ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the historical events that have led to the development of contemporary police administration and strategic management in policing. It details compstat and intelligence-led policing because of their significant impact on changing the course of police administration and leadership. The chapter deals with a quote from Thomas Repetto that described police administration as a living, breathing organism shaped by the political, social, and economic trends of time and place. In the United States, policing evolved from the responsibility of the 17th- and 18th-century colonial sheriff, volunteer posse, slave patrols, constables, and civilian night watch to an organized, 24-hour governmental function. A paradigm shift had begun to take place that challenged the basic conception of how policing should be conducted and organized in the United States. Intelligence-Led Policing, like Compstat, employs a top-down hierarchical administrative control system like the one advocated during the reform era.
