Mid Term Essay Essay Example

Mid Term Essay Paper Mid Term Essay Michael J. Almasy Criminal Justice 211-04 Police Operations July 13, 2010 Kaplan University The development of Law Enforcement originated with the need to protect Humans, and property. Once organized systems were put into place, August Vollmer, the first Town Marshall for Berkeley, and later the Chief of Police and Crimininalist for Berkeley California is credited as being instrumental in many facets of Law Enforcement which are still used today and have been enhanced and improved several times over the past decades. His contribution were immediately implemented and respected by many large departments in the United States. August Vollmer served as Chief of Police for the Los Angeles Police Department, and during his two-year tenure before returning to Berkeley, he implemented many of the applications and procedures which are still used today successfully. Vollmer worked extensively with Professors and Leaders at the University of Berkley in his efforts to establish a professional model of policing and the investigative aides such as the Science of Criminology. One of his major contribution to the Criminal Justice system is Investigations where in 1907 he enlisted the help of University Chemistry Professor Loeb to help identify a suspected poison during a murder investigation (peak 2009) which led to the scientific analysis process of blood, fibers and soil evidence. This process of investigation still practiced today and has advanced since then with the aid of technology, and is used in solving or acquitting persons implicated in crimes. One of the most famous cases in America would be the OJ Simpson murder trial of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. We will write a custom essay sample on Mid Term Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mid Term Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mid Term Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This case would use several criminology techniques to establish, gather and preserve evidence and one of the key pieces of the trial would be the leather gloves. These gloves contained blood samples from OJ Simpson, Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman which would be later used for DNA testing to establish the identification of persons at the crime scene. This type of forensic investigation would not have been possible without the visionary accomplishment of Vollmer and the establishment of the first forensic laboratory in Los Angeles 1923 (peak 2009). Another contribution to the Investigative area of his work is when Vollmer asked one of the students turned campus police officer, John Larson to work with him in supportive research in the technique to measure blood pressure changes in criminals. Larson who had been working on the science of Measuring Blood Pressure and galvanic skin responses, which was the prior work of William Marston, led to the creation of a device to record both blood pressure and galvanic skin responses which could be used to assists investigators in determining the truth of their suspects. This device was known as the Lie Detector with the formal name of the Polygraph. Today, the polygraph is mainly used by employers to screen potential job applicants and is usually disputed by scientist as an inaccurate scientific proof of validity. August Vollmer has made numerous contributions to the world of modern policing and was truly a pioneer to the future of criminal investigation and a role model to follow. His extraordinary vision for the transformation of future policing should not be taken lightly. He single handily developed the way America conducts police work and investigates crime. He was instrumental in mentoring and influencing others to develop new techniques and technologies to support law enforcement agencies in solving crimes. Today, Federal, State and local law enforcement continue to build upon the direction of Vollmer ideals. In America our Law Enforcement is made up of Local Authority which is City, Town, Rural Township and Counties. The State also has authority, and we have Federal Agencies which is our Federal Government. Overall, citizens view Law Enforcement as protectors, regardless of the Levels of law enforcement. The contrast as seen by the Citizen is that there is none, and that Police Officers are the defenders of Citizens against crimes. The reality is that in law enforcement there is a contrast between the levels of law enforcement. Each level has substantial responsibility to protect citizens of the United States against foreign and domestic criminals and must be able to operate cohesively as one during the times of severe emergencies and when called upon to work together whether it is, for example transporting a fugitive or a catastrophic event such as 9/11. The following are the differences between the levels of law enforcement: Most of the law enforcement activity occurs at the local level, and therefore the local level has most of the authority and responsibility. The Local levels are dealing with the community relations, community policing and has jurisdiction of their cities and counties. The State Law Enforcement Officers primary responsibility is that of traffic enforcement of our state highways, which in California is the CHP, California Highway Patrol. They also have the responsibility to ensure the vehicles that travel our highways are meeting state safety regulation and get properly inspected. The Federal Government has Law Enforcement Authority and have an increased role to law enforcement recently especially since our crimes are now more sophisticated and go beyond our nation boarders. It is important to note though however, that most of the responsibility still lies at the local level. Agencies covered under the Federal umbrella are: Military (CID) Criminal Investigation Division, FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation, DEA Drug Enforcement Administration, BAFT Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms an agency of the Treasury Department, Customs, and Secret Service. Local, State and Federal agencies have similar functions and may differ due to jurisdictions, although as mentioned, the primary role is that of protecting our citizens from crimes and working cohesively as one at every level of law enforcement. Gould Publications Inc, Dempsey, Tom and Coffey, David J. D. (2001) Hiring process. Law Enforcement for the TWENTY FIRST CENTURY, An Entry-Level Guide 1, * Policing as a profession 1-23, 439 doi: n/a * The Polygraph: The Modern Lie Detector (www. umw. edu) * Kaplan Seminar * Unit 3: Patrol Seminar  Ã‚  Ã‚  Professor Richard C. Niebusch – Industry Expert * Pearson Prentice Hall. Peak, (2009) Kenneth J. From Citizen to Office Policing America 6th edition, 1 01-102, 1060130 doi: 363. 20973—dc22