Police history

[MaryL]

Liberals and the BLM say police where was founded on slave bounty hunters. Um, no yet another myth. Just another way to minimize the huge black crime rate...no, police, the constabulary existed apart from slave chasers and where founded to stop murderers, robbers and other bad people. The term "cops" came from NY law enforcement given copper badges. Read the original book, "Gangs of New York"

 

[Pellinore]

It's true, a lot of people over-emphasize the role of slave patrols in modern US police forces. When we upgraded from citizen patrols to professional police forces, we mostly modeled ourselves on Europeans doing the same thing. That said, when slavery ended in the 1860s, all of those former slave patrol guys had to get jobs somewhere, and many ended up with the police. So, there was influence, but I wouldn't say it was a straight line from A to B.

I saw the movie, but haven't read the book. It's good, is it?

 

[MaryL]

It's true, a lot of people over-emphasize the role of slave patrols in modern US police forces. When we upgraded from citizen patrols to professional police forces, we mostly modeled ourselves on Europeans doing the same thing. That said, when slavery ended in the 1860s, all of those former slave patrol guys had to get jobs somewhere, and many ended up with the police. So, there was influence, but I wouldn't say it was a straight line from A to B.

I saw the movie, but haven't read the book. It's good, is it?

I read the book long before the movie. It's a very good, and I strongly recommend it. However, it has very little with the movie of the same name. The police or the Fire department in the 1800's NY weren't noting like they are NOW.

 

[Pellinore]

It's true, a lot of people over-emphasize the role of slave patrols in modern US police forces. When we upgraded from citizen patrols to professional police forces, we mostly modeled ourselves on Europeans doing the same thing. That said, when slavery ended in the 1860s, all of those former slave patrol guys had to get jobs somewhere, and many ended up with the police. So, there was influence, but I wouldn't say it was a straight line from A to B.

I saw the movie, but haven't read the book. It's good, is it?

I read the book long before the movie. It's a very good, and I strongly recommend it. However, it has very little with the movie of the same name. The police or the Fire department in the 1800's NY weren't noting like they are NOW.

They really weren't! Fire companies especially used to be actual companies; you paid for their service and they gave you a cast iron or bronze plaque to affix to the front of your house. (You still see them for sale sometimes at antique stores or estate sales.) When your place caught fire, they would all respond, and if you didn't have a plaque, they literally watched as your whole life burned to ashes. I use the fire department now as an example of an industry that used to run by capitalist ideals, that now runs by socialist ones, even in our capitalistic society.

 

[fncceo]

In fact, modern policing began in 1829 with the establishment of a professional police force by Sir Robert Peel in London. Peel's principles of policing are still in use today. The term "cop" in English means to capture. That is the origin of the word as applied to police.

 

[whitehall]

The democrat party was founded under principals dedicated to slavery. The Police are not an independent authority. They work towards the aims of the political party in charge.

 

[freyasman]

In fact, modern policing began in 1829 with the establishment of a professional police force by Sir Robert Peel in London. Peel's principles of policing are still in use today. The term "cop" in English means to capture. That is the origin of the word as applied to police.

I was going to mention Peel, but you beat me to it.

 

[fncceo]

Sir Robert Peel's Nine Principles of Policing

The nine principles were as follows:

1. To prevent crime and disorder, as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment.
2. To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfill their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.
3. To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.
4. To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.
5. To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
6. To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation to an extent necessary to secure observance of law or to restore order, and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.
7. To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.
8. To recognise always the need for strict adherence to police-executive functions, and to refrain from even seeming to usurp the powers of the judiciary of avenging individuals or the State, and of authoritatively judging guilt and punishing the guilty.
9. To recognise always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.