NCJ Number
114586
Journal
Canadian Police College Journal Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: (1988) Pages: 141-174
Date Published
1988
Length
32 pages
Annotation
The history of modern policing rests not so much with the history of social control as with the vision of 19th Century reformers in the context of their laissez-faire assumptions and the dawn of the modern State.
Abstract
Policing has evolved to reflect the political and social environment since its introduction in States dominated by British traditions. Policing in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States shares a common heritage. In the United States, the tension between political expectations of the community or local elected officials and the objectives and costs of police programs was influenced by the unique strengths of Jacksonian democracy. Legal controls placed limits on police actions insofar as they affect individuals, but they were external controls. Police have had to rely on the functional reforms of the 1830's to protect themselves from politics. In Canada and the United Kingdom, political power also shifted to the individual; but remained under elite control. Ruler-appointed police provided services to the community, but were not a part of the community. These three Nations share a common emphasis on the rule of law, and the police mandate reflects values of freedom, individual rights, and private property. In Canada and the United Kingdom, police managers today are challenged to adapt services to a pluralistic society; while in the United States police managers are more closely linked to politics and do not enjoy the same legal and structural protections. Policing within the legal framework of the modern State can draw on earlier eras to meet the challenges of diversity in urban communities. Police must steer a cautious course between insulated, impartial police service and broader visions of community policing to ensure arbitrary power is controlled by law, while diversity is acknowledged in the community. 42 references.