The Evolution of Law Enforcement - Research Paper

Introduction

Law enforcement is commonly provided by the police who are often present in our lives to issue protection, prevent crime, enforce laws and maintain order. The form of ruling that the police take today has origin from the past where it took 400 years to perfect. For example, the US police were at its infancy however the enforcement in Europe has been in existence in specific form since 3000 BC. The paper describes the history of law enforcement and the ways it took to perfect for hundreds of years.

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The word police have a Greek ancient and the first organization for policing started in 300 BC in Egypt (Davis, Pierce, & Dasgupta, 2014). The pharaohs were responsible for appointing an official who was assigned with the duty to enforce justice and oversee security for every jurisdiction. Ancient Greece had the police comprising of the Scythian slaves, and the ancient Rome had the practice of recruiting those with criminal past to part of the police force.

In 1285, the Winchester statute declared law enforcement a social responsibility where every person who witnessed a disorder was expected to report otherwise was prosecuted (DeLord & York, 2017). In 1631 Bolton was recorded to be the first city in the US to create a night watch, and in the late 19th century vigilantes were common in several US cities. Their duty was to enforce order in places where there was none.

Initially, there was no confidence in the police with a fear of the police acting like the military. Public confidence in the police only developed in the 20th century. The FBI was started in 1924 which changed the image of the traditional police (Lianos, Cheng, & Sokol, 2013). During the middle of the 20th century, the right of a suspect to have an attorney was introduced (Nesossi, 2014). The police were also expected to meet higher standards through training before they could join the police force. During the 1980s community policing was introduced and it was necessary for assisting the police in consultation and decrease grievances between the police and the public (Trebilcock, 2016). By 2000s almost three-quarters of all the local police departments had a plan entailing the community policing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, law enforcement started as a social responsibility and the police recruited from the Roman army were not expected to have any qualifications. Later the law changed where the police applied a community policing policy that encouraged the collaboration between the community and the police. Therefore the evolution of law enforcement began in the 300 BC and had gone through numerous changes in over 400 years to the modern day enforcement that applies the use of technology in maintaining order.

References

Davis, C. S., Pierce, M., & Dasgupta, N. (2014). Evolution and Convergence of State Laws Governing Controlled Substance Prescription Monitoring Programs, 1998-2011. American Journal of Public Health, 104(8), 1389-1395. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301923

DeLord, R., & York, R. (2017). Law Enforcement, Police Unions, and the Future : Educating Police Management and Unions About the Challenges Ahead. Springfield, Ill: Charles C Thomas. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1450804&site=ehost-live

Lianos, I., Cheng, T. K., & Sokol, D. D. (2013). Competition Law and Development. Stanford, California: Stanford Law Books. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=713354&site=ehost-live

Nesossi, E. (2014). The Evolution of Law Reform in China: An Uncertain Path. China Journal, (71), 201-204. https://doi.org/10.1086/674616

Trebilcock, M. (2016). Between Universalism and Relativism: Reflections on the Evolution of Law and Development Studies. University of Toronto Law Journal, 66(3), 330-352. https://doi.org/10.3138/UTLJ.3622