Law Enforcement Introduction The Modern Police Forces

Prior to the formation of the Philadelphia force in 1833, policing primarily consisted of "night watches" and sheriffs recruited from the community (Sabeth). The role of law enforcement was ad hoc in nature to fight crime, night watch patrols, and not an organized or uniform organization. Incidentally, the rural nature of the country did not necessitate an established and robust policing force until the urbanization and industrialization of the 1830s and 1840s. In response to a growing need to maintain law and order on city streets, a significant and visible presence was needed to counter riots and avert crime.

Philadelphia, and later New York, first established polices forces whose jurisdiction and duties were attended twenty-four hours a day (Sabeth). The significance of the modern police force was that it was developed to prevent crime, law enforcement, and maintain...

An individual's connections were directly related to becoming an officer, and allying with the correct political faction resulted in job retention or loss after elections.
Social Control

To live in a community secure enough to facilitate commerce and free from the fear of brutish mobs, it is necessary to accept certain explicit and implicit norms. Instilling the norms of a community initially is set out within the family. Beyond the family, schools and religious organizations are tasked with assimilating more uniform rules and ethics into citizens.

The police enforce a general rule of social control, defined as, "the organized ways in which society responds to behavior and people…