The Changes in Law Enforcement

The Changes in Law Enforcement All together law enforcement has changed, but few see the drastic changes that have happened. Everyday, police and sheriffs are working to keep the people in their community safe. With improved technological advances and social changes, police and sheriffs are keeping a closer eye on things today. For example, improved weapons such as tasers have helped keep suspects safe, computers in police cruisers allow instant access of information of individuals. Other social changes, such as women allowed to join the police forces have helped law enforcement a lot with domestic violence cases because they are calmer then most men. No matter what happens police and the sheriffs will be there to protect and serve their community everyday of the year, both nighttime and daytime; crime never sleeps and neither does law enforcement. Police have been a part of society for many years. However, “police as we know them today – an armed force maintained by the state to perform the functions and paid a salary rather than a share of fines – are a rather recent phenomenon” (Miller). “Police forces were formed in all major US cities during the latter half of the nineteenth century” (Miller). According to Miller, police in the United States developed “…from the British tradition”. Like in London, police duties were limited to patrolling and gradually increased into investigation. Police should have been established earlier then the nineteenth century but society may have not been ready for it. “At the time of their founding, the police were viewed not as an out-growth of the state’s ability to make law but as a manifestation of its ability to use violence” (Miller). Most people today say that wasn’t the reason why society created the police. Law Enforcement has its purpose in society. “The purpose of Law Enforcement is to prevent, interdict, and investigate crimes and prosecute criminals” (Miller). One of the key duties of any police

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