The Evolving Strategy of Police: A Minority View - Hubert Williams & Patrick V. Murphy (1990)

Williams and Murphy argue that the history of American policing cannot be understood without race. They contend policing evolved alongside slavery, segregation, and civil rights, producing different experiences for minority communities while revealing how social and political forces shaped police institutions.

1. American Policing Cannot Be Understood Without Race

2. Early American Policing Developed in Part to Maintain Racial and Social Control

3. Throughout the Political Era, Policing Primarily Served Those with Political Power While Excluding and Controlling Minorities

4. Professional Policing Did Not Eliminate Racial Inequality

5. Civil Rights Reforms Began Transforming Policing by Expanding Equality and Accountability

6. Community Policing Emerged Largely in Response to the Failures of Police–Community Relations

7. Community Policing Can Succeed Only if Historically Marginalized Communities Are Fully Included

Conclusion: What Assumptions Does This Paper Challenge, and What Does It Show?

Williams and Murphy challenge the assumption that the history of American policing can be understood simply as a story of improving professionalism and crime control.

They argue that this perspective ignores the experiences of Black Americans and overlooks how slavery, segregation, and racial inequality shaped the development of police institutions.

The paper also challenges the belief that professional reforms alone produced fair policing, showing that police departments often reflected the broader inequalities of the society around them.

Instead, the authors show that American policing has always been closely tied to the country’s political and social structure, especially its history of race relations.

As democracy expanded and civil rights strengthened, policing gradually became more accountable and inclusive. They conclude that community policing represents the next step in this evolution, but it can succeed only if all communities have equal political voice, meaningful influence over policing, and relationships built on trust rather than exclusion. ⭐