Law Enforcement Eras
Law enforcement has been around since the dawn of man, and since that day it has been an ever evolving and adapting living thing. This is to meet the needs of those who are under its protection. Different styles of law can be dated back all the way to the cave dwellers, from there the Sumerian Rulers, Lipitshtar and Eshuma which set standards on what constituted an offense against ones society. As the times went on the need for more standardized laws were created and mandated for larger communities of people. Rome noted the need for more than just the palace guard, and with that they gave their firefighters legal responsivities. As the first civilian police force the “vigils” kept the “peace” and did so quite violently. This is where the term
…show more content…
In a short overview, the political era was recognized as the first official era of policing running from 1840 until 1930, this era was named from the policing coming from the laws and politicians. This system used a very visible use of foot patrols and needed a strong intimate relationship with the people. The reform or professional era was from 1930 through 1980, where the authority was given by the law and professionalism. During this period crime control was the main goal of law enforcement officers. This past way seemed very reactive towards crime. We are now currently in the community era, an era where law enforcement and the community are trying to become one. The law needs the communities support and law enforcement is more involved within the community than ever. These officers are trying to be more proactive and show problem solving skills to better their communities as a whole. The communities are made up of the people we are sworn to protect and those are the people the policing powers are truly derived …show more content…
These officers success is based solely on numbers, crime rates, and citizen’s satisfaction with the police officers. The relationship between the officer and the public is strictly on a professional level and those officers are rarely seen on the streets. These officers are usually viewed as outsiders and with that there is little community involvement. Where community based policing is virtually the opposite.
Community based policing however, searches for the underlying cause that is creating a problem, being proactive instead of reactive, and overall more of a problem solving structure. This includes the elimination of what might be causing the issue, reduction of potential issues, reducing the seriousness of the issue, designing measure that will better handle and prepare for the problem.
Community based policing has regular contact between the officers and the community. The level of success is based on the decreased amount of fear the people of these officer’s community feel, along with a decreased crime rate. This must be a department wide philosophy in order to be effective and successful. The foot patrol officer must specially be involved, being not only the backbone of the department but also the main source of law enforcement interaction the average citizen’s sees day in and day
In a short overview, the political era was recognized as the first official era of policing running from 1840 until 1930, this era was named from the policing coming from the laws and politicians. This system used a very visible use of foot patrols and needed a strong intimate relationship with the people. The reform or professional era was from 1930 through 1980, where the authority was given by the law and professionalism. During this period crime control was the main goal of law enforcement officers. This past way seemed very reactive towards crime. We are now currently in the community era, an era where law enforcement and the community are trying to become one. The law needs the communities support and law enforcement is more involved within the community than ever. These officers are trying to be more proactive and show problem solving skills to better their communities as a whole. The communities are made up of the people we are sworn to protect and those are the people the policing powers are truly derived …show more content…
These officers success is based solely on numbers, crime rates, and citizen’s satisfaction with the police officers. The relationship between the officer and the public is strictly on a professional level and those officers are rarely seen on the streets. These officers are usually viewed as outsiders and with that there is little community involvement. Where community based policing is virtually the opposite.
Community based policing however, searches for the underlying cause that is creating a problem, being proactive instead of reactive, and overall more of a problem solving structure. This includes the elimination of what might be causing the issue, reduction of potential issues, reducing the seriousness of the issue, designing measure that will better handle and prepare for the problem.
Community based policing has regular contact between the officers and the community. The level of success is based on the decreased amount of fear the people of these officer’s community feel, along with a decreased crime rate. This must be a department wide philosophy in order to be effective and successful. The foot patrol officer must specially be involved, being not only the backbone of the department but also the main source of law enforcement interaction the average citizen’s sees day in and day