The evolution of volunteer police in America.
Item
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Title
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The evolution of volunteer police in America.
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Identifier
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AAI3024794
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identifier
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3024794
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Creator
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Greenberg, Martin Alan.
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Contributor
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Adviser: F. Warren Benton
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Date
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2001
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology | American Studies | History, United States
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Abstract
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This dissertation explores the history, activities, and organization of various types of volunteer police units in America since 1620. It also provides a generic definition of volunteer police, a fourfold typology for identifying varieties of volunteer police units, and a discussion of the impact of various types of volunteer police on democratic institutions. A final chapter explores the crime deterrent role of volunteer police in such fields as juvenile delinquency, narcotics control, and labor exploitation.;The history of slavery prior to and after the Revolutionary War is given emphasis to provide greater insights regarding the racial and class divisions that have persisted late into the twenty-first century. In particular, special attention is paid to the role of slave patrols as a precursor to the development of modern police departments.;There were several interesting findings in the present study. In America, increased wages and the development of a division of labor necessitated the use of paid specialists as the opportunity and social costs of volunteering one's time became higher. Nevertheless, in times of emergency or profound social change (e.g., the Progressive Era), a pattern of relying on volunteer police assistance has persisted. The use of adult volunteer police has evolved from general purpose (during colonial times) to special purpose and then back to general purpose since the end of the Korean War. The special purpose volunteer police controlled slaves, protected property (especially horses), policed morals and mendicancy, and gathered intelligence about disloyal persons during World War I. In particular, the study revealed that of the four different types of volunteer police organizations considered, Type IV Special Purpose/Proactive units (e.g., slave patrols, the American Protective League) possessed the greatest potential for interfering with the existence of democracy. Such organizations, by inhibiting freedom of speech and assembly, represent the greatest risk for trampling upon the institutions concerned with self-government and freedom in America.;Finally, the following definition of "volunteer police" was developed: volunteer police are authorized permanent organizations (unless in times of national emergency) of a private or public nature that perform one or more police functions in an overt manner for little or no compensation.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
