Throughout history, policing and policing methodology have been publicized and scrutinized and have made the subject to negative stigma in the media. The police are supposed to protect and serve, but in some cases they use their power for personal gratification. In this article, I will cover the history of policing, the portrayal of police in the media as well as the ethics of policing. In the 19th century, the British policing system was, for the most part, highly centralized because virtually all policing and other law enforcement were at least partially controlled by the national government. The origins of modern American policing can be directly linked to England. The American policing system was, for the most part, highly decentralized because virtually all police departments and other law enforcement agencies were controlled by local neighborhood chiefs and/or other neighborhood political leaders . Policing in the United States experienced its most serious crisis in the 19th century. In 1829, the London Metropolitan Police Act established a full-time uniformed police force, whose primary purpose was to patrol the city, or preventive policing. Sir Robert Peel introduced legislation into the British Parliament setting out the terms of a police force which was to operate in the City of London. At this time, London was under siege by criminal elements and the safety of many citizens was uncertain. Pickpocketing, gambling, and theft, along with countless other crimes, were commonplace. Peel's plan was the separation of policing and the justice system. Peel and the law reformers believed that the police should be responsible for one aspect of the law, up to the prosecution phase, while the trial, conviction and punishment phase should be in their hands. ... middle of paper ... ...to examine criminal justice issues. The creation of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, the massive funding of higher education for the police, and the development of "community policing," an egalitarian model that differed considerably from the hierarchical and detached practice of "professional" policing. developed in the 1920s. Such changes were accompanied by ongoing reform during the 1970s, influenced by a new generation of university-educated police chiefs, the formation of new reform groups such as the Police Foundation and the Police Executive Research Forum, and research into the effectiveness of criminal justice practices. The criminal justice system remains imperfect. Racial discrimination, violations of citizens' rights and corruption are widespread. Racial profiling, sentencing disparities, pockets of corruption and wrongful killings remain major concerns.