ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a historical perspective of the rise of police unions alongside patterns of abuses against citizenry in the United States juxtaposition in the development of policing eras: 1840–1900—The Political Era; 1900–1980—The Reform Era; 1980–2000—The Community Era; and 2001–Present—Homeland Security Era/Militarization Era. During reconstruction, the federal military, state militias, county sheriffs, and constables all had a hand in maintaining control over African American citizens. Low pay, poor working conditions, inadequate benefit packages, and low public esteem fostered the need for those in blue to bond for a common cause, generating the creation of police unionism. Police unions have evolved to become a force to reckon with politically over the past few decades. Demonstratively, police unions exert enormous control over local and state politics. Effective law enforcement ensures that each member of society can work and play without the threat of those who have sworn an obligation to uphold a free society's Constitutional guarantees.
