About Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is how societies maintain order. Modern law enforcement employs: uniformed police officers whose presence reminds us to behave; detectives, plainclothes police and undercover officers who investigate lawbreakers; lethal and nonlethal weaponry for asserting physical dominance; communications systems and information databases to ensure intelligence superiority; and many other modes of keeping the peace in a constantly changing world. How did modern law enforcement come to be? What is it like to be a police officer? What kinds of police exist in the world, and what types of problems does law enforcement face today? Let's investigate.

History of

The philosophical underpinnings of modern law enforcement can be found in one of the provisions of the English Magna Carta of 1215, which disbanded the corrupt state police in favor of local police. This established the modern sentiment that civilian law enforcement is more democratic than its military counterpart.

The first well organized police forces as we understand them appeared throughout France in 1667. In 1829 France began using uniformed police officers as a "preventative" form of law enforcement. Over the the following few decades many other countries followed suit, including England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the United States, Australia, and Lebanon.

The 20th century saw a spike in communications, transportation and weapons technologies; law enforcement immediately adapted, becoming faster and stronger than ever. Even so, the profession today faces the twin challenges of an increasingly sophisticated criminal element and the ongoing fight against internal corruption.

Function

Uniformed police officers patrol the streets, direct traffic, write speeding tickets and other citations, respond in person to calls for help, write down testimony on location, file detailed incident reports, subdue and arrest violent individuals, and otherwise see to it that everything runs as smoothly as possible in the public sphere.

Detectives and plainclothes police officers spend most of their time investigating crimes and other incidents after the fact in the pursuit of justice. These law enforcement officers are there to try and find out what happened, who was involved, any and all possible motives for wrongdoing, and other information. Like their uniformed colleagues, detectives have the power to arrest suspects.

Type

Most law enforcement agencies are composed of a number of separate departments each with its area of expertise. Among them:

Forensic scientists, widely fictionalized in television crime dramas, are similar to detectives in that their job is to figure out what happened during a crime after it is occurred. They specialize in analyzing DNA traces, ballistics evidence, and other physical properties of crime scenes.

Psychologists try to determine what makes a suspect tick, so that a crime can more readily be solved or a case more effectively prosecuted.

In volatile situations, as in hostage scenarios or unruly mobs, heavily armed and armored civilian police officers step in. They use a combination of lethal and nonlethal force, opting for the latter whenever possible.

Toward the more mundane aspects of law enforcement, other police officers are assigned to beats like directing automobile and pedestrian traffic, writing tickets for misdemeanors like illegal parking, or acting as low-level security for public events.

Wherever there is an increased need for security and order, law enforcement officers can usually be found.

Significance

While most law enforcement agencies eventually see their fair share of corruption and abuse of power, it is significant to note that not all countries require their police officers to knock before entering a private residence or to provide reasonable cause upon arresting someone. Most of the men, women, and children of the Republic of Myanmar, for example, are today routinely subjected to state-sponsored rape, torture, unjust imprisonment, and forced labor. That country may be the worst case scenario, but dozens of other countries are also under scrutiny by human rights organizations for their unjust law enforcement policies.

Expert Insight

Police officers often go into public schools to educate young people about law enforcement. One of the most popular questions asked of the officers is, "How often do you have to use your gun?" The answer is that the average officer has to draw his weapon less than once a year. By contrast, the pen and notepad are wielded dozens of times a day for taking down testimony and recording observations.