The History Of Modern Law Enforcement

1085 Words5 Pages
The History of Modern Law Enforcement The History of Modern Law Enforcement 1/29/2012 1/29/2012 Norman Cartwright Theory and Practice of Law Enforcement CJE2061 Section 70 Norman Cartwright Theory and Practice of Law Enforcement CJE2061 Section 70 American Law Enforcement is greatly derived from English Common Law, dating back to the eleventh century. Then, in England, there were large communities known as “shires” and the king would appoint a royal officer, called a “reeve” as the chief law enforcement officer for the shire. But as time passed the “shires” grew and areas began to industrialize it became evident that there was a need for a change in law enforcement. Modernization was exactly what law enforcement received with the assistance of Sir Robert Peel. Peel persuaded the English Parliament to create the first uniformed police force, The London Metropolitan Police, in 1829 (Walker/Katz, 2011: 25). This forever changed the practices of law enforcement by giving it three main focal points; a mission, a strategy, and an organizational structure. All of which were missing prior to the Peel reform. The first, the mission, was and still is the prevention of crime. But the question was how officers prevent criminal acts. This brings us to our next focal point, strategy. In this case the strategy is simple; preventative patrols. Change the current philosophy of law enforcement, make the officers more pro-active not just reactive. Make them more visible in the community, hence making their presence a criminal deterrent. Finally restructuring the organizational structure, this was done by directly following the current military organization system. This is evident from the style of the uniforms and the ranks, to the chain of command and discipline. This structure can still be found

More about The History Of Modern Law Enforcement

Open Document