THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

The purpose of this research paper is to identify the police and their role in communities, as well as the state and federal level (albeit particular emphasis will be on the community level), throughout American’s past, their present, and future projections. Essentially, the police are government agents charged with maintaining order and protecting persons from unlawful acts. In most modern democratic societies, the police provide a variety of services to the public, including: law enforcement (the detention of crime and the apprehension and arrest of criminal), the prevent of crime (preventive patrol), and the maintenance of order (resolution of disputes, among other tasks). In the United States, and in many other countries around the world, the police are the largest and most visible component of the criminal justice system. Most societies have had some kind of law enforcement agencies. In the English speaking world, and beyond, police practices are based on English models. Beginning in colonial days, Americans have adopted the English criminal justice system, particularly the law enforcement pattern. During the 17th and 1...