Читать книгу Police in America - Steven G. Brandl - Страница 55

As noted, the Industrial Revolution, the creation of large cities, and the abolishment of slavery set the stage for the creation of the formal police departments in America. The first police departments were created by combining the night watch with the day watch. In the South, the former slave patrols became the core of the new police departments. Although the dates are difficult to precisely pinpoint, Boston created its police department around 1838, New York City around 1845, Chicago around 1851, and New Orleans around 1857.¹⁵

The mid-1800s to the early 1900s is known as the political era of American policing.¹⁶ As its label suggests, policing at the time was all about politics. Politicians, especially the mayor, controlled everything related to policing, including who got hired, who got fired, and what policemen did while they were on the job. There was little or no training. There were virtually no selection standards except for political party affiliation and connections. As politicians moved in and out of office, so did policemen and police chiefs. For example, in Hartford, Connecticut, the process went like this: Democrats and Republicans each created lists of their fellow party members that were deemed suitable as policemen. Democrats then crossed names off of the Republicans’ list and vice versa. From there, the policemen were selected. The chief of the department was usually directly appointed by the mayor and was of the same political party as the mayor. Police officers were generally also of the same political affiliation as the mayor.¹⁷

political era: The period from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s during which policing was heavily influenced by politics.