America's Police System: A Historical Analysis

I was very unfamiliar with the establishment and structure of the early forms of a police forces and they way evolved into the police force that is seen today prior to reading these two chapters. Although it did not change the way I currently view policing in our society, I have learned that the way policing is carried out today is much different that the way it was carried out even a century ago. Rome for example, used a militarized Praetorian Guard hundred men to protect the emperor and the city (Dunstan, 2010; Nippel 1995). Later in Rome, Augustus added vigiles to be firefighters and night watchers that is seen later in night watches of early English and American police history (Nippel, 1995; Gardiner, 2017). It is very fascinating to me that the early policing in society were either part of the military or unpaid individuals who are selected to serve. …show more content…
Unlike today, the early police system was not used to prevent crime and apprehend criminals, but rather used for political purposes from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century (Gardiner, 2017). However, these early police officers that first arose in large cities became the first full time salaried armed police force to patrol the cities (Gardiner, 2017). I knew that these early police forces were started from cities, but I never knew that in the southern states that there was a police force just to protect white people from slaves. I have thought that plantation owners either kept their slaves at bay, or hired private personnel to oversee the plantations for