American Law Enforcement - A History

• NCJ Number: 79230
• Author(s): D R Johnson
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 208 pages
• Sale Source: Forum Press
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Patterns of American law enforcement are traced from the colonial period to modern times.

Abstract

One of the major themes developed is the importance to law enforcement structures of the political framework in which they develop. America's particular brand of local self-government has given ordinary citizens and politicians considerable influence in determining the form and priorities of law enforcement. The need to respond to the diverse and often conflicting demands of various constituencies has also given American policing a unique character which affects its efficiency as well as its reputation. An understanding of how the theory and practice of politics has influenced the nature, successes, and problems of law enforcement is essential to a realistic view of past and present policing patterns. Police reform is a second major theme in the presentation. Improvement of police performance has been a constant concern of many citizens since the mid-nineteenth century. Part of the general reform effort has been the development of ever more sophisticated Federal law enforcement practices, as manifested in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. One consequence of this trend has been a reduction of confidence in the effectiveness of local policing, however. Understanding of the intentions and consequences of the major reform movements in this country is vital to understanding of the achievements and limitations of contemporary law enforcement. Historical trends in the nature and extent of crime form the third theme of the book. Particular attention is given to the varieties of criminal behavior in the 19th century and the development of organized crime in the 20th century. Although crime trends and criminal behavior are generally responses to broad social and economic developments, police control of crime does tend to mirror the priorities given to the control of prevalent forms of crime. Suggested readings accompany each chapter, and an index is provided. (Author summary modified)