The development of police professionalism before 1940: A case study of Bloomington, Illinois

This paper examines a small Midwestern city's conformance to ideals of police professionalism during the first period of police professionalism in the United States, 1900 to 1940. The City of Bloomington, Illinois exemplifies many smaller U.S. communities during the first half of the twentieth century and is an example of the rich local history available for research and teaching criminal justice history.;Many scholarly works have explored the history of major U.S. metropolitan police departments in detail. While many smaller communities' police departments also enjoy rich histories, little work has been done to include these sources into a total historical picture of the progression of police professionalism during the 20th century. This paper is one step toward developing a broad view of policing in U.S. history through a more local and familiar point of view.;History is a discipline that frequently frightens away students with the specter of mnemonic toil dedicated to regurgitation of obscure dates. This problem is aggravated by historical accounts distant from the student's realm of experience. Local police history provides a connection to each student's realm and builds interest and ownership. It is nearby history adjoining their cognitive world. This paper also provides an illustration of the value of local history in college-level instruction.