Our policeman gifts are 6 Inches long. The Santa policeman gifts are wearing a policeman uniform consisting of a light blue shirt with a black tie, midnight blue pants, a black belt and black shoes. Hanging from the cop gifts belt are a flash light and a night stick. The Santa cop gifts are holding a ticket book in one hand and in his other hand he is holding up a ticket that he may have to give someone for being on his naught list. The Santa cop gifts hang from a red satin ribbon.
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History of Police.
In many ancient societies, the military forces served as police. In ancient Rome, for example, the military legions of the rulers enforced the law. Augustus, who became emperor in 27 B.C., formed a nonmilitary police force called the vigils. The vigils were responsible for keeping the peace and fighting fires in Rome.
Early Law Enforcement In England. During eh A.D. 800’s, England developed a system of law enforcement based on citizen responsibility. The people of a community were divided into tithings or groups of 10 families, and each tithing was responsible for the conduct of its members. Males more than 16 years old stood watch duty. When a serious crime occurred, all able bodied men joined in a hue and cry or chase of the suspect. Each shire or county was headed by a reeve or chief. The word sheriff is a shortened form of shire reeve.
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In 1750, Henry Fielding, a London magistrate and author, organized a group of law enforcement officers called the Bow Street Runners. These officers ran to the scene of a crime to capture the criminal and begin an investigation.
Sir Robert Peel, a British statesman, founded the London Metropolitan Police in 1829. the force was established along military lines and its officers were carefully selected and trained. The public called the officers Bobbies, after Sir Robert and they still have that nickname. Peel is regarded as the father of modern police organizations.
Law and Order In America. The American colonists established the English watch system in the towns and villages of New England. In many colonial areas, sheriffs and constables were responsible for keeping the peace.
Later, on the Western frontier, sheriffs and marshals enforced the law. Citizens sometimes formed groups of self appointed law officers called vigilantes to capture and punish outlaws. The Texas Rangers, a band of mounted riflemen organized in the early 1800’s, were the first form of state police. They fought Indians, patrolled the Mexican border and tracked down cattle rustlers and other outlaws. In 1905, Pennsylvania established the first state police force.
In 1845, New York City combined its separate day and night watches into a single city police force modeled after the London Metropolitan Police. Other U.S. cities formed similar police forces during the following years.
Many early city police departments were poorly organized. Officers were underpaid and got little training. In many communities, city leaders gained control of the police. They used the police in conducting their political campaigns and for other personal purposes.
During the early 1900’s, August Vollmer, the police chief of Berkeley, California, gained fame as a police reformer. Vollmer brought about many changes in the police system. He urged reorganization of police departments, college education for police officers and the use of scientific methods in police work.
Today, most medium sized and large police departments hire officers through the civil service process. In this way, officers are not subject to political influence.
The police encourage citizens to help fight crime. In some communities, citizen volunteers organize patrols to guard housing projects and homes. Other communities organize Neighborhood Watch programs in which residents report any suspicious activities in their neighborhood to the police. Many police departments have employed more non police personnel to handle such police duties as traffic control and dispatching. The use of these employees has enabled the departments to assign more police officers to the fight against crime.
Since 1970, the number of women entering police work has increased substantially. Also, police departments now assign female officers to patrol duty and crime investigation. Formerly, female police officers served chiefly as office workers, as juvenile officers and as guards in women’s prisons. Police agencies also have made more of an effort to hire more members of minority groups as police officers.