From the earliest times of recorded history, mankind has proven that an authoritarian power or entity was necessary to maintain safety and order. The Roman Empire had a variety of “checks and balances” for both their people and governing entities. Individuals known as Vigiles (aka. Watchmen of the City) and Urban Cohorts consisting of approximately 10,000 men patrolled their cities and urban areas, in an effort to protect the citizenry. Following this were the medieval Sheriffs, who were also known as Shires and Reeves. Not all of their initiatives involved protecting the innocent; their duties consisted mostly of collecting monies for a King, but I guess there might have been a bit of “protecting” thrown in the mix.
Fast forwarding several centuries, we focus on Great Britain, which was the birthplace of modern-day, non-military policing. The first baby steps for non-military style policing occurred in the 1700s when England was realizing an increase in theft and personal injury crimes, so policing organizations were formed to protect their people. These men were known as Nightwatchmen, Constables, and Bow Street Runners. Then, along came Robert Peel, who in 1829 formed the first organized police force in England, London to be exact. These police officers were called Coppers, Peelers, and Bobbies.
Henceforth, modern forms of policing evolved that many first-world countries began utilizing, and follow to this date. The reason for the evolution of policing organizations; people calling for protection from droves of malicious criminals. Also, as previously mentioned, people were seeking out policing organizations that “were not” connected to military organizations, which were/are renown for bestowing political views and heavy-handed enforcement. Military policing for the general population still exists in some of our international communities, but most advanced societies reject this practice.
Now, since the history lesson is over, what is the answer to the first test question that can be derived from the above? Simply put, mankind needs policing; always has, and always will. In my blog and many, many media stories over the past four-to-five years, we continually read about three topics related to criminal justice; police defunding, decriminalization, and the INCREASE of crime. The increase that I am referring to is not a nationwide trend, it primarily affects the geographical areas where these three topics go hand-in-hand. Without police, crimes increases. Mankind needs policing; free reign and rule does not work! This has been a proven fact for centuries and things have not changed, despite our modern-day advances and studies of human behavior.
To review a few examples, two weeks ago in the city of Los Angeles, a mob group of over 30 individuals stormed a Nordstrom’s department store and stole over $300,000 worth of merchandise. These crimes have been perpetual around the nation, especially on the west coast. News reports also depict other types of criminal incidents where police were unable to stop large groups of individuals from committing violent offenses. Once again, I highlight cities up-and-down the west coast, along with Austin, Chicago, St. Louis, and other large cities in the Northeast. And just last week another chain retail store announced their intent to leave San Francisco due to crime and drug issues – perpetual occurrence. What three factors do they all have in common? Once again, police defunding, decriminalization initiatives, and large increases in crime. In retrospect, most communities with ample police protection and a criminal justice system that supports public order and protective laws continue to be safe and prospering!
Police reform needs to be repetitive, but so does the support of our criminal justice entities and policing agencies. We need not bow down to absurd and radical ideals that are blind to our history, and disregard the personal safety of our law-abiding citizens in efforts to make way for lawlessness. On the whole, human behavior is what it is, and criminal misconduct will always be present among us. Individuals and groups show us daily that policeless societies cannot work. Major alternative methods of effective public policing might be implemented in the future, but it is the opinion of this writer that we are decades away from that time.
And remember, without our law enforcement officials, lawlessness prevails and we live in fear and turmoil. Perfection is not possible in policing or any other profession, but we should support our law enforcement officials who serve us on a daily basis. Adequate criminal justice systems need to be in place to protect our law-abiding citizens; centuries of history have proven this fact. So, support your local Sheriff and buy your favorite cop a donut; we really do love them!