The History of Policing

The early origins of law enforcement as a model of service. Police were involved in social service activities: they ran soup kitchens, provided lodging for indigents, and spurred moral reform movements against cigarettes and alcohol. Of course, early law enforcement personnel were also involved in social control and employed utilitarian violence - that is, they acted as the force for power holders in society and were union busters and political-machine enforcers.

Today, preventive policing, problem-solving policing, predictive policing, and intelligence-led policing exist in a confused mix of approaches and terminology. Police play a major role in our society. The history of policing provides context for ongoing enhancement of law enforcement in America.