POLICE

DO NOWBrainstorm-

What does the job of a police officer entail? List all of the professional responsibilities you can think of.

POLICE HISTORYWritten law has been discovered in civilizations that existed as long as 5,000 years ago

IN ENGLAND…Early English history dictated that each had the duty to “defend king and country” from foreign invaders and local law-breakers

REWARD!

AS ENGLISH TOWNS LARGER…• An organized police force became necessary

• Forces were originally made up of volunteers that took turns acting as Constable

• Constables- needed to rely heavily on the aid of citizens

TOWNS GREW TO SHIRES…• Towns grouped into counties or Shires

• Each Shire had a Shire Reeve or Sheriff

• Sheriff- Tasked at getting citizens to enforce laws properly

AS CITIES GREW…• Beginning in the 1300’s cities organized volunteer groups to protect the streets at night called

the ‘Night Watch’

• Night Watch was eventually adopted in the US

CITY POLICE FORCES IN THE US• From colonial times to the 1800’s citizen volunteers enforced the laws.

• American Night Watchmen used noise makers and rattles to scare away criminals.

• Shook in their boots

FIRST PAID FORCE• 1829 organized by Sir Robert Peele

• Peelers/Bobbies were paid to patrol the streets of London

BOSTON POLICE• 1839

• Boston hires the first round the clock paid police force

NYC• 1844

• New York establishes their first professional police force

THE REST FOLLOW SUIT…• By 1877 most US cities had professional police forces modeled after the Boston and NYC

forces.

IN THE COUNTRY…• Unlike the cities, rural communities in the US followed more closely the Shire-Reeve

system with entire counties being protected by a Sheriff’s agency.

WILD WILD WEST!• Texas Rangers become the first state police

force

• Later other states followed this model

• Today- highway patrol, bureaus of narcotics, fish and game departments, civil defense bureaus, etc

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Treasury Department

• IRS

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

• Immigration and Customs (ICE)

• Coast Guard

• Secret Service (protects president and investigates counterfeiting)

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE • Headed by the Attorney General

• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

THE JOB OF A POLICE OFFICER…• Settle Disputes

• Monitor public protests

• Control traffic

• Respond to medical emergencies

• Social work

• Meet with community members

THE TROUBLES FACING POLICE OFFICERS…• Increase in availability of weapons

• Critical news media

• Critical general public

• Budgetary issues

YOUR TASK…• Research the history of police in any of the countries listed below.

• Give a summary of their history

• Detail ways they are similar to US police forces and ways they are different

• THIS WILL BE HOMEWORK!!! AND WILL COUNT AS A QUIZ GRADE!!