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Police Forces Imagine The Roaring Twenties

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Introductory Paragraph From the generals’ tents in Ancient Rome to the streets of today’s cities, police forces throughout history have repeatedly demonstrated an incredible weakness when faced with the temptation of power and greed. This caused police forces to leave citizens across the world and throughout time feeling betrayed by the very forces meant to protect them. Despite the era, political leanings, laws in place or geographic location, history has shown and continues to show us the inability of police forces to resist the influence brought forth by power, money and greed, leading to systemic corruption, unjust law enforcement, discrimination, and police militarization. The problem and influence of greed and corruption on police forces …show more content…

Prohibition lasted fourteen years. When the Volstead Act passed in 1919, the production, sale, and moving of alcohol was banned with the consequence of prosecution. Most of the public were unhappy with the ban, many claiming it was prohibition, and an infringement of their rights. With the intention of enforcing prohibition, many police were sent out to raid speakeasies, underground transportations and secret sales. Through the involvement of the police during prohibition, opportunities presented themselves, greed took over, and corruption spread, making Prohibition yet another warning of the influence of greed on police forces. Although the legislation had a good idea of what it wanted to enact, it proved impossible to enforce and ended up putting a lot of pressure onto the U.S. police forces. Originally, the government funded the training and dispersion of new police officers, hoping to make it easier to enforce the ban. However, the funds were inadequate, leading to half-heartedly trained officers and low pay. Enforcing Prohibition also took a lot of manpower, and significantly spread out police forces. The situation quickly led many police officers to become corrupt. While on the lookout for speakeasies, many officers found themselves in a position of power, often leveraging their protection for money and alcohol. Through this method of leverage, speakeasies were frequently ignored by officers if they had standing agreements. The acts displayed by the police during prohibition is a prime example of how greed and corruption can influence and effect police forces around the world. Although Prohibition took place a century ago, the pertinence of greed and corruption in police forces continues to appear in our most recent history, much like the greed and corruption of the officers during the War on

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The men who created this law were not even following it. A deputy U.S Attorney General for Prohibition enforcement, Mabel Walker Willebrandt explains she is tired of the hypocrisy. It she showed by her asking “How can you have the heart to prosecute a bootlegger, send a man to jail for six months or a year for selling a pint or quart of whiskey, when you know for a fact that the men who make the laws.. Are themselves patronizing bootleggers?”

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