LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE U.S.   Term Paper ID:29397 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: Military and civilian police forces. History of each force. Roots of law enforcement in British Common law. Development of police force to provide social control. Origin of military police by George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Goal of civilian police departments to protect the rights of citizens. Duties and training. Development of similar services of both forces. Paper Introduction: Law enforcement in the United States has a rich and varied history. Although most people are familiar with the “boys in blue” who patrol the nation’s neighborhoods, many are utterly ignorant of the role military police play in enforcing the laws of our nation. Military and civilian police forces around the country perform similar tasks for different constituents. However, with the advent of domestic terrorism rising in recent years, the lines differentiating the military police from the civilian police have started to blur. As civilian police forces become increasingly militarized, it is important to explore the differences and similarities between civilian and military police forces and what their goals are. In the end, both military and civilian police forces have one mission: to provide for the safety of the citizens of the United States. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Military and civilianpolice forces around the country perform similar tasks for differentconstituents. G., (1998). In 1833, Philadelphiastarted a 24 man daytime police force to augment its 12 night watchmen,and our modern conception of round-the-clock policing was born. Implicit in the military police mission of statement isthe idea that their actions are meant to assure the proper working of themilitary apparatus, including policing convoys as well as camps. The DA then decideswhether or not to prosecute the offender in court (Germann, 132). Introduction to Law Enforcement and CriminalJustice, Springfield: Charles C. Likewise, internationally the advent of United NationsPeacekeeping missions has expanded the role of the military police toinclude patrolling civilians abroad (Kiser, 32). The Military police report, in the end, to the Judge AdvocateGeneral's office (JAG). Thus, military and civilian police departments provide similarservices to different constituents. Introduction to Law Enforcement: An Insider'sView, Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann. As civilian police forces increasinglyturn to the military for training and weapons, and the military policeassumes increasingly civilian oriented duties abroad, the high level ofinteraction between the two forces can only help to reduce crime andviolence. Avariety of specific weapons are available for any circumstance that mightarise, including the use of armed personnel carriers and light tanks(Doerner, 33). Police training varies significantly from state to state,with courses ranging from six months to four weeks in duration depending onthe locale. Any exploration of military and civilian police forces needs to startwith an analysis of their respective histories. The basicdifference is that an MP is a soldier first and a policeman second, while acivilian police officer is just a police officer. Although their duties may be similar in scope, military and civilianpolice forces undergo radically different training courses. Thomas Publisher. In thissense, however, they are similar to the civilian police corps-both areorganized to ensure that their constituent's societies perform moreefficiently and safely. One striking similarity between the military and civilian police canbe seen in their elite forces, the Special Response Teams (SRT) and SpecialWeapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams respectively. JAG decides who to prosecute, bringing the trialto the Military court (azstarnet.com). The three month AITcourse consists of two phases. In recent years the military and civilian police have increasinglybegun to resemble each other. The first is the "Law and Order" phaseduring which the recruits take courses titled: Evidence, Search andApprehension, Military Police Reports and Forms, Direct Traffic, Interviewsand Interrogations, and Patrol Incidents. When the settlers arrived in the NewWorld, they brought with them many of England's laws and institutions.Chief among these was the British system of law-enforcement, which wascomprised of a Constable who oversaw the law and a group of night watchmenwho patrolled a town's streets during the night. As a minimum, the special reaction team must be capableof isolating a crisis scene, providing proficient marksmanship support,conducting tactical movement and building entry, and clearing of buildingsin a variety of light and weather conditions. The military police have a slightly different focus.Their "special and sole duty" extends to "preserving property and arresting'all wrong-doers, of whatever regiment or corps they may be'"(azstarnet.com). In the end, both military and civilian police forces have onemission: to provide for the safety of the citizens of the United States. They represent perhapsthe best example of how the lines between military and civilian policinghave become blurred. As civilian and military police forces deal with the heighteninglevels of violence at home and abroad, perhaps some day the distinctionbetween the branches will fade into the annals of history. Although significant time is spent on weaponstraining and combative techniques, the focus of civilian police training isto inculcate a sense of the law and basic investigative parameters. In 1917, with the United States entering World War I,General Pershing expanded the traditional Provost's office into theMilitary Police as we know it today. Military andcivilian police SRT and SWAT teams provide an intimate glimpse at thesimilarities of the confrontations they must face. In order to combat desertion inthe Revolutionary Army, George Washington created the office of the Provostin 1776 to police the Army's recruits. Germann, A.C., (1988). Domestically, the advent of the war on drugsand the rise in terrorism has led to the militarization of the civilianpolice. Along this vein,military police training begins with the infamous Army Basic Trainingcourse to indoctrinate the soldier into the Army traditions, boost theirphysical condition, and learn to operate both heavy and light weaponry.After basic training is completed, the budding military policeman mustcomplete an Advanced Individual Training (AIT) course. The roots of themilitary police are somewhat different. Likewise, SRT squads are trained to handle just about anykind of situation. Although the military and civilian police began with very differentmandates, the overall goal of both organizations was to keep the peace.Today, the distinction between military and civilian police goals is not asstark. http://www.adtdl.army.mil/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/19-1 /Ch21.htm Http://www.azstarnet.com/~rovedo/mph2.html http://www.wood.army.mil/usamps/14thMPBde/795thMPBn/795OSUTphases.htm Kiser, George C., (1997) "Military policing of the United States(Human Rights Watch)", Vol. The goal of civilian police departments around the country is "toprotect the rights of all people, ensure order, and provide for thepublic's safety" by delivering highly professional law enforcement services(Doerner, 262). Law enforcement in Americahas its roots in British common law. As a minimum, the special reaction team must be capable ofisolating a crisis scene, providing proficient marksmanship support,conducting tactical movement and building entry, and clearing of buildingsin a variety of light and weather conditions (adtl.army.mil). Likewise, the civilian police inthe end report to the District Attorney's office. The second phase is called the"Combat Support Field Exercise" phase and consist of 9mm pistolqualification, Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT), HMMWV (AKA'Hummer') range, Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) and Grenade Launcher (MK19)familiarization, and unarmed self defense courses (wood.army.mil).Civilian police forces are not trained nearly as intensively on the use ofheavy weaponry. The SRT teams are likewise organized as small squads of eight to tensoldiers. However, with the advent of domestic terrorism rising inrecent years, the lines differentiating the military police from thecivilian police have started to blur. REFERENCES Doerner, W. Law enforcement in the United States has a rich and varied history.Although most people are familiar with the "boys in blue" who patrol thenation's neighborhoods, many are utterly ignorant of the role militarypolice play in enforcing the laws of our nation. As urban areas grew and immigrants poured into the country fromfar and wide, it was necessary to institute some form of social control toensure that each citizen's rights were maintained (14). They are highly trained units equipped tohandle everything from unusual "entry" cases to hostage situations. SWAT teams are generallyorganized into eight man squads. The military trains and equips immigration and drug officers,assists in the building of the wall between Mexico and the U.S., andpatrols the border. As civilian police forces becomeincreasingly militarized, it is important to explore the differences andsimilarities between civilian and military police forces and what theirgoals are. By 187 ,almost every major American city had a full-time police force in place(Doerner, 12). Thus,one can see that the civilian and military police enjoy many organizationalsimilarities. In 1778, the Provost corps wasofficially established, with a mission to "apprehend and arrest allmarauders, rioters, drunkards and deserters, and all soldiers who would befound beyond the limits of their organizations without permission"(azstarnet.com). 57, The Humanist, 5-15-1997, pp 32(2). Until then,both military and civilian police officers will keep their respective beatsat peace. Most police academies focus their instruction on patrol andinvestigatory activities, highlighting the laws that govern the respectivecommunity, patrol tactics, defensive driving, accident investigation, andeven human relations. Other similaritiesinclude the military and civilian police's role in their overall judicialsystems. The reason behind this expansion of the police forces wasthe need to provide the security and peace-of-mind required by the averagecitizen. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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