The Pete Quiñones Show

Modern Policing's Origins and Issues w/ Thomas777 - Complete

Nov 9, 2025
Explore the intriguing origins of modern policing with insights on its recent structural invention and common misconceptions. Delve into Robert Peel's motivations for establishing a professional police force and the contrast between British and continental approaches. Learn how 20th-century militarization transformed policing, highlighting key figures like William H. Parker and the evolution of units like SWAT. Finally, consider the implications of technology and privatization on the future of security strategies.
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INSIGHT

Peelian Ethics Underpin Community Policing

  • Peel's principles stressed limiting force, preserving public favor, and preventing crime rather than punish, shaping community-oriented policing.
  • Thomas777 notes the U.S. diverged from many Peel ideals, leading to more force-first models later.
INSIGHT

Cold War And Drugs Remade Policing

  • As cities and economies change, policing modes shift: community policing erodes when police become secretive, militarized, or politicized.
  • Thomas777 links late-20th century shifts (Cold War, war on drugs) to this institutional change.
ANECDOTE

How The Irish Captured Chicago Policing

  • Chicago policing became dominated by Irish immigrants who controlled unions, gangs, and then civic apparatus, including the police.
  • Thomas777 recounts meeting multigenerational Chicago cops and how policing became a family trade.
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