As the protests for the “Black Lives Matter” movement continue in full swing across the nation, following the death of George Floyd, there has been increasing aggression towards not only the police officers responsible for his death, but the American police system as a whole. Widespread criticism of corruption, terror, and racism have led many to question, if not oppose, the need for police if they seem to be doing the exact opposite of their objective to protect and serve.

However, actions and behaviors like we are seeing now is nothing new, and is deeply rooted in the history of the U.S. police.

The earliest forms of policing in the U.S. dates back to the 18th century, and were carried out differently depending on the region. In the Northeast, the growing size and diversity of cities led to an increased crime rate and subsequent emergence of volunteer night patrols to prevent crime. In the south, the slave patrol was formed, in which members were tasked with tormenting and arresting slaves to prevent revolts.

The continual surge of disorderly conduct and riots throughout the 18th and 19th centuries inspired the need for a more centralized police system. Thus, in 1838 Boston established the first American police force. By the 1880s, every major American city had its own police force. This newly formed police force followed the influence of the British police force, which adhered to a military-like administrative structure. Thus, policing in the U.S. evolved from small groups of ineffective volunteers, to a system of departments with the authority to use militaristic action to quell civil unrest.

During the rest of the 19th century, police became largely responsible for two things - breaking up unions, and participating in organized crime. Political machines recruited police to provide services for them. These services would include tormenting and arresting machine opponents, committing election fraud at the request of politicians, and ignoring politician-supervised crimes, such as prostitution, gambling, and drug dealing. In exchange police were essentially given the green light to continue to use force as well as give and receive bribes as a side business.

The 20th century became a major turning point leading up to the police we see today. Reformist August Vollmer restructured the police system, remaining in line with a militaristic model, including the creation of uniforms. J. Edgar Hoover was responsible for the creation of the FBI and the use of patrol cars.

The 1960s in particular witnessed a significant rise in tension between police and citizens. As massive protests and demonstrations came into fruition during the Civil Rights Movement, police responded with government mandated brute force. Meanwhile, President Nixon’s declaration of the war on drugs in the 1970s (which continued into the Reagan administration) led to increased militarized policing to crack down on drug users, who were often associated with African Americans. To this day the ratio between black and white incarcerations due to drugs is staggeringly imbalanced.

In the early 1990s the Department of Defense enacted the 1033 program, passing along unused military equipment to the police force. Access to such weaponry has led to an increase in force and harmful encounters with citizens and thus has shifted the perception of them to some as more harmful and menacing rather than helpful and trustworthy.

And now today we are amidst a new wave of people fighting against the police for their violent, immoral, and corrupt actions. But history suggests that the system itself was built on those actions, practically since it was first created. This has urged a new movement to defund the police. Many argue that instead of allocating mass amounts of local budgets towards the police force, the money should instead be parcelled out between various social services who may be more equipped to handle certain situations more effectively than the police. For example, having a health or medical professionals instead respond to cases of substance abuse or poor mental health. There is also support for shifting the funds towards services such as housing and education programs for marginalized groups. This could lead to decreased crime and violence as well as provide perpetrators with the opportunity of help and reform as opposed to being immediately locked up.