The Change of Policing in The United States as a Whole (Essay Sample)

The Change of Policing in The United States as a Whole Name Institution Affiliation Course Professor Date The Change of Policing in Newark, New Jersy, Baltimore City, and Its Surrounding Cities, and The United States as a Whole Policing in the United States has realized significant developments from early colonial policing to the modern police forces. For decades, this sensitive administrative section has been subjected to positive commendation and criticism in equal measure. The diverse views have reflected the complex interplay of the historical, social, and political factors that influence law enforcement in the country. However, recent decades have witnessed a significant increase in concerns about the wrong administration means and injustices linked to the police departments across the country. This awakening can be linked to increased awareness of people's rights and increased activism towards creating equality in the criminal justice system. As a result, various parts of the country, such as Newark, New Jersey, Baltimore City, and other surrounding Cities in America, have been forced to implement new police reforms towards reducing resistance, minimizing crime, and promoting enhancing criminal justice system operations. Early Colonial Policing in the U.S United States policing in the early colonial period was informal and communal. Also known as 'The Big Stick,' the system comprised community volunteers with the primary duty of warning the citizens about approaching danger. Various parts, such as New Jersey, Newark, Boston, and New York, created a night watch that was tasked with ensuring the residents' security (Balto & Felker-Kantor, 2022). However, the service of these watchmen proved ineffective in many parts of the country as they developed the behavior of sleeping or drinking on duty. Many of these watchmen were military service evaders forced into the service by their towns or performing the duties as a form of punishment. The Emergence of Centralized Municipal Police Department There was an effective continuation of the informal policing modalities after the American Revolution. However, these challenges led to the emergence of the idea of a centralized municipal police department in the country in the 1830s. Boston becomes the first city in America to establish an American police force (Salimbene, 2021). Other cities such as New York, Baltimore, Newark, and New Orleans later followed the trend. By the 1880s, there was a municipal police force in all major U.S. cities. The modern police organizations had common features, such as police working as full-time employees instead of community volunteers and having departments with permanent and fixed rules and procedures. The departments were also answerable to a central government and authority.  The Nature of 'Modern Police' Operations in Different Cities in America The emergence of municipal police departments in many parts of the country was necessitated by various reasons that shaped police operations during the time. For instance, local, centralized, bureaucratic police forces were required for the control of the operations of the growing cities (Balto & Felker-Kantor, 2022). The rapid urbanization led to the inadequacy of the old informal watch police system in controlling disorder. Moreover, the system was required for the regulation of the violence directed at immigrants and African Americans, particularly by the white youth.  At first, the new system was seen as effective in responding to the major issue of disorder that led to its establishment. Moreover, the new bureaucratic policing institutions supported the control of mercantile interests through taxes and policy influence, which was a key objective for the cities of 19th-century America. The economic interests during the time were also more aligned with social control than crime control, which facilitated the thriving of the new municipal police department system. Issues of the Modern Police Forces However, in the following centuries, major concerns were realized about the operations of police departments in various municipal areas such as New York, Newark, Baltimore, New Orleans, and New Jersey. For instance, these police departments become dens of notorious corruption and flagrant brutality (PBS., 2023). These activities were driven by the fact that local politicians controlled the police. Tasked with the duty to appoint the police executive in charge of the ward leader's neighborhood, many leaders of the local political parties used the opportunity to impose control over their appointees. The political leaders also used their popularity and power to influence neighborhood youth gangs to intimidate opponents, as they had the police in their pockets. Through this system, the police departments were forced to become dens of corruption as a way of maintaining loyalty to their superiors.  The police in major neighborhoods such as Newark, New York, and Baltimore dropped their duty to serve and protect the people. In contrast, they started imposing injustices on the locals. In Newark, cases of high-profile police misconduct were captured on video and spread through social media (PBS., 2023). Such cases include the employment of excessive force and racial profiling. As a result, the citizens' trust in the police was eroded, leading to a lack of coordination between the public and the force.  Systemic racism and discriminatory practices were also realized in Baltimore and New Jersey. For instance, the police were recorded engaging in unconstitutional policing by denying the marginalized groups their right to peacefully demonstrate against the injustices imposed on them. In these incidents, the police were recorded infringing on the locals' civil liberties based on historical or social status. As a result, the rift between the community and law enforcement agencies deepened.  Across the country, there were concerns about aggressive policing tactics. Other people also pointed to the militarization of America's police forces, leading to the perception that the police focused more on control than community service (PBS., 2023). In the different areas where the police uncontrollably used military equipment and strategies, an adversarial atmosphere was created instead of the intended cooperation.  Reforms In Current Policing Operations With time, persistence in concerns about the negative aspects of the municipal policing police department system led to the implementation of different reforms for enhancing policing across the country. These measures were aimed at rebuilding the trust between the police forces and the community and improving the delivery of criminal justice system services by the police (Mays & Ruddell, 2019). For instance, major cities, including New Jersey, New York, Newark, Baltimore, and their surrounding neighborhoods, have developed formal training for their police officers. The police in these departments no longer rely on veteran officers for the training of their jobs. These training programs were developed as a recognition of the necessity of contemporary and comprehensive education for law enforcement professionals. The transition also signified a movement from dependence on veteran officers' experience to a more standardized and current curriculum. The training has also been able to equip the country's police force with a broader skill set and more comprehensive knowledge about their roles. These programs have helped the departments improve their service delivery through de-escalation techniques and cultural sensitivity. Cities such as New York and Baltimore have become popular for their address of corruption ...