American Police: A History, 1845-1945

by Thomas A. Reppetto

From its beginnings in eighteenth-century London, this is the history of the largest urban police departments in the United States and a social portrait of America during the first century of its existence. From the birth of the New York City Police Department in 1845 to the end of World War II, each city had its share of crime, murders, vice, drug dealers, and addicts. Boston, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles each had their own history and developed in different ways according to local realities. But in every case, each police department had to deal with its share of good and bad cops, Pinkertons, gangsters, revolutionists, politicians, reporters, muckrakers, arsonists, murderers, district attorneys, strikers, labor spies, hanging judges, and axe-swinging crusaders, as well as every conceivable element of American society high and low. But American Police also offers a view of the FBI and its legendary director, J. Edgar Hoover; District Attorney Earl Warren and police commissioners such as Teddy Roosevelt, Stephen J. O'Meara, Richard Enright, Grover Whalen, Louis J. Valentine, and August Vollmer; and tough cops like Captain William "Clubber" Williams, Johnny "the Boff" Broderick, and John Cordes. It is also the history of crime over the course of a century that transformed the United States from a former colony of the British Empire to a powerful and restless nation poised for spectacular growth. Thomas A. Reppetto , a former commander of detectives, is the author of NYPD and American Mafia .

Genres: History

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2010

Reviews

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Police: A History, 1845-1945 by Thomas Reppetto is the first of a two-volume history of law enforcement in the United States. The author starts his survey with an introductory chapter on the birth of modern policing in England in the early 19th century whose London Metropolitan Police served as a model for many police forces across the Atlantic. He then proceeds to examine in some detail the history of the municipal police departments of New York, Boston and Chicago, major urban centres who set the tone for the rest of the country. He also presents the para-military type of police force exemplified by the state police of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, law enforcement in California and the early history of the federal agencies like the Secret Service and the FBI as well as the role of private detective agencies like the Pinkertons'. Reppetto offers a mixture of brief biographies of police officers and administrators that shaped their respective departments with famous cases of the era and commentary on social issues and developments that influenced the way police operated. Though its emphasis on personalities and their exploits can be a bit tiring at times the book offers a valuable history of police development in the USA until the end of WWII with thoughtful insights on the evolution of criminal activity and social attitudes towards the police.

[Andrew Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of a two-volume history of police forces in the USA. It is a clear and often colorful narrative of the origins & development of policing up to the end of WWII. The scope includes detective agencies such as the Pinkerton detectives. Social issues surrounding law enforcement also receive due attention. The author has himself served as a policeman & administrator, so he writes from the inside, as it were. Even so, he tries to be as objective & critical as possible. He is frank about the corruption that has plagued police departments & the excessive force that has been used at times. I get the impression that Reppetto cares enough about his profession to try & help make it better. As one who works extensively with the thought of René Girard, a thinker who offers much insight into human conflict & competition, I am especially struck by the ways that police & criminals, especially political machines & organized crime, tend to become mirror images of one another so that distinctions between "good" guys and "bad" guys gets blurred. More striking is the competition within & between law enforcement agencies that are counter-productive to solving many cases. J. Edgar Hoover, for example, never wanted to co-operate with police departments or anybody else. The second volume picks up & tells the story to close to the present day. I recommend that book as well.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great account of not only the history of policing in the United States, but of the country itself. Reppetto shows the birth of an institution that too many of us take for granted today. An institution that in many ways is only now takings its first steps away from an awkward and violent adolescence. I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last and recommend it to anyone who wants a fresh view of modern American history.

As Americans we are so often led to believe that high rates of violence, corruption, and terrorism are something new to our society. This book shows that these things have always been with us, been a part of us, and defined us as a people. So too has our struggle to contain, combat, and remove these blights given us our modern policing institutions. Highly recommend. Enjoy.