Learning Objectives

As a result of reading this chapter, you will be able to

  • Describe how policing began in England, to include the four major police-related offices that evolved and came to America
  • Discuss the three eras of policing and August Vollmer’s major contributions to advancing early policing
  • Explain the duties and functions of selected federal law enforcement agencies and the departments into which they are organized
  • Delineate the various types of specialized functions that are found in state law enforcement agencies
  • Distinguish between the functions of municipal police and county sheriff’s agencies
  • Describe the basic qualifications and attributes for one to obtain a career in a law enforcement agency
  • Explain how and why private policing was developed, and the contemporary purposes and issues of the private police