-
Slave Patrols
The first Slave Patrols were formed in South Carolina. Slave Patrols were rudimentary forms of ‘police’ whose main goal was to prevent slaves from running away and recapturing them. -
London Metropolitan Police Established
Sir Robert Peel passed the Metropolitan Police Act in 1829 which established a professional police force in London. It set the model for future police organizations in America like the New York Police Department and the Boston Police Department. -
First Policing Institution in America
In 1838, The first professional police force was established in Boston based upon Peel's system. -
New York Police Department is Founded
-
Period: to
The Crime Epidemic
The 1850-1880’s Crime Epidemic was a social upheaval due to increased immigration and the Civil War. This caused many more centralized police departments in other cities to be established, including Chicago, Albany, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Newark, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. -
First Private Police Agency
The first private police agency was founded in America by Alan Pinkerton. This allowed people to avoid the politics found in public police agencies and widened the net of social control. -
The Prohibition
The Prohibition starts eliminating the sale, purchase, and transportation of Alcohol. This led to the rise of prominent gangsters including Al Capone, Owney Madden, and Bugs Moran. This proved to be a struggle for the police because they were fighting against organized crime much like their own police force except for the opposite reason. -
Brown v. The Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled in favor Oliver Brown in the case Brown v. The Board of Education desegregating schools and helped pave the way for the civil rights movement. Many people were against desegregating; this led to clashes between them and African-Americans which was a learning period for many police forces in regards to minorities. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act was passed prohibiting employment discrimination. Violent confrontations were a result of this and police had to combat the violent attacks on African Americans by whites. -
The War on Drugs
A rise in illicit drug use due to the rise of the hippie movement and started the war on drugs. -
Beating of Rodney King
The videotaped beating of Rodney King, a black man, which arose questions and concerns we are now facing today about police brutality and racism. -
9/11 Terrorist Attacks
The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the twin towers was a harsh reality for law enforcement to how insecure our airlines are which led to the creation of air marshals, the no-fly list, and The Department of Homeland Security to help protect against future attacks. -
Shooting of Trayvon Martin
The shooting of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watchman caused much controversy, much like the beating of Rodney King did and revealed the truth about racism in america still today. Due to the fact that George Zimmerman was acquitted of most of the crimes.
