Contrast between pre-community policing and current community policing The beginning of the three eras of policing occurred in 1845 with the organization of the police departments of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York . New York was the first city to pay police officers. New York stockbrokers went to England and returned with a policing model derived from the London Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 (Jackson, 2006. Page 14). The London Metropolitan Police Act originated with Sir Robert Peel. Peel organized policing in a professional and non-hostile manner. Once American society initiated this Peelian style of policing, police officers partially followed Peel's principles. The officers remained professional at all times, did not carry weapons and were expected to interact with community residents. Now that we have an organizational structure and a way to police effectively, we enter the political age of policing. Political Era: The political era of policing began in 1840 and ended in 1930. Early American policing was governed by local government. American police departments did not have what their British counterparts had, namely a central crown authority to establish a legitimate and unifying mandate for their enterprise (Kelling & Moore, 1988, p. 3). Police in America have received authorization and resources from local political leaders, who are often politicians. Officers were guided by law as to what duties to perform and what powers to use. Officers' ties to neighborhoods and local politicians were so close that both Jordan and Fogelson referred to early policing as an adjunct to local political machines (Kelling & Moore, 1988, p. 3). The relationship between officer and political leader was mutual, the political machines recruited and kept the police in office and in service, while the