Policing in colonial America was crucial in American law enforcement history as it defined the present law and order enforcement system. As the European settlers crossed the Atlantic Ocean and decided to settle permanently in America during the 14th to 16th century, most of them, mainly the British, needed help settling in the new lands. The difficulties experienced in labor and resistance from indigenous people prompted the colonialists to develop policing units to enforce law and order. There were four major policing-related offices during this colonial and early English period that is the constables, slave patrols, the watches, and sheriffs.
Slave patrols were crucial policing entities during the Colonial and Early English periods designed to control the laborers, mostly those enslaved. After the colonialists were settled, the economy of partitioned colonies continued to grow, prompting the need for laborers. This led to the genesis of slavery, and enslaved Africans were relocated from Africa to the colonies to provide free labor. The number of enslaved Africans continued to outgrow due to births. Slave patrols were then established to enforce the law and control this number of enslaved Africans. The law required all landowners ( majorly white enslavers) to participate and serve in the slave patrol policing unit. The slave patrol policing unit was tasked to patrol roads and ensure that any enslaved person away from the plantation had a valid pass (Hawkins et al., 2018). Also, slave patrol policing units were to look out for illegal slave gatherings for religious purposes and lockout materials that could make enslaved people literate. Most members of this policing unit had the authority to enter plantations and slave quarters to search for weapons, runaway slaves, or any stolen items. The peak of this policing unit was during the civil war, as they became more active in preventing any slave-related insurgency.
The sheriff was another essential policing unit during the Colonial and Early English periods. This policing unit was a version of the English policing Unit known as the “Shire.” The sheriff got their appointment from the colony governor and worked in less populated areas. The sheriff was responsible for apprehending criminals, collecting taxes, supervising elections, and maintaining peace and justice (Hawkins et al., 2018). Even after the independence of America, the sheriff policing unit remained an integral unit as they continued to apprehend criminals and other violent societal threats. Presently the sheriff policing unit continues to enforce law and order, conduct investigations, and arrest offenders, mostly in less populous towns.
The final policing unit during the Colonial and Early English periods were the constables and watch. These two policing units got treated as different policing entities, each with distinct responsibilities. The constables were the law enforcers among the colonialist societies, and their duties varied depending on the size and population of the society. The constables were responsible for minor to major duties like controlling rogue children, enforcing church attendance, and supervising the watch policing unit (Hawkins et al., 2018). On the other hand, the watch policing entity consisted of only men responsible for watching over the town, mostly during the night. They looked out for fires or any other suspicious persons or activities, and each unit consisted of one constable and six watch persons. The watch used whistles or rattles to warn other men or townspeople of danger.
In conclusion, the policing unit during the colonial and Early English periods was quite organized though it could have been more sophisticated. Each of the four policing units had a distinct and crucial policing role to play that aided the established colonies in achieving law and order enforcement even during challenging periods like the Civil War. Furthermore, these policing units defined the American policing structure we witness.
References.
Brucato, B. (2020). Policing Race and Racing Police. Social Justice, 47(3/4 (161/162), pp. 115–136.
Hawkins, H., & Thomas, R. (2018). White policing of black populations: A history of race and social control in America. In Out of Order? (pp. 65–86). Routledge.
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