The political era of policing was between 1837 and 1910. Some of the main characteristic of the political era was that officers were hired and fired by the politicians within their areas. The officers’ were very loyal to the politicians that hired them. During election years, police officers would encourage the citizens to vote for the politician they supported so they could stay in office and the officer could keep their job. Hiring standards during the political era were nonexistent. If there was a change in the political structure of the city, an entire police department could be removed from the chief down and a whole new set of police officers would be hired. During this time, police chiefs were also hired and fired by the local
