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To understand the functions, operations, and training of police within a democracy, it is important to recognize, first and foremost, that they are a microcosm of society; that is, they are a product of, as well as an integral component of, the communities they serve. This was perhaps best stated by Peel in 1829 when he suggested that the police are the public and the public are the police. Explained otherwise, Swanson, Territo, and Taylor (2001) pointed out that “as a profoundly significant social institution, policing is subject to, and continuously shaped by, a multitude of forces at work in our larger society”; thus, the history of American policing “cannot be understood properly if it is examined alone,” rather, it can best be understood in the context of America's growth and development (p. 1). Given the parallel between the police and society at-large, it is important to observe that their response to the changing needs and interests of society has traditionally been in a reactive mode; that is, rather than keeping up with, or proactively anticipating, the changing needs and demands of the community, they have historically lagged behind (Miller & Hess, 2005). As Brandl and Barlow (2004) pointed out, “Social institutions, such as the police, are human constructions that form and develop in relation to various political, economic, and social forces” (p. 1). Certainly, today's police cannot be abstracted from their past. On the contrary, their current standing within society has been forged over a long period of time, and this speaks to how and why they exist today. Any attempt, therefore, “to describe the police and their function must begin with an analysis of their historical development”—which the following synopsis attempts to do (Brandl & Barlow, p. 1).
Historical Development of America's Police
As with most historical accounts, it is important to acknowledge problems that relate to the writer's personal perspective and interpretation (Purpura, 2001). Indeed, in tracing the historical development and evolution of America's police, there exit a variety of themes, explanations, and timelines that guide the research. As Kelling and Moore (1998) pointed out, the difficulty in interpreting the development of America's police is that its “history is incoherent, its lessons hard to read,” and it