Since the law enforcement of American policing was never of high quality during the colonial period, the changes in its system were unavoidable. The first social factor influencing the police forces was the development of new technologies. Citizens were encouraged to call the police, and officers began to participate in community lives more frequently. Police officers started to solve minor problems and handle private issues, thus becoming closer to citizens and gaining their trust. With the appearance of patrol cars, police officers became more mobile and could arrive at the place of a crime faster than ever before. Moreover, they could report the case to their department by the telephone and two-way radio, which was impossible earlier.
With the end of slavery, police personnel standards changed, and they were encouraged to treat Black and White citizens equally and protect their rights in the same just and fair way. Still, the police received no trust and respect from the citizens. The government realized that changes were needed to gain this trust and make the citizens more supportive and participative. When the citizens gained the right to control the officers’ actions and report their failures and misbehavior, the police were forced to reconsider their standards and policies and developed new policing reforms.
Another reason for changes in the police forces was industrialization. More and more people began to move to the cities, which led to crimes and riots that did not exist before. Police officers could not handle such a great amount of crime because of the lack of personnel and financial support. Consequently, the government had to increase taxes to support the police. American police departments borrowed many aspects of the police work from the London police. Thus, officers began to wear a uniform and established a quasi-military structure with more authoritative and strict rules and standards.