Chapter 4: Police History, Structure and Function

Question 1

Four Main Purposes of Police

Answer 1

1. Uphold the law
2. Pursue and bring to justice those who break the law
3. Prevent crime
4. Maintain the peace

Question 2

The Mutual Pledge System - United Kingdom - 870 - 900 A.D.

Answer 2

• One of the first Western systems of law enforcement
• Organized system of self-responsibility
• Citizens pledged to protect their neighbors
• Every man was responsible for the conduct of every other man

Question 3

Tithing

Answer 3

Towns and villages organized into family groups consisting of 10 families, referred to as a tithing

Question 4

“The Hundred”

Answer 4

Group of 10 tithings

Question 5

Constable

Answer 5

• For each “hundred” there was one constable
• Constable in charge of any weaponry or specialized equipment for his “hundred”
• Appointed by local noblemen

Question 6

Sheriff

Answer 6

Derived from the word “shire reeve.”

Question 7

The Watch and Ward

Answer 7

• Comprised of “officers” (unpaid volunteers)
• Guard town gates at night
• Anyone who wanted to get in would have to give identification and state their business.
• If any crime suspects were apprehended they were turned over to the local constable

Question 8

Gin Craze

Answer 8

• Increase in crime
• Believed that mass manufacture and consumption of gin provoked a more organized effort toward establishing a formal, public policing agency

Question 9

Henry Fielding

Answer 9

• In 1748 Magistrate Henry Fielding organized the watch and the ward system into a private agency
• His men patrolled the streets of London and highways on horseback to protect travelers
• His men were referred to as “The Bow Street Runners”

Question 10

Sir Robert Peel

Answer 10

• 1829
• Introduced Metropolitan Police Act which was passed by Parliament
• Act called for an organized police force guided by military principles

Question 11

3 Main Problems with Early Policing

Answer 11

1. Low pay
2. Disrespect
3. Ineffectiveness

Question 12

3 Causes of the Problems with Early Policing

Answer 12

1. The military model is not suited for police work
2. Police have the contradictory task of protecting and arresting their employers = the public
3. Police forces were often used as sources of political patronage and control

Question 13

3 Major Innovations in Early Policing

Answer 13

1. Telephone
2. Patrol car
3. Two way radio

Question 14

3 Levels of Policing

Answer 14

1. Local
2. State
3. Federal

Question 15

Numbers to be aware of

Answer 15

• At the local level (towns, cities, counties) there are approximately 18,000 police departments in the U.S. employing about 900,000 officers
• 50% of all police departments have 12 or fewer sworn police officers
• 75% of all police departments have 25 or fewer sworn police officers

Question 16

Types of Local Law Enforcement Agencies

Answer 16

1. Campus police
2. City / county agencies
3. Constables
4. Coroners / medical examiners
5. Housing authority police
6. Marine patrol units
7. Municipal police departments
8. Sheriff’s departments
9. Transit police
10. Tribal police

Question 17

Role within police agencies

Answer 17

• Role within police agencies, no matter what size fall into at least two categories
• Line operations = daily police work, other field services and field supervision
• Staff operations = includes support roles and administrative operations

Question 18

Police Selection Process Steps

Answer 18

• Written exam
• Physical agility test
• Drug screen
• Oral interview
• Background check
• Polygraph
• Full medical examination

Question 19

Characteristics for Good Police Work

Answer 19

1. Attentiveness
2. Reliability
3. Responsiveness
4. Competence
5. Manners
6. Fairness
7. Integrity

Question 20

State Police Agencies

Answer 20

• State law enforcement agencies follow two models: centralized and de-centralized

Question 21

Things Centralized State Police Agencies Do

Answer 21

1. Assist local / municipal law enforcement agencies
2. Operate and maintain a centralized identification bureau
3. Operate and maintain a centralized criminal records repository
4. Patrol state highways
5. Offer current in-service training opportunities

Question 22

Types of State Policing Agencies

Answer 22

1. Alcohol law enforcement agencies
2. Fish and wildlife agencies
3. Highway patrol
4. Port authorities
5. State Bureaus of Investigation
6. State Park Services
7. State police
8. State university police
9. Weigh station operations

Question 23

Federal Agencies with Uniformed Divisions

Answer 23

FBI
Secret Service
Bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms
Federal protective services
Customs and Border Patrol
National Security Agency
U.S. Park Police
Department of Defense
U.S. Marshals
Amtrack Police
U.S. Mint Police
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Question 24

U.S. Government Institutions with Uniformed Divisions

Answer 24

U.S. Capitol Police
Federal Bureau of Prisons Police
Smithsonian Police
U.S. Supreme Court Police
Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police
U.S. Pentagon Police

Question 25

What modern day drug would compare to gin as contributing to a rising crime rate as it did back in London in the 1700s?

Answer 25

Crack cocaine

Question 26

Match the modern criminal justice/policing concept with it’s Peelian Principle

Answer 26

Crime Prevention - Principles 1 and 9
Due Process - Principle 8
Civilian Oversight - Principle 2
Community Policing - Principle 3, 5 and 7
Use of Force Continuum - Principles 4 and 6

Question 27

What was the nickname given to the first police officers in London?

Answer 27

Bobbies, Peelers and New Police

Question 28

What was the reason many of the first, original London police were dismissed within 10 years of their appointment?

Answer 28

Being drunk on duty

Question 29

What is the name of the effect described when American policy is aimed overseas and then returns back to the United States?

Answer 29

Boomerang effect