Police Recruiting
Just like every other institution in the country, American policing system went through a long period of evolution to finally achieve the shape that it has today. And similar to other laws and institutions in America, even police recruitment methods were heavily borrowed from Britain. In the 19th century or at least for most part of it, American police was shaped after the British policing laws (O'Keefe, 2004). However the one important difference lied in the separation of national and local police bodies. Since in most western countries, police was under the direct control of the national government, it was easier to manage them from one central location and their development was also almost simultaneous. However that was not the case in the United States where every county and state had its own local police department, which is why development of sporadic and departments were created at different times according to the needs of the local communities. The early police did not have a proper recruitment system. In the 19th century, American police consisted mainly of a night watchman who would patrol the streets at night and a constable who did the same during the day. Since there did not exist a recruitment system or policy, m
Things have changed dramatically now. New York Police Department is considered one of the finest law enforcement units in the country. It has a transparent recruitment policy and almost everyone who meets the criteria can apply and join the police force today. Wilbur Miller also notes that in the 19th century when NYPD was still in its infancy, it was under the direct and heavy influence of the elite in the society. It was important in those days to please the middle and upper classes since community's support was considered vital for survival and jobs were given to those who were popular in the neighborhood. People were recruited if they had the support and approval of the middle and upper classes in the society. Political connections almost always played an important role in the recruitment procedure. This was the case not only in New York but in almost every state in the country. In fact corruption was so widespread and since police could serve as a vital instrument, politicians in 1859 actually called for uniting the local police under the direct control of the mayors. In New Orleans for example, the mayor asked for reorganization of forces under his office. The mayor wanted to influence appointments which can be read between the lines from his request: Sheriff system was also adopted from Britain and this system still prevails in the country. In early days of police history in the US, Sheriffs were recruited from the local communities. These were individuals who enjoyed influence and a 'reputation' in the neighborhood. Eth
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Approximate Word count = 1038
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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