On the Beat — American Policing

New York City had instituted the first paid watchmen in 1658, begun using uniformed officers by 1693, and built its first station house in 1731. Other jurisdictions, such as Boston and Cincinnati, had followed similar paths. So by the early 1800s, many American cities have contingents of watchmen in place, although they donąt patrol their cities or even have much to do with one another. Major riots in Boston during the 1830s prompt that city to supplement the night watch with a daytime police force in 1838. Separate forces for the day and night watches become standard, but often rivalry, not cooperation, prevails.

In 1844, the New York City Police Department is formed by combining the day and night forces, the first such arrangement in the country. The New York force wears uniforms and uses a paramilitary organizational structure, much like the English policing model‹though it is far less professional. There is no training, salaries are low, and public respect is minimal. Powerful politicians co-opt the forces for their own purposes. Officers become involved in voter fraud, bribery, and selective policing.

Nevertheless, Chicago adopts the New York model in 1851; Cincinnati follows a year later. Philadelphia's issues arms to officers in 1854, and in 1857 New York does the same, rendering their forces that much more powerful. Just about every city in the union will have a police force by the end of the century.

Missouri Police Officers, c.1903