Although many people may think that Law and Order has been around since early civilizations, the police style that we know and see today in our societies did not become present until the rise of the Industrial Age. Before the Industrial Age the main use of the police was to maintain control over runaway slaves. With slavery abolished, policemen needed to find new identity to remain a factor in the community. As the sudden advancement of technology brought many benefits to the United States, it could also become a danger. Misuse and a lack of attention could cause the new innovations of the world to cause major chaos among the society. Just like the world around out the Police was in desperate need for changes and new leaders to help revamp the protectors of the people.
With the new developments in the field of technology work in the Industrial Age became more sedentary. Many workers were let of at 5, giving the citizens and early escape from the jail of a work day. This allowed more people to go home and enjoy leisure time. My father has always told me the more time I have on my hands, the more trouble I can get myself into. This was the case in this time of advancement and prosperity. Public disorder,
drunkenness, and prostitution became popular offenses in this time period. The average number of arrests because of these offenses per officer was around
30 a year. Without the hard days of labor constantly shoved in the faces of the American citizens there was not much to do. Therefore mischief was a popular activity at the time.
 |
| A scene of Bootlegging. A common crime in the Industrial Age. |
With the popularity of alcohol and a rise in wealth and free time, many saw the opportunity to abuse the system. Bootlegging became the center spotlight of crime and was taken up by many of the mobsters. As many mobsters tried to control the entire
gambling. As the mobsters began to overwhelm the crime in cities, the police had to come up with a strategy to counter the acts that were beginning to corrupt this prosperous period of time. Special squads were created to focus on fighting these specific crimes. They were called vice squads(Policing in America). The were a specialized squad and helped take down the mobsters, like Al Capone. These squads were eventually aided by the ban of all alcohol in 1920.
distribution of alcohol in a city, it led to many other doors such as narcotics, prostitution, and
 |
| A replica of what a 1919 police car looked like. |
With almost any topic you can think of, there is always one person whose contributions can be noted as the most influential. For police innovation August Vollmer, the Chief of Police from Berkley California, was the guy. He renovated almost all aspects of police work, and made Law and Order as efficient as the machines which were being created at the time. With the rise in automobiles there was a need for a traffic system to help keep roads and drivers safe and functioning, and to help enforce drivers from abusing their vehicles. In 1915 police began to use motorcycles to help chase down
speeders. He created the first system of traffic systems, and helped utilize them in the community(Policing in America). He also was the first equip piece vehicles with radios, which helped patrol cars and cycles to be more efficient with their duties. He worked in one of the first crime labs, and was president of the Association of Police Chiefs. This was soon to be called the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1908, to help fight against drug, sex, and alcohol trafficking. His contributions to police work were more than helpful to the progression of police work.
As the technology in the industrial age progres
sed, the use of machines not only helped the major tycoons, but also the police. Henry Faulds created the method of fingerprinting, which still to this day is a weapon of law and order(Policing in America). This machine allowed the policemen to now investigate crime scenes, and still have a chance of catching the criminal. Before this the only possible way for an arrest to be mad and justice to be served was if there was a witness present.
 |
| Secret Service in 1905 |
In the time period of 1880-1920 many specialized groups of men were created to protect the government, and the people off the US. The Secret Service was founded to help protect the government against counterfeit and fraud. In 1902 they were reassigned to serve and protect the president(Policing in America). A special group of policemen were chosen to investigate railroad crimes and robberies, as the railroad industry boomed during this period of time. The railroads were and easy target, and were a necessary asset to the economy at the time.
The Industrial Age came with many changes to the economy, cities, and social lives of the citizens with Untied States. As they changed, the police did too. It is human nature to find solutions and adapt to new environments. It is to no surprise that the men in blue changed with their society, as they continue to do today to help protect and serve the people of this country.
Citations:
Britannica
Public Service Photo Collection
History of Policing in America
Bartollas, Clemens, and Larry D. Hahn. Policing in America. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. Print.
Police in the Early 20th Century
LAPD 1900-1925
No comments:
Post a Comment