effective crime control. Community policing in America can be traced from the colonial times to the 1900s. American policing activities transpired in early England at or about the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. Chancellors were used to settle disputes between neighbors, such as property boundary issues, trespass allegations, and child misconduct. An early equivalent of the chancellor, with similar duties and responsibilities, was the justice of the peace, dating to about A.D. 1200. Together with the chancellors or justices of the peace, reeves (now more commonly know as a sheriff) maintained order in their respective jurisdictions (Champion 22). Englands use of policing became well known. Many other regions soon adopted Englands standards. American colonist continued the English system of law enforcement and the study of law. In addition to reeves, constables were used for maintaining law and order in colonial communities. The duties of constables included collecting fees for highway usage, collecting taxes, and presiding over minor legal issues. The position of the sheriff was created and they became the principal law enforcement officers in the various counties throughout the colonies. Early policing was characterized as urban policemen walking beats and interacting daily with merchants and other members of the community. In the 1940s, the policing model most common in America has come to be know as the political model. Many governmental leadership positions, including police chiefs, were occupied by people directly beholden to a citys political machine for their position and livelihood. This was a period filled with corruption and transformation. In the 1950s, many communities became dissatisfied with this model and called for a new model free of corruption (Zhao 1). In the 1960s and through the 1970s, a model evolved known today as the professional model. It was during this period that a law enforcement code...
