ABSTRACT
Police administration has two primary concerns, which are an internal one, the performance of management duties within police organizations; and an external one, the implementation of policies and programs designed to reduce crime and disorder and enhance public safety. The development of police administration had to await the development of organized policing. The year 1829 marks the origin of organized, paid, civilian policing as we currently know it. In that year, the Metropolitan Police Act became English law, concluding a long and emotional debate. The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 authorized Sir Robert Peel to establish a police force for the metropolitan London area, and 1,000 men were quickly hired. Peel’s approach to police administration can thus be summed up as follows: centralized organization with graded authority; and selective and stringent personnel standards. One obstacle to the adoption of Peel’s approach in the United States was the enduring view of police work as essentially undemanding physical labor.
