The American criminal justice system is made of the courts, policing agencies, and the prisons. Each of this plays a significant role in implementing the American law. While each of them has varying roles and responsibilities, they are intertwined as such that the action of one is bound to affect the others directly or indirectly. This essay will evaluate the trends in the policing agencies. There are various types of policing agencies within the American jurisdiction. The most prominent are the federal law enforcement agencies (Balko 15). These agencies include the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The main roles of federal police include court operations, inspections, patrol, corrections, investigations, police response, and protection. There are also local and state law enforcement agencies. Local police include the regional, municipal, tribal, and county police (Balko 17). They investigate crimes and uphold laws within their local jurisdiction. They also act as patrol.
Past Trends
One of the most prominent trends was during the political era. During this era, various special interest groups struggled to attain and maintain control over the policing agencies. In the past, the authorization and legitimacy of the American police was in the hands of the municipal leaders. There was no central authority to unify all the agencies. The resources for the agencies were attained from municipal political leaders. Still, the agencies were guided by the law on their power limitations and the tasks that fell in their docket (Carter 7). During this time, the agencies were closely linked with the local political leaders hence the name “adjuncts to local political machines”. The police repaid the favor of being in office by aiding rig elections or encouraging civilians to vote in particular leaders.
The core strategy employed by the men in blue during the political error was that of foot patrol. Police officers walked on foot as they dealt with crime as directed by their precinct superiors and the citizens. There was significant limitation of resources especially the technological tools. It was during this era that call boxes were introduced. They were mainly used for managerial and supervisory purposes (Carter 8). A few years later, automobiles were introduced. They were only used in the transportation of police officers. Therefore, the mode of patrol remained the same. The mode in which detectives operated back then was rather unique. This division was void the prestige it bears in the contemporary society. Detectives in this era relied on the caseload of “persons” as opposed to offenses. Criminals were mainly interviewed through the “third degree” (Carter 8). Given the close link between the police and political leaders, the political leaders used detectives to acquire personal information on their political rivals. There was a lot of political interference with the manner in which the police conducted their business.
The political era was followed by the reform era. This era was marked with significantly more struggle for control over the police than the preceding era. For one, the local ward leaders struggled against the urban reformers. There was immense pressure from the civilians to change the police organizations. Those who proposed reforms wanted to abolish politics as the foundation of police legitimacy. As they claimed, political interference was derailing progress in American police (Carter 10). It was during this era that police professionalism and law became the core of police legitimacy. This marked the beginning of police automaticity in the government. Political interference became an act of corruption.
The main trend in this era was the extensive use of criminal law which was the core of police legitimacy. The main role of the police officers was to apprehend criminals and control crime. They became known as the law enforcement agencies. They operated on the principal of apprehending criminals as per the law and deterring offenders. In the event that there were unique problems, the police created special units such as the tactical, juvenile, and drug units as opposed to assigning them to patrol officers (Carter 12). The main objective of developing such units was to help establish central command which would replace the precinct command. Workers within the agencies were regulated through bureaucratic means. There was downward flow of instructions, upward flow of information, a functional record-keeping system, and comprehensive coordination of activities, supervision, and a regulated period of control (Carter 13).
Present Trends
The contemporary era is dubbed the community-oriented era. As the name suggests, the primary strategy in this era is that of community-oriented policing. The height of public scrutiny is at its peak. This era has been marked with high rates of racial profiling among the policing agencies. There have been images, videos, and audios of police officers killing unarmed men and women on the basis of race. The public outcry has never been this huge (Kilburn, & Laura 223). There are groups and movements that have been formed to deter such police conduct and call for justice for those who have fallen victims of such misconduct. The level of public trust in the police especially among the minority groups is weak. This strategy is meant to increase the level of transparency and openness among the policing agencies and the communities they serve. In addition, it is expected to integrate partnership and community outreach into the policing activities.
Remarkably, the use of on-body cameras has become an essential element among the police officers. The main reason that these cameras were introduced is to help increase transparency and reduce police perpetrated violence against the civilians (Kilburn, & Laura 225). Besides the cameras, police militarization has become an overwhelming subject and trend in the contemporary era. Police now carry heavy artillery in the regular operations. This trend began after the 9/11 terror attack on the American soil. Militarizing the police officers is said to be an initiative in the fight against terrorism (Balko 23). The Pentagon has armed police with military weapons such as armored vehicles, infrared guns, grenade launchers, and assault rifles. This has had a significant impact on police budget. For instance, the MRAP, which is an armored vehicle modified to withstand roadside bombs, is estimated to cost a whooping million dollar. The use of SWAT teams has also become a regular thing (Balko 24).
Predictive policing has also been a prominent trend. According to the National Institute of Justice, this practice has been defined as the act of collecting data from numerous sources, analyzing it, and utilizing the gathered results to aid in the response, anticipation, and prevention of future crimes. The effective implementation of predictive policing relies on integration of older tactics like hot spot police-mapping. However, it is critical to note that predictive policing exceeds hot spot mapping as it derives information from a far wider array of sources. It has been used and proven effective in deterring crimes in various areas. In Arlington, Teas, this tactic has been used to identify areas that prone to burglaries. Given this is a recent tactic; it is also expected to continue dominating police activities in the future.
Future Trends and Budgetary Effects
Intelligence-led policing is expected to take the policing activities to the next level. This tactic is defined as “a business model and managerial philosophy where data analysis and crime intelligence are pivotal to an objective, decision-making framework that facilitates crime and problem reduction, disruption, and prevention” (Police Executive Research Forum 6). It is designed to target serious criminals who have high ranking profiles in a manner than is thoughtful and organized. It is expected that this strategy will be implement in the next five years or so. Predictive and intelligence-led policing relies on extensive use of technological equipment. For one, the two will require wide analysis of information attained from numerous sources. Such analysis requires high and advanced technology to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of the data collected. Such technology is bound to be costly ("Policing the Future." 20). The cost of purchasing, maintain, and training personnel to use such technology and strategies should be considered in the budget.
Conclusion
The American police department has always undergone evolutions. Each of these revolutions makes it a better and more effective component of the criminal justice system. Consecutively, any change within the law enforcement agencies is bound to cause a ripple effect on the other components such as prisons and courts. The epitome effectiveness and efficiency of the policing agencies partially relies on the cooperation of the courts and prisons. The coordination of the police and courts ensures that criminals are tried fairly and justice is obtained. The police also ensure that the necessary evidence is availed in the court room. It is also the role of the policing agencies such as the U.S marshal to ensure the safety of witnesses in critical cases.
Works Cited
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Balko, Radley. Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces. , 2013. Print.
Carter, David L. "Politics And Community Policing: Variables Of Change In The Political Environment." Public Administration Quarterly 19.1 (1995): 6-25. Business Source Complete. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.
Kilburn, Michelle, and Laura Krieger. "Policing In an Information Age: The Prevalence of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies Utilising the World Wide Web to Connect With the Community." International Journal of Police Science & Management 16.3 (2014): 221-227. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.
Police Executive Research Forum. Future Trends in Policing. 1st ed. Washington D.C: U.S Department of Justice, 2014. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.
Schaible, Lonnie M., and James Sheffield. "Intelligence-Led Policing and Change in State Law Enforcement Agencies." Policing35.4 (2012): 761-784. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.
