- Evolution
of Policing:
Scholars divide history of policing in Us into 3 eras
- Political Era 1840-1920
- mutually-beneficial ties between
police and politicians. Police jobs for sale, many took bribes.
"The officer on the beat dealt with crime, disorder, and
other problems as they arose.In addition, the police carried
out service functions such as caring for derelicts, operating
soup kitchens, regulating public health, and handling medical
and social emergencies (Cole, 1995)."
- 2 forms of technology: gun and
night stick.
- "Technological advances
for the police included first uses in the late 1870s of the telegraph
and telephone, installation of police call boxes, development
and adoption in the 1880s of the Bertillon system of criminal
identification, and the development and use at the turn of the
century of fingerprinting systems to aid in criminal investigations."
- Professional Model Era (1920
-1970)
- "Influenced by the Progressive
movement, reformers sought to rid government of undesirable influences
and create what they deemed professional police departments.
Such departments sought to stay out of politics, provide good
training and tighter discipline, take advantage of technological
developments, and, most important, emphasize the crime-fighting
role of the police.
- "Technology, according
to criminal justice scholar George F. Cole, 'helped emphasize
discipline, equal enforcement of the law, and centralized decision
making.'"
- Faith in technology. "'The
American urban police have long hoped that technology would enhance
their status as professionals and ease the growing burdens of
policing urban areas,' according to Peter K. Manning, a professor
of criminal justice. 'The most influential early twentieth century
police reformers, August Vollmer, Bruce Smith, Harry Fosdick,
and O.W. Wilson, held high hopes for police work and police management
becoming more scientific.'(Manning, 1992)."
- August Vollmer, Berkeley chief
from 1909 to 1932, was "the leading advocate of police professionalism,"
and a technology proponent. "'Vollmer introduced the first
'lie detector' to be put to practical use... As early as 1922
he inaugurated a single fingerprint classification system and
a simple but effective method of classifying handwriting specimens....
In the 1920s and early 1930s, the Berkeley police laboratory
became the model and training ground for police laboratory technicians
throughout the country (Bailey, 1995).'"
"'We cannot ignore the value of a fully equipped, scientific
police laboratory as an aid in the detection and apprehension
of criminals and the prevention of crime,' he wrote in 1922 (Vollmer,
1997)."
- 1932: FBI laboratory, "which
has come to be 'recognized as the most comprehensive and objective
forensic laboratory in the world.'The lab started
'with a microscope, some ultra-violet light equipment, a drawing
board for firearms identification, and a Packard sedan called
'Old Beulah' for going to crime scenes (Kessler, 1993).'"
- Modern or Community Policing
Era (1970-current)
- 1964, Barry Goldwater made crime
a national issue for first time."The news that the nation's
crime rate doubled between 1940 and 1965, and increased five
times faster than the population from 1958 to 1965, was both
alarming and well-publicized. The rate of increase in 1964 alone
was 13 percent.'" (Caplan, 1973)."
 Johnson
did 2 things:
- appointed the President's Commission
on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, which wrote
a 308-page report, The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society,
with more than 200 recommendations --11 about police technology.
"Viewed as a unit,
these writings [the report and supporting documents] represented
the most comprehensive description and analysis of the
crime problem ever undertaken (Caplan, 1973)."
- began direct and indirect assistance
to state and local law enforcement. "Never before had the
federal government taken on the job of providing massive assistance
to state and local criminal justice agencies."
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Issues in Criminal Justice and Technology