lines of work, like teaching and medicine, which have intimate connections with social life, social progress, and social change. Too narrow a view of the police role is bad, and care must also be taken to avoid too broad a view. To begin with, an ideal set of police functions were identified a long time ago” (Goldstein, 1977). The principle role and

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