Lehrer 1

Dalton Lehrer

Peter Fields

English Composition 2

02/14/2019

An Analysis of Modern Crime and How it Can be Stopped

It’s a brand-new world! An unexpected advancement in technology has caused crime to

skyrocket. Due to technological advancements, crime has become easier than ever and more

widespread than ever. Technology like social media, email scamming, and phone scamming

have made modern crime easy. Criminals are able to access vast amounts of information, and

even recruit more members to their cause by having a social media influence. What can law

enforcement possibly do to combat all this crime? Although, law enforcement agencies are trying

their best, they haven’t been received well by the American public in recent years. Citizens have

a right to be afraid due to constant coverage by the mass media, casting a dark shroud over

police. The bad stories sell more papers and create bigger headlines. The mixture of unfair media

coverage and an increase of crime has caused a gap in the relationship between police and the

communities they serve. By analyzing how Law Enforcement Agencies are policing in the

Modern Era and keeping Americans safe from crime one can hope to persuade the reader that

police are being unfairly targeted. When examining multiple peer reviewed articles from reliable

databases, an individual can realize that law enforcement is stepping up to combat modern crime,

and an improved relationship between the public, and its local law enforcement agency can

create a safer environment. Also, by interviewing several lieutenants and officers around the
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Appleton Police Department anybody can get ideas to how police are taking a stand against an

evolved onslaught of crime, and how a strong bond with the community can help prevent crime.

Over the last three decades, the world has undergone extraordinary change. In an article

written by Wilkinson, it is stated that, “Globalization has impacted every aspect of human life

and has revolutionized the face of modern organized crime” (Wilkinson 15). The advancement in

technology has provided new ways for criminals to commit old crime types, and allowed new

crime to evolve, as well as shockingly challenging traditional policing traditions. Wilkinson

proclaims that “These crime types can be gun running, cyber-crime, human trafficking,

counterfeiting, large scale fraud, extortion, and far more” (Wilkinson 16). The cost and scale of

crimes have increased astronomically due to the change in times as well. This “Modern Era” is

pushing law enforcement to the limit and challenging them to come up with new ways to get the

upper hand on criminals looking to harm the innocent. Wilkinson explains that, “Modern crime

can be international, multilayered, multicultural, highly developed, ambitious, profitable, and

technologically sophisticated” (Wilkinson 22).

Investigators and law enforcement need to be able to build partnerships across law

enforcement agencies, across sectors, and even across borders. By having strong partnerships

across jurisdictions, law enforcement can have access to valuable information on possible

subjects, crime scenes, and evidence. This access can help departments everywhere in their

pursuit of justice. The Ted Bundy murders are an excellent example of the lack of

communication between law enforcement agencies in the past. During the 1970’s, the term serial

killer wasn’t thought about. Ted went on a killing spree that spanned multiple states and
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jurisdictions. Law enforcement agencies had little to no idea on how to identify Ted, or a

possible suspect because they had no communication between areas. After Ted was finally

caught, law enforcement began to build better communication across sectors, but the damage

was already done. Also, multiple languages, cultures, international politics, and legislation must

be understood. The safety of communities is the top priority of most law enforcement agencies.

An article written by Wilkinson explains how “A clear vision such as this helps when balancing

demands and managing risk” (Wilkinson 22). Although crime has evolved in the past several

decades, law enforcement has followed in its trail every second of the way. An increase of

communication across agencies, strengthened partnerships between departments, advances in

technology that assists law enforcement in preventing modern day crime has given police the

edge it needs to stop this evolved crime.

There are many important factors that go into better policing strategies, but perhaps no

other factor is as crucial as the relationship between the local law enforcement agency and the

community it is sworn to protect. In a section written by Lyons, he explains that, “Advocates

assume that more proactive policing of disorder, including fear reduction and problem-solving

partnerships, will revitalize communities and allow for citizens to contribute their informal forms

of social control to the provision of public safety” (Lyons 15). In order for a community to

remain safe and secure its citizens must trust its local police force otherwise it is less likely that

crimes will be reported in the area. That relationship between community and its police force is

crucial to the protection of innocent individuals. Lyons believes “police-community partnerships

to address neighborhood problems are expected to empower citizens in communities to

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overcome their fears and contribute to the coproduction of social order” (Lyons 15). It is very

important to allow citizens to have a role in keeping the social order of the community because

then it seems like there is less of a power imbalance. When the power gap becomes too large it

can have dire consequences upon the police-community relationship. Allowing individuals

within the community to have some sort of say in the way they are being policed will result in a

higher likelihood that those individuals will report crimes, work with local law enforcement, and

even take steps towards removing some levels of local crime. A more in-tune relation between

the community and police force can create a safer environment for everyone involved.

American policing has undergone numerous changes, and reorganizations since its

inception in the late 1700’s. Police were originally organized locally and maintained an

allegiance to the local municipalities. As a branch of government, it also had to be prevented

from intruding upon the affairs of the American public. The primary role of law enforcement was

to react to calls that were handed out instead of taking proactive roles to stop crime. In the late

1800’s and early 1900’s, policing became far more organized. In Aronowitz’s article she states,

“Law Enforcement became a bureaucracy organized along paramilitary lines.” Aronowitz

believes that, “This was done to professionalize the police force and shift the allegiance to the

organization and chain of command” (Aronowitz 68). By doing this, law enforcement was able

to strengthen its resolve against corruption. Although, times like the 1960’s and the 1970’s

caused law enforcement to reexamine its ways. There was mass public upheaval, mistrust, and

hatred due to certain social events that were taking place during the time. After looking over

massive amounts of data and statistics, police found that they were quite ineffective at

preventing, and solving crime within the United States. A new concept of team policing was
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introduced in the 1970’s. A section written by Aronowitz notes that, “With an emphasis on

strengthening the relationship between police and the public, this philosophy introduced

decentralization to improve service delivery and permanent geographical assignment”

(Aronowitz 69). New ideas like foot patrol were introduced to bring officers out of their squad

cars, and closer to the American public. This increased public perception of safety and improved

police-community relations. Aronowitz utters “These strategies also served as a predecessor to

the current community-policing models” (Aronowitz 69). The shift from traditional policing to

community policing has worked miracles upon the American public. The idea that the

community is not “them” but instead the community is part of “us” in law enforcements eyes

began to strengthen. By viewing the public as part of the department, there is less of a rift

between the two. The public and local law enforcement should not be their own separate

factions, but instead should be a team. By trusting each other and working together the

community can fight modern crime. Due to rising crime rates, citizens cried out for more officers

and law enforcement agencies did just that. The technology used to prevent crime took a huge

jump and made it difficult for criminals to get the upper hand. Technology like mobile

fingerprinting, mobile investigation management, social media, body cameras, dash board

cameras, and most importantly cellular devices. Also, police decided to take a more preventative

approach and began stopping crime before it was able to begin. Communities started to report

that they felt safer, and that was due to a strong bond between community and police.

Another way to build a strong community-police bond is transparency. In an article

written by the International City/County Management Association it is stated that, “During 2014

less than half of residents thought that the police department in Durham, NC, was doing a good
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job.” The city decided to change that by insisting on transparency within the Durham Police

Department. The police chief, Jose Lopez, made their department’s two main objectives to

increase departmental transparency by having better communication and increase the public’s

trust in Durham Police. The International City/County Management Association stated that, “Not

only did they establish goals, but they identified specific measures, such as increasing the

number of community events that the Durham Police Department would coordinate and take

place in.” By partaking in these community events, officers are moved from their squad cars and

begin to be involved with the public. Officers can communicate directly with citizens and even

develop friendships with others. Also, citizens love to know that their local law enforcement is

there to protect them from any danger. The process of working, helping, and protecting these

community events can be very important to the community-police relationship.

The life of a law enforcement officer in today’s world is not easy. It is extremely

dangerous due to the amount, and complexity of crimes nowadays. The issue with some of the

information provided is that there is no real statistical data that can reliably back up the claims.

Having a lack of statistical data can cause the public to wonder if their local law enforcement

agencies are succeeding in performing their duties. If the public could be provided with

information such as crime rates nationally, globally, or even within their own communities they

may feel more at ease. By releasing this data, police can have a goal to work towards annually.

Also, departments must implement new strategies and philosophies on a larger scale. No

difference is made if only one department changes its ways for the better. There must be a large

shift when law enforcement agencies improve their protocols. In order to be a police officer one
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must exude hard work, commitment, honor, passion, and pursue excellence in the enforcement of

laws.
 Works Cited

Aronowitz, A. A. (1997). Progress in community policing. European Journal on Criminal Policy

and Research, 5(4), 67-84. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02677663

Lortz, Mitch. “What Is Community Policing?” Everbridge, Mitch Lortz, 28 Dec. 2016,

www.everbridge.com/blog/what-is-community-policing/.

Lyons, William. "Community (Policing)." In The Politics of Community Policing: Rearranging

the Power to Punish, 15-34. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.15188.7.

Menon, S., & Teo, G. S. (2012). Key challenges in tackling economic and cyber crimes. Journal

of Money Laundering Control, 15(3), 243-256.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13685201211238016

WILKINSON, SUE. “The Modern Policing Environment.” Dealing with Uncertainties in

Policing Serious Crime, edited by Gabriele Bammer, ANU Press, 2010, pp. 15–26.

JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt24hbrf.6.

“3 Ways to Improve Police/Community Relations.” Icma.org, IMCA, icma.org/articles/article/3-

ways-improve-policecommunity-relations.