To understand modern-day policing in America it is necessary to understand its ancestors ; we will derive a better apprehension of this history by looking at its three epochs. The constabulary. said. are “to great extent. the captives of the past. Daily patterns are influenced by deeply deep-rooted traditions. ” Another ground for analysing historical developments and tendencies is that several distinct bequests have been senders to modern constabulary bureaus. In position of the important historical impact on modern policing. it is necessary to turn back the clock to about A. D. 900. Therefore. we begin with a brief history of the development of four primary condemnable justness officers—sheriff. constable. medical examiner. and justness of the peace—from early England to the 20th century in America ( Ken. 2006 ) .

English and Colonial Officers the Law: All four of the primary condemnable justness functionaries of early English-the sheriff. constable. medical examiner. and justness of the peace there was a deficiency of established pattern in the United State. Consequently. it is of import to hold a basic apprehension of these offices. including their early maps in England and. subsequently. in America. Following is a brief treatment of each ( Ken. 2006 ) . Sheriff:

The word sheriff is derived from the term shire reeve—shire significance “county” and reeve intending “agent of the male monarch. ” The shire reeve appeared in English before the Norman conquering of 1066. His occupation was to keep jurisprudence and order in the tithing. They followed a trade name of English common Law. although the sheriff was ne’er a popular officer in England and since the 19th centennial sheriff has had no constabulary powers. When the office began. the sheriff assisted the male monarch in financial. military and judicial personal businesss and was referred to as the “king’s steward. ” The sheriff’s chief responsibilities were to implement Torahs. roll up revenue enhancements and oversee elections.

Constable: Like the sheriff. the constable can be trace back to Anglo-Saxon times. The office began during the reign of Edward I when every parish or township had a constable. As the county constabulary officer turns more and more to affair of defence. the constable entirely pursued criminals concentrating in subsequently the ancient usage of citizens lifting aloud noisy and connection in chase of felons lapsed into neglect. During the in-between Ages there was yet on high grade of specialisation. The constable had a assortment of responsibilities including roll uping revenue enhancements. oversing main roads. and functioning every bit magistrate. The office shortly became capable to election and was conferrer upon local work forces of prominence ; nevertheless. the creative activity of the have oning off crunching down office of the justness of the peace around 1200 rapidly changed this tendency everlastingly ; shortly the constable was limited to doing apprehensions merely with warrants issued by a justness of the peace.

As a consequence. the office deprived of societal and civic prestigiousness was no longer attractive. It carried on wage and the responsibilities were frequently unsafe. In add-on there was heavy abrasion in the office. so the constable’s term was limited to one twelvemonth in an attempted attract officers ; in 1856 Parliament wholly discarded the office The office of constable experienced a similar procedure of decomposition in the settlements However. the American constables normally two in each town were give control over the dark ticker. By the 1930s. State fundamental law in 21 provinces provided for the office of constable but constable still received no wage and like their British co-workers they enjoyed small prestigiousness or popularity after the early 1930s. The place fell into disfavour mostly because most constables were untrained and was believe to be entirely unequal as functionaries of the jurisprudence ( Ken. 2006 ) .

Coroner: The office medical examiner is more hard to depict. It has been use to carry through many different functions throughout its history and has steadily changed over the centuries. There is no understanding refering the day of the month when the medical examiner foremost appeared in England but there is consensus that the office was working by the terminal of the 12th century. From the beginning. the medical examiner was elite ; his responsibilities included inadvertence of the involvements of the Crown. non merely in condemnable affairs but besides in financial affairs every bit good. In felony instances. the corner could carry on a preliminary hearing and the sheriff frequently came to the coroner’s tribunal to preside over the coroner’s jury. The coroner’s inquest provided another mean of power and prestigiousness. finding the cause of decease and the party responsible for it. Initially medical examiner was chosen for life. Soon going unhappy with the absence of compensation nevertheless. finally they were give right to bear down fees for their work ( Ken 2006 ) .

As was true of sheriffs and constables at first the office of the medical examiner in America was merely somewhat different from what it had been in England. The office was slow in deriving acknowledgment in America. as the sheriffs and justness of the peace were already executing many of the coroners’ responsibilities. By 1933. the medical examiner was acknowledging as a separate office in two-thirds of the provinces. Tenure was by and large limited to two old ages. By so nevertheless. the office had been stripe of many of its original maps particularly its financial functions. In many provinces. the medical examiner lawfully served as sheriff when the elected sheriff was disabled or disqualified nevertheless. since the early portion of the 20th century the medical examiner has performed a individual map: finding the cause of all deceases by force or under leery fortunes. The medical examiner or her helper is expect to find the causes and effects of lesions. lesions. bruises. breaks. toxicants. and more. The coroner’s inquest resembles a expansive jury at which the medical examiner serves as a sort of presiding magistrate ( ken. 2006 ) .

Justice OF THE PEACE: The justness of the peace ( JP ) can be trace back every bit far as 1195 in England. By 1264. the imposts gaits. or curator of the peace. nominated by the male monarch for each county. presided over condemnable tests. Early JPs were affluent landowners. They allowed constables to do apprehensions by publishing so warrants. Over clip. this pattern removed power from constables and sheriffs. By the 16th century. the office came under unfavorable judgment because of the people keeping it. Officeholders were frequently referral to as “boobies” and “scum of the each. ” The lone making necessary was being a affluent landholder who was able to purchase his manner into office. By the early 20th century. England had abolished the property-holding demand and many of the mediaeval maps of JP’s office were remove. Thereafter the office possessed extended but purely condemnable legal power with on legal power whatsoever in civil instances.

This contrasts with the American system. which gives JPs limited legal power in both condemnable and civil instances. The JPs Office in the settlements was a distinguishable alteration from the place. as it existed in England. JPs was elite to office and given legal power in both civil and condemnable instances. By 1930. the office had constitutional position in all of the provinces. JPs have long been allows to roll up fees for their services. As in England. it is typically non necessary to keep a jurisprudence grade or to hold pursued legal surveies in order to be a JP in the United States. Possibly the most colourful justness of the peace was Roy Bean. popularized in movie as the exclusive peace officer in a 35. 000-square-mile country West of the Pecos River near Langtry Texas. Bean was knows to keep tribunal in his hovel where marks hung on the porch proclaimed. “Justice Roy Bean. Notary Public. ” “Law West of the Pecos. ” and “Beer Saloon. ” Cold beer and the jurisprudence doubtless shared many quarters on the Western Frontier ( Ken. 2006 ) .