To understand contemporary policing in America, it is essential to understand the history by looking at the past eras. The police have day-to-day practices influenced by deeply ingrained traditions. It's also necessary to comprehend how an officer's career begins, from the academy to the street. The effective partnership between the police and the community must also be understood to better appreciate the development and functions of police.

Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you:

Compare and contrast the major characteristics of the political and reform eras of policing.

Identify the skills and knowledge that are imparted to police trainees during their academy training and explain the importance of these skills in relation to real world applications.

Provide your own definition of community-policing and explain the difference between community policing and traditional policing.

Critically examine the important elements of implementation and evaluation phases of community policing and problem solving.

Determine the top five (5) qualities that detectives and undercover officers need to possess (one [1] being the most important). Provide a rationale for your response.

Use at least four (4) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format.