Police Professionalism In The Reform Era

During the political era police were tied mainly to dominate political groups and often consulted with local politicians on police priorities and progress. This meant they were likely recruited from similar ethnic backgrounds and lived in areas of specific dominate political parties. This changed in the reform era. This era called for police to be impartial law enforcers that related to citizen professionally neutral and distant terms. During the reform era police where linked to their citizens. Citizen expected to passive recipient of crime control. That meant they should call police when crime occurred, deferring to police action, and be a good witness. Lastly during the community era police relied on a close relationship with the community. …show more content…
The police were guided by the law for what tasks they undertook but were so tired up in local politics they were considered to be part of the political machine. In the Reform era they moved to end close ties with local governments. These ties were replaces with law and police professionalism for the basis of police legitimacy. The community era also drives its legitimacy from law. However, the last era focuses on public relation rather than an isolated approach for being legitimate. Over the time Police organization have relied on law for legitimacy. However, in each era the law has served a different purpose in determining the actions of police organizations based on the demand of the …show more content…
Slave patrols hinged on the fact that white considered black to be dangerous. Second the laws which the slave a patrols operated under treated free blacks as if they were run away. Slave patrols presumed ever black person was slave unless they could prove differently. These action sound like similar situation police organization find them self-facing today with communities wanting to be separate from minority areas because of fear of increased crime. Along with being stop for what some people believe is a result of the color of their skin. These racial bias behaviors have a history routed in many southern areas which over times has cause many people from the African American community to distrust police.

Most research is focused on northern metropolitan transition to modern policing. It shows the historical development of policing in the south. Slave patrols had citizens doing patrols for pay or reward, had a defined area of patrolling, and work only on enforcing colonial and American laws. All of this was happening in the South. While most of the research focuses on northern evolution to policing the south was facing the same evolution. So rather than have the south be considered a formal style of policing from its original informal practices reading about slave patrols provides the transition between the