Law_Enforcement

Law Enforcement Loretta Del Angel CJA204 May 17, 2011 Robert White Law Enforcement As Americans, we expect that when we emit a cry for help, the police will come running. Those of us who grew up in the 80’s or later have always had a helpful, competent police force to defend us. Our police forces are the finest in the world, and it has been a long climb to this pinnacle. In this paper I will chronicle the historical development of the police department, as well as describe the three levels of law enforcement, examples, and duties expected from each agency. The origins of law enforcement started with ‘kin’ policing. This method had an affinity for blood vendettas as well as tribal justice (Realpolice.net, 2001-2011). It was assumed the family of the affronted party would recompense the offense by apprehending, stigmatizing, or maiming the offender, sometimes even by death. This was the earliest form of vigilante justice, or taking the law into one’s own hands .In the absence of a structured and organized system of justice, people took it upon themselves to avenge the crimes committed. The tale of American law enforcement originated in 1626 as the New York City Sheriff’s Office was instituted (Intelicus, 2011). Nine years later Boston created the ‘Night Watch’ in 1635 (Intelicus, 2011). This organization metamorphosed into the Boston Police Department in 1838, and was hailed as the first contemporary community police agency. Likewise, in 1845 the New York City Sheriff’s Office turned into the New York City Police Department (Intelicus, 2011). The early 20th century brought new law enforcement resources such as the telephone, police car, and two-way radios. American law enforcement saw a considerable growth and headway in its capability to counter crime and serve all Americans. Also with the dawning of the early 20th century came Prohibition. This was a period between 1920 and 1933 known as the “Noble Experiment”. The Peter McWilliams (1996) website states that prohibition produced a lack of respect for the law and also it forevermore corrupted law enforcement, the court system, and politics. The Department of Homeland Security evolved from the Office of Homeland Security, which was formed by President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001 (Pearson Education, 2000-2011). Over 87,000 various governmental jurisdictions at the three different levels function and aid homeland security (Pearson Education, 2000-2011). The paramount function of this agency is to safeguard America. Other purposes are diminishing the susceptibility of America to terrorist attacks, and to diminish the destruction of dormant attacks and natural phenomenon’s. Many federal agencies are encompassed in the Department of Homeland Security. The purpose of Federal law enforcement bureaus is to implement federal crime laws. Possibly the most widely known police force in America is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI agents are highly trained and extremely professional. The FBI is the first line defense against terrorism. (Schmalleger, 2009). Some of the agencies included in the federal tier are the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice, among many more. The state police agencies are expansive and various. .These agencies were created in the early twentieth century to fulfill particular duties. Encompassed within the state organization of law enforcement are state police, alcohol law enforcement agencies, state bureaus of investigation, state park services, fish and wildlife agencies, highway patrol, port authorities, and weigh station operations ( Schmalleger, 2009). State police collaborate with local police, if requested, guard the highways of the state, and fulfill many other duties. The designation of local police includes many different agencies. Contained within the jurisdiction of local police are municipal law enforcements, rural sheriff’s departments, and different unique forces including university campus police and transit police. Municipal police departments have sworn officers, or a police officer equipped and commissioned to execute all responsibilities of a police officer. These duties include effecting arrests, overseeing investigations, and to ‘pack heat’, or carry a weapon ( Schmalleger, 2009). City police chiefs are usually commissioned by the mayor. Inversely, sheriffs are elected and are tasked with law enforcement within the county they serve. The law enforcement machine of our country has been through many tests and trials, and has always triumphed. Cooperation of various agencies is key to the success of our policing system. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, everything remotely involved with law enforcement was changed. The most radical change has been the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, which absorbed many former justice departments under its powerful and wide reaching department. The future will hold many more changes for law enforcement, as the astounding rate of the incorporation of better and more advanced technology will aid all three levels of law enforcement in America. References Intelicus. (2011). . Retrieved from http://intelicus.com/history-of-law-enforcement-in-america/ Pearson Education (2000-2011).Infoplease. Retrieved from http://infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0909720.html  Peter McWilliams. (1996). Ain't Nobody’s Business if You Do. Retrieved from http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/aint/402.htm Realpolice.net. (2001-2011). RealPolice. Retrieved from http://www.realpolice.net/articles/police-history/history-of-law-enforcement.html Schmalleger, Frank. (2009). Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Test for the 21st Century (10th ed.). : Prentice Hall.