Ancillary businesses that supported railroads, mining and other industries florished as they supported growing western communities. Over time the majority of the inhabitants of these cities desired to establish a set of rules or laws to live by. Mobility and innovation made crime more difficult to detect. Mobility encouraged crimes involving trust, such as seduction, fraud and violent crimes. Enabled by an incentive to start anew elsewhere many bolted after their crimes. The ease of moving brought an explosion of swindles in this mobile friendly society. As a result, the drive to professionalize police forces grew. This fluid situation is why law enforcement was such a difficult undertaking. Compounded by a lack of a qualified professional
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The frontier sheriff’s responsibilities seem overwhelming, in addition to serving as the chief law enforcement officer for the county with all of its various duties, the sheriff was responsible for conducting the U.S. census, overseeing county road building efforts, overseeing public health, administering juvenile justice, taking part in custody issues, offering domestic counseling, as well as performing the occasional odd jobs that needed attention in maintaining the jail, courthouse, and other properties that were under the sheriffs jurisdiction.” Larry Ball author of Desert Lawman sums up these duties and refers to the sheriff as a “handyman. (need source) To further complicate matters, lawmen frequently held multiple positions in the varying strata of government. This issue perhaps confused some. but for the most part, those in the West knew who the law was. Despite the numerous titles, the absence of a large and established law enforcement authority in the western territories contributed to the rise of violence in the …show more content…
One example is the establishment of the Texas Rangers, the first territorial police agency established in the United States. Originally, the Rangers were a corps of fighters who fought in the Texas revolution against Mexico. Later, the Rangers evolved into a law enforcement agency. Initially their primary mission was to protect the Texas frontier from marauding Indians and Mexicans. Led by men like Jack Hays, Rip Ford, Lee Hall, Leander McNelly and John B. Jones and others, these men helped mold the tradition that encapsulated the ideals of a
The frontier sheriff’s responsibilities seem overwhelming, in addition to serving as the chief law enforcement officer for the county with all of its various duties, the sheriff was responsible for conducting the U.S. census, overseeing county road building efforts, overseeing public health, administering juvenile justice, taking part in custody issues, offering domestic counseling, as well as performing the occasional odd jobs that needed attention in maintaining the jail, courthouse, and other properties that were under the sheriffs jurisdiction.” Larry Ball author of Desert Lawman sums up these duties and refers to the sheriff as a “handyman. (need source) To further complicate matters, lawmen frequently held multiple positions in the varying strata of government. This issue perhaps confused some. but for the most part, those in the West knew who the law was. Despite the numerous titles, the absence of a large and established law enforcement authority in the western territories contributed to the rise of violence in the …show more content…
One example is the establishment of the Texas Rangers, the first territorial police agency established in the United States. Originally, the Rangers were a corps of fighters who fought in the Texas revolution against Mexico. Later, the Rangers evolved into a law enforcement agency. Initially their primary mission was to protect the Texas frontier from marauding Indians and Mexicans. Led by men like Jack Hays, Rip Ford, Lee Hall, Leander McNelly and John B. Jones and others, these men helped mold the tradition that encapsulated the ideals of a