Throughout history police have served a variety of different purposes. In pre-modern times, the main purpose was to serve and protect society’s elite. Today, in the United States, the police are our society’s de facto responders to a wide range of social problems including homelessness, drug misuse and mental health crises. This has put a great strain on police officers and their families. A recent study indicated that only 14% of law enforcement believe the public understands what they do on a daily basis.
When a crime occurs, the police must be able to react very quickly. This includes sending officers to the scene of a crime as well as investigating it. They also need to arrest and detain suspects. In addition, the police need to communicate with the public. This can include giving directions, hosting antidrug programs like DARE or answering questions from the public. It can also involve public service announcements, which may require them to give public speeches or attend community events.
In order to maintain control over their monopoly of state sanctioned force, the police must actively cultivate the image of themselves as public servants. This can be done through making public examples of criminals, their appearance in the media and ceremonial activities such as attending funerals.