Policing in the Turbulent 1960s and 1970s

The 1960s and 1970s were turbulent decades in the United States: the Civil Rights movement was in full swing, and the U.S. Supreme Court had handed down major decisions such as Mapp v. Ohio (1961), Escobedo v. Illinois (1964), and Miranda v. Arizona (1966). In just one decade, three national leaders were assassinated: President John F. Kennedy (1963), Robert Kennedy (1968) and Dr. Martin Luther King (1968). This, too, was the era of national anti-Vietnam war demonstrations, including those of college campuses, the most notable being the May 4, 1970, tragedy at Kent Sate University, where members of the Ohio National Guard killed four students and wounded another nine.

This was a particularly difficult time for the police in that they were forced to deal with civil disobedience and a general lack of respect from the younger, often referred to as the "hippie", generation. Officers were neither educated nor trained for this. Often, police met civil disobedience and disrespect with force rather than attempting dialog or understanding. This did nothing to bring the two sides together, and only served to polarize the different parties. Also emerging during this time were both black and white radical organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Black Panther Party, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), and the ever-present Ku Klux Klan just to name a few. Police believed they were besieged from all sides as pressure was exerted from these various organizations and police administrators as well.

All of this pressure generated an "us v. them" mentality among police, and fostered what came to be known as the "Fort Apache Syndrome." This moniker has its origin in the former 41st Precinct of the New York Police Department. Located in South Bronx, the rank and file of this precinct adopted this title for their station because they considered themselves surrounded by criminals. The police isolated themselves from the public eliminating lines of communication with the public thereby creating even greater distrust and often hate. Although some efforts have been made at community policing, most less than sincere and half-hearted, police are more isolated from the public than ever before. Evidence of this can be easily experienced by attempting to gain access to just about any police station. Citizens may enter only the outer portion of a police station after gaining entry through a locked door. Then the citizen must interact with the police through bullet-proof glass. This stands in stark contrast to banks, fast-food outlets, and many other stores that transact business with citizens. These concerns are much more likely to experience violent crime, than would any police station. Why this exists and how it came about will be discussed later in this course.