Briefly describe the jurisdictional limitations of American law enforcement.
The authority of public law enforcement agencies in the United States, whether they are local, state, or federal agencies, is carefully limited by law. The territory within which each may operate is also restricted.
Trace the english origins of American law enforcement.
Many institutions of American law enforcement evolved from the English tradition. The medieval tithing system and the constable-watch system were early methods of community protection that led to the development of the positions of sheriff and constable. The Bow Street Runners in the city of London in the 1750s were an early group of crime fighters who patrolled neighborhoods and pursued lawbreakers. The London Metropolitan Police, founded in 1829, became the model for municipal police departments in the United States.
Discuss the early development of American law enforcement.
Americans at first adopted the British system of community protection. When the constable-watch system proved inadequate in meeting the peacekeeping needs of the nation's major cities, municipal police forces were established in the mid-1800s. They soon became entangled with local politics. In the states and on the frontier, law enforcement reflected regional differences. In the South, the earliest policing was the plantation slave patrols. On the frontier, vigilantism and later, local sheriffs or U.S. marshals dealt with lawbreakers. In some states, state police agencies, such as the Texas Rangers, were established to enforce laws statewide.
Describe the major developments that have occurred in policing in America.
During the period of professionalism and reform that lasted from about 1920 to 1970, the police became professional crime fighters, relying on the centralization of authority, motorized patrols, specialization, and technological aids. In the 1960s, the crime-fighting role of the police came into conflict with the social and political upheavals of the time, causing critics to call for improved standards and training. By the early 1990s, some police agencies began to turn to community policing, attempting to eliminate crime problems in neighborhoods and return to their role as peacekeepers. At the start of the twenty-first century, the prevention and repression of domestic terrorism has also become a major priority of police in America.
Describe the structure of American law enforcement.
Law enforcement agencies are found at all levels of government in the United States. Most law enforcement officers work for local governments and are responsible for enforcing laws, maintaining order, providing service, and gathering information. In rural areas, the county sheriffs' department is responsible for law enforcement. Every state, except Hawaii, has a state law enforcement agency. The law enforcement agencies of the federal government are concerned primarily with violations of federal laws, especially violations that cross state boundaries; maintaining homeland security; and preventing domestic terrorism.
Explain the relationship between the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
Since 9/11, the FBI has undergone fundamental changes. The biggest change is that it has shifted its top priority from being a federal police agency to being an intelligence and counterterrorism agency. Although it remains an independent agency in the Justice Department, it will now closely coordinate its antiterrorism activities with the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security.
Discuss the development and growth of private security in the United States.
The private security industry has grown rapidly over the past 30 years for a number of reasons: revenues for public policing have declined (until recently); crimes in the workplace are often private, costly, and embarrassing; employers have better control of private security officers; and fewer constitutional limits restrict private security officers.
