History of the Police

When it comes to highly recognizable roles in the modern world, that of the police officer is one which even the youngest of children will recognize. Police officers play a pivotal role in our society and work to keep our towns and cities safe and protected, giving people the confidence to go about their daily business knowing that they are safe and protected in the event that someone should wish to cause harm or a disturbance. But how did the police force come about? What were the earliest ancestors of our modern police force and how did these brave people work to keep the peace, just as officers do across the US today?

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The Early History of our Modern Police Force

It is safe to say that, when we think of iconic job roles, the police is a role which is easy to recognize—and for good reason, too! Being able to recognize a police officer’s warns any wrongdoers to stay on the right side of the law, for fear of being caught in the act, and also serves to hopefully reassure members of the public who might find they experiencing distress or concern about their own personal safety while shopping or going about their day to day business. However, in years gone by, American people did not have the police force to rely upon for protection!

The Night Watch

The earliest form of “police” in America was that of the Night Watch. Far from the highly trained modern force that we have protecting us today, the Night Watch was largely comprised of volunteers who would agree to stay up after dark to keep watch over their village; oftentimes, these ‘do goobers’ would use the opportunity to get drunk or even just to sleep anyway! Hardly very good protection—particularly when it is considered that some of the people used as part of the Night Watch were criminals who had been put on night watch duty as a means of paying for their crimes!

Regardless of this, the Night Watch was still important in early American villages. The first Night Watch was seen in Boston in the 1630s. Following on from this, Night Watches were also founded in New York by the 1650s.

Invariably, even if the Night Watch weren’t quite the professionals that we know as the police force today, it is safe to say that they were pivotal in keeping the people of the time safe—just as our modern police officers still strive for today.

About This Author

Daniel Parez Joined: July 14th, 2020