Law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of
The concept of law enforcement dates back to ancient times, and forms of law enforcement and police have existed in various forms across many human societies. Modern state legal codes use the term law enforcement officer or peace officer to include every person vested by the legislating state with police power or authority; traditionally, anyone sworn or badged who can arrest any person for a violation of criminal law is included under the umbrella term of law enforcement.
Although law enforcement may be most concerned with the prevention and punishment of crimes, organizations exist to discourage a wide variety of non-criminal violations of rules and norms, effected through the imposition of less severe consequences such as probation.
History
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Law enforcement organizations existed in ancient times, such as prefects in ancient China, paqūdus in Babylonia, curaca in the Inca Empire, vigiles in the Roman Empire, and Medjay in ancient Egypt. Who law enforcers were and reported to depended on the civilization and often changed over time, but they were typically enslaved people, soldiers, officers of a judge, or hired by settlements and households. Aside from their duties to enforce laws, many ancient law enforcers also served as slave catchers, firefighters, watchmen, city guards, and bodyguards.
By the post-classical period and the Middle Ages, forces such as the Santa Hermandades, the shurta, and the Maréchaussée provided services ranging from law enforcement and personal protection to customs enforcement and waste collection. In England, a complex law enforcement system emerged, where tithings, groups of ten families, were responsible for ensuring good behavior and apprehending criminals; groups of ten tithings ("hundreds") were overseen by a reeve; hundreds were governed by administrative divisions known as shires; and shires were overseen by shire-reeves. In feudal Japan, samurai were responsible for enforcing laws.
The concept of police as the primary law enforcement organization originated in Europe in the early modern period; the first statutory police force was the High Constables of Edinburgh in 1611, while the first organized police force was the Paris lieutenant général de police in 1667. Until the 18th century, law enforcement in England was mostly the responsibility of private citizens and thief-takers, albeit also including constables and watchmen. This system gradually shifted to government control following the 1749 establishment of the London Bow Street Runners, the first formal police force in Britain. In 1800, Napoleon reorganized French law enforcement to form the Paris Police Prefecture; the British government passed the Glasgow Police Act, establishing the City of Glasgow Police; and the Thames River Police was formed in England to combat theft on the River Thames. In September 1829, Robert Peel merged the Bow Street Runners and the Thames River Police to form the Metropolitan Police. The title of the "first modern police force" has still been claimed by the modern successors to these organizations.[3][4]
Following
By the late modern period, improvements in technology, greater global connections, and changes in the sociopolitical order led to the establishment of police forces worldwide. National, regional, and municipal civilian law enforcement agencies exist in practically all countries; to promote their international cooperation, the International Criminal Police Organization, also known as Interpol, was formed in September 1923. Technology has made an immense impact on law enforcement, leading to the development and regular use of police cars, police radio systems, police aviation, police tactical units, and police body cameras
Law enforcement agencies
Most law enforcement is conducted by some
Law enforcement agencies are limited to operating within a specified
Various segments of society may have their own specialist law enforcement agency, such as the military having military police, schools having school police or campus police, or airports having airport police. Private police may exist in some jurisdictions, often to provide dedicated law enforcement for privately-owned property or infrastructure, such as railroad police for private railways or hospital police for privately-owned hospital campuses.
Depending on various factors, such as whether an agency is autonomous or dependent on other organizations for its operations, the governing body that funds and oversees the agency may decide to dissolve or consolidate its operations. Dissolution of an agency may occur when the governing body or the agent itself decides to end operations. This can occur due to multiple reasons, including criminal justice reform,[6] a lack of population in the jurisdiction, mass resignations,[7] efforts to deter corruption, or the governing body contracting with a different agency that renders the original agency redundant or obsolete. According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, agency consolidation can occur to improve efficiency, consolidate resources, or when forming a new type of government.[8]
See also
- Outline of law enforcement – structured list of topics related to law enforcement, organized by subject area
- Law enforcement by country
- Vigilantism
- Criminal law
- Parking enforcement officer
References
- ^ New Law Journal - Volume 123, Part 1 - Page 358, 1974
- ^ "Law Enforcement Code of Ethics". www.theiacp.org. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ "Bicentenaire : theme_expo4". 2008-05-06. Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ Kären M. Hess, Christine Hess Orthmann, Introduction to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (2008), p. 1.
- ^ L., Katherine; Ergan. "The City that Really Did Abolish the Police". Politico. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ Cummings, Brandi (2020-01-24). "Rio Vista dissolving its police department". KCRA. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ "Consolidating Police Services" (PDF). Department of Justice - USA. International Association of Chiefs of Police. 2003-05-01. Retrieved 2022-01-29.