Development of police agencies: Policing in the United States was based and expanded mainly on the ideas of the English way of policing. The English method of policing was not only used as the basis for American policing, but was also used to begin an era of evolving police agencies. In its early years, policing in the United States was widely considered a civic duty or responsibility of community members. Appointed officers were neither trained nor paid for their services to community members. As a result, chosen sheriffs were usually motivated by financial incentives and lost focus on law enforcement, which contributed to the perception that policing was primarily reactive in nature. However, the nature and structure of policing have changed significantly following the emergence of urbanisation, industrialism and society, which have resulted in an increase in crime. This has forced police or law enforcement officers to take a more proactive approach rather than the reactive approach traditionally associated with law enforcement. In particular, the history of the police has been characterized from time to time by notable changes due to various factors such as technological advances and the increase in security threats. History of Police Agencies: Modern police agencies have grown and developed since the early 1600s to become an increasingly organized group that works to prevent crime while preserving the rights and professionalism of citizens. In general, modern policing in the United States has been shaped by early English policing styles (“The History of the Police,” n.d.). This is primarily because the first organized police agencies were observed in the early 1800s, but experts...... middle of paper ......arts provide specialized uniformed services for a particular location while the investigative branches have an assigned section of the United States Code that they enforce. Specialized police agencies are departments with special jurisdiction that do not necessarily operate at the state level, such as airport and university police departments. County police agencies are the second most prevalent police departments while tribal agencies are basically a combination of local and federal uniformed police. In conclusion, police agencies in the United States have developed primarily on the basis of English policing in nature and structure. Notably, this development was also fueled by the changes that took place from time to time in society. There are currently more than 15,000 police agencies in America with different jurisdictions and different roles.