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[[Image:HH Polizeihauptmeister MZ.jpg|thumb|[[Germany|German]] [[Landespolizei|State Police]] officer in [[Hamburg]].]]
[[Image:Police Poland 1 AB.jpg|thumb|right|[[Policja|Polish Police's]] [[Riot control|Anti-Riot Detachment]], filming a gathering. The film could later be presented during a [[Trial (law)|trial]] as [[evidence (law)|evidence]], or used in Police training. A [[water cannon]] is seen in the background.]]
'''ساتندويي''' (پوليس)يو ټولنيز ځواك دي چي د قانون د پلى كولو او د امنيت په تامينولو كي كار كوي د زور په كارولو سره
The term is most commonly associated with police services of a [[State (law)|state]] that are authorized to exercise the [[police power]] of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of responsibility. The word comes via [[French language|French]] ''Policier'', from [[Latin]] ''politia'' ("civil administration"), from [[ancient Greek]] [[polis|πόλις]] ("city").<ref>{{cite web|title =police| publisher "pollis" =Online Etymology Dictionary|url =http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=police&searchmode=none|accessdate =2007-02-08}}</ref>
== Overview ==
Important milestones:
*[[Hundred Years War]] (1337 to 1453): The [[French Gendarmerie]] was founded as the ''Maréchaussée'' It was renamed as the ''Gendarmerie'' during the [[French Revolution]].
*1626: The [[New York City Sheriff's Office]] was founded.
*1667 (March 15): [[King Louis XIV]] in France created the first police force in the modern sense under an official called the ''[[Prefecture of Police#List of lieutenant generals and prefects of police|lieutenant général de police]]'' ("lieutenant general of police") to police the city of Paris and to carry out national investigations at the king's request.
*1749 : The [[Bow Street Runners]] were formed by [[Henry Fielding]] in London.
*1789:
**July 16: The Paris police force was disbanded at the start of the French Revolution and policing was carried out by the National Guard and Gendarmerie.
**September 24, 1789: The [[US Marshals Service]] was established.
*1800:
**February 17: The [[Prefecture of Police|Paris police]] was recreated by [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]].<ref>{{cite web| title =La Lieutenance Générale de Police| work =La Préfecture de Police fête ses 200 ans Juillet 1800 - Juillet 2000| - Juillet publisher =La Préfecture de Police au service des Parisiens| url =http://www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr/documentation/bicentenaire/theme_expo1.htm| accessdate =}}</ref>
**June 30: The [[City of Glasgow Police]] was created, the first professional police service in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web| last =Dinsmor | first =Alastair| title =Glasgow Police Pioneers| publisher =The Scotia News| date =Winter 2003| url =http://www.scotia-news.com/issue5/ISSUE05a.htm| accessdate =2007-01-10}}</ref>
*1829:
**March 12: A decree of the French government created the first uniformed police in [[France]], known as ''sergents de ville'' ("city sergeants"), which the Paris Prefecture of Police's website claims were the first uniformed policemen in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr/documentation/bicentenaire/theme_expo4.htm |title=Bicentenaire : theme_expo4 |publisher=Prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr |date= |accessdate=2009-06-21}}</ref>
**September 29: The [[London]] [[Metropolitan Police Service|Metropolitan Police]] was established. This promoted the [[Preventive police|preventive]] role of police as a deterrent to urban [[crime]] and disorder.<ref name="brodeur284">{{cite book|last =Brodeur| first =Jean-Paul| coauthors =Eds., Kevin R. E. McCormick and Livy A. Visano| title =”High Policing and Low Policing: Remarks about the Policing of Political Activities,” Understanding Policing| publisher =Canadian Scholars’ Press| year =1992|location = |pages =284–285, 295|isbn = 1-55130-005-2}}</ref>
Law enforcement, however, constitutes only part of policing activity.<ref>{{cite book| last =Walker| first =Samuel| title =A Critical History of Police Reform: The Emergence of Professionalism| publisher =Lexington Books| year =1977| location =Lexington, MT| page =143| isbn = 978-0-6690-1292-7}}</ref> Policing has included an array of activities in different situations, but the predominant ones are concerned with the preservation of order.<ref>{{cite book| last =Neocleous| first =Mark| title =Fabricating Social Order: A Critical History of Police Power| publisher =Pluto Press| year =2004| location = | pages =93–94| isbn = 978-0-7453-1489-1}}</ref> In some societies, in the late 18<sup>th</sup> century and early 19<sup>th</sup> century, these developed within the context of maintaining the class system and the protection of private property<ref>{{cite book |last=Siegel |first=Larry J. |title=Criminolgy |pages=515,516 |publisher=Thomson Wadsworth |year=2005}} [http://books.google.com/books?id=PRmhu3M2jv8C&pg=PA515&lpg=PA515&dq=police+american+colonies&source=web&ots=Dxk8AuzQR6&sig=KokKB0NmB0Gs5DWxF3Jl3OhQQcI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result]</ref>.
Alternative names for police force include [[constabulary]], [[gendarmerie]], police department, police service, [[crime prevention]], protective services, law enforcement agency or [[Garda Síochána]], and members can be [[police officer]]s, [[Trooper (police rank)|trooper]]s, [[sheriff]]s, [[constable]]s, [[ranger]]s, [[peace officer]]s or [[gardai|Garda]]. Russian police and police of the Soviet-era Eastern Europe are (or were) called [[militsiya]].
== History ==
{{See also|History of criminal justice}}
===Ancient world===
====Ancient China====
Law enforcement in [[History of China|Ancient China]] was carried out by "prefects." The notion of a "prefect" in China has existed for thousands of years. The prefecture system developed in both the [[Chu (state)|Chu]] and [[Jin (state)|Jin]] kingdoms of the [[Spring and Autumn Period|Spring and Autumn]] period. In Jin, dozens of prefects were spread across the state, each having limited authority and employment period.
In Ancient China, prefects were government officials appointed by local magistrates, who in turn were appointed by the head of state, usually the emperor of the dynasty. The prefects oversaw the civil administration of their "[[Prefecture (China)|prefecture]]," or jurisdiction.
Prefects usually reported to the local magistrate, just as modern police report to judges. Under each prefect were "subprefects" who helped collectively with law enforcement of the area. Some prefects were responsible for handling investigations, much like modern police detectives.
Eventually the concept of the "prefecture system" would spread to other cultures such as Korea and Japan. Law enforcement in [[Ancient China]] was also relatively progressive, allowing for female prefects. Some examples of ancient Chinese prefects include: Chong Fu - prefect of the Ying District in the East Han Dynasty and Ching Chow - prefect of the modern Shang-tung Province. An example of a female prefect would by Lady Qu<ref>Whittaker, Jake. "UC Davis East Asian Studies". University of California, Davis.<http://eastasian.ucdavis.edu/research.htm>.</ref> of Wuding (serving 1531-ca. 1557).
Recent portrayals of prefects in modern popular culture include [[Jet Li]]’s portrayal of the nameless prefect in the movie [[Hero]].
====Roman Empire====
In most of the Empire, the Army provided security rather than a dedicated police organisation. Local watchmen were hired by cities to provide some extra security. In Rome itself, the [[Urban Cohort]]s were responsible for law and order and acted as a dedicated police force. Magistrates such as [[Procurator Fiscal]]s and [[quaestor]]s investigated crimes. There was no concept of public prosecution, so victims of crime or their families had to organize and manage the prosecution themselves.
=== Pre-medieval Europe ===
In [[Ancient Greece]], publicly-owned slaves were used by magistrates as police. In [[Athens]], a group of 300 [[Scythian]] slaves was used to guard public meetings to keep order and for [[crowd control]], and also assisted with dealing with [[criminals]], handling prisoners, and making arrests. Other duties associated with modern policing, such as investigating crimes, were left to the citizens themselves.<ref>{{cite book| last =Hunter| first =Virginia J.|title =Policing Athens: Social Control in the Attic Lawsuits, 420-320 B.C.| publisher =Princeton University Press| year =1994| location =Princeton, NJ| page =3| url =http://press.princeton.edu/titles/5349.html| isbn = 978-1-4008-0392-7}}</ref>
Before its decline, the [[Roman Empire]] had a relatively effective law enforcement system. When under the reign of [[Augustus]] the capital had grown to almost one million inhabitants, he created 14 [[Ward (country subdivision)|ward]]s, which were protected by seven squads of 1,000 men called "[[Vigiles]]," who guarded against fires and served as nightwatchmen.
If necessary, they might have called the [[Praetorian Guard]] for assistance. Beginning in the 5th century, policing became a function of clan chiefs and heads of state. {{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}
The [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] system of maintaining public order since the Norman conquest was a private system of [[tithing]]s, led by a [[constable]], which was based on a social obligation for the good conduct of the others; more common was that local lords and nobles were responsible to maintain order in their lands, and often appointed a [[constable]], sometimes unpaid, to enforce the law.
===European development===
====Spain====
Modern police in Europe has a precedent in the '''''[[Hermandad]]es''''', os "brotherhoods", peacekeeping associations of armed individuals, a characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain, especially in [[Castile and León|Castile]]. As medieval Spanish kings often could not offer adequate protection, protective municipal leagues began to emerge in the 12th century against [[bandit]]s and other rural criminals, and against the lawless [[nobility]] or to support one or another claimant to the crown.
These organisations were intended to be temporary, but became a long-standing fixture of Spain. The first recorded case of the formation of an hermandad occurred when the towns and the peasantry of the north united to police the pilgrim road to [[Santiago de Compostela]] in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], and protect the pilgrims against robber knights.
Throughout the Middle Ages such alliances were frequently formed by combinations of towns to protect the roads connecting them, and were occasionally extended to political purposes. Among the most powerful was the league of North Castilian and Basque ports, the [[Hermandad de las Marismas]]: [[Kingdom of Toledo|Toledo]], [[Talavera de la Reina|Talavera]], and [[Villarreal]].
As one of their first acts after the war of succession, [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|Ferdinand]] and [[Isabella I of Castile|Isabella]] established the centrally organized and efficient '''Holy Brotherhood''' (''[[Santa Hermandad]]'') as a national police force. They adapted an existing brotherhood to the purpose of a general police acting under officials appointed by themselves, and endowed with large powers of summary jurisdiction even in capital cases. The original brotherhoods continued to serve as modest local police units until their final suppression in 1835.
====Holy Roman Empire====
The [[League of the Holy Court|Fehmic courts]] of Germany provided some policing in the absence of strong state institutions.
====France====
The Gendarmerie is the direct descendant of the Marshalcy of the ancien regime, more commonly known by its French title, the Maréchaussée. During the Middle Ages, there were two Grand Officers of the Kingdom of France with police responsibilities: The Marshal of France and the Constable of France. The military policing responsibilities of the Marshal of France were delegated to the Marshal's provost, whose force was known as the Marshalcy because its authority ultimately derived from the Marshal. The marshalcy dates back to the Hundred Years War, and some historians trace it back to the early twelfth century. Another organisation, the Constabulary (French: Connétablie), was under the command of the Constable of France. The constabulary was regularised as a military body in 1337. Under King Francis I (who reigned 1515-1547), the Maréchaussée was merged with the Constabulary. The resulting force was also known as the Maréchaussée, or, formally, the Constabulary and Marshalcy of France (French: connétablie et maréchaussée de France). During the revolutionary period, marshalcy commanders generally placed themselves under the local constitutional authorities. As a result, the Maréchaussée, whose title was associated with the king, was not disbanded but simply renamed gendarmerie nationale in February 1791. Its personnel remained unchanged, and the role remained much as it was. However, from this point, the gendarmerie, unlike the marshalcy, was a fully military force.
== سرچینې ==
The first police force in the modern sense was created by the government of King [[Louis XIV]] in 1667 to police the city of [[Paris]], then the largest city in Europe. The royal edict, registered by the ''[[Parlement]]'' of Paris on March 15, 1667 created the office of ''[[Prefecture of Police#List of lieutenant generals and prefects of police|lieutenant général de police]]'' ("lieutenant general of police"), who was to be the head of the new Paris police force, and defined the task of the police as "ensuring the peace and quiet of the public and of private individuals, purging the city of what may cause disturbances, procuring abundance, and having each and everyone live according to their station and their duties".
This office was first held by [[Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie]], who had 44 ''commissaires de police'' (police commissioners) under his authority. In 1709, these commissioners were assisted by ''inspecteurs de police'' (police inspectors). The city of Paris was divided into 16 districts policed by the ''commissaires'', each assigned to a particular district and assisted by a growing bureaucracy. The scheme of the Paris police force was extended to the rest of France by a royal edict of October 1699, resulting in the creation of lieutenants general of police in all large French cities and towns.
After the [[French Revolution]], [[Napoléon I]] reorganized the police in Paris and other cities with more than 5,000 inhabitants on February 17, 1800 as the [[Prefecture of Police]]. On March 12, 1829, a government decree created the first uniformed police in [[France]], known as ''sergents de ville'' ("city sergeants"), which the Paris Prefecture of Police's website claims were the first uniformed policemen in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr/documentation/bicentenaire/theme_expo4.htm |title=Bicentenaire : theme_expo4 |publisher=Prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr |date= |accessdate=2009-06-21}}</ref>
====Britain and Ireland====
[[Image:Mounted.police.buckingham.palace.arp.jpg|thumb|Mounted officer of the [[UK|British]] [[Metropolitan Police]], the first modern police force<ref name="brodeur284"/>]]
In England a system of [[sherriff]]s, [[reeve (England)|reeve]]s, and investigative "[[jury|juries]]" had developed under the Anglo-Saxons to provide basic security and law enforcement.
After the Norman conquest, these institutions remained though their roles changed. Sherriffs in particular were responsible for keeping law and order, although they were responsible to the king and represented his interests.
In the [[United Kingdom]], the development of police forces was much slower than in the rest of Europe. The British police function was historically performed by private watchmen (existing from 1500 on), [[thief-taker]]s, and so on. The former were funded by private individuals and organisations and the latter by privately-funded rewards for catching criminals, who would then be compelled to return stolen property or pay restitution.
In 1737, [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] began paying some London and Middlesex watchmen with tax moneys, beginning the shift to government control. In 1750, [[Henry Fielding]] began organizing a force of quasi-professional constables. The [[Macdaniel affair]] added further impetus for a publicly-salaried police force that did not depend on rewards. Nonetheless, In 1828, there were [[private police|privately financed police]] units in no fewer than 45 parishes within a 10-mile radius of London.
The word "police" was borrowed from French into the English language in the 18th century, but for a long time it applied only to French and continental European police forces. The word, and the concept of police itself, was "disliked as a symbol of foreign oppression" (according to ''[[Britannica 1911]]'').
Prior to the 19th century, the only official use of the word "police" recorded in the United Kingdom was the appointment of Commissioners of Police for Scotland in 1714 and the creation of the [[Marine Police Force|Marine Police]] in 1798 (set up to protect merchandise at the [[Port of London]]). Even today, many British police forces are suffixed with "Constabulary" rather than "Police".
On June 30, 1800, the authorities of [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]] successfully petitioned the government to pass the [[Glasgow Police Act]] establishing the [[City of Glasgow Police]]. This was the first professional police service in the country and differed from previous law enforcement in that it was a [[preventive police]] force. Other Scottish towns soon followed suit and set up their own police forces through acts of parliament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotia-news.com/issue5/ISSUE05a.htm |title=Glasgow Police |publisher=Scotia-news.com |date= |accessdate=2009-06-21}}</ref>
The first organized police force in [[Ireland]] came about through the Peace Preservation Act of 1814, but the Irish Constabulary Act of 1822 marked the true beginning of the [[Royal Irish Constabulary]]. Among its first duties was the forcible seizure of tithes during the "[[Tithe War]]" on behalf of the Anglican clergy from the mainly Catholic population as well as the Presbyterian minority.
The Act established a force in each barony with [[chief constable]]s and inspectors general under the control of the civil administration at [[Dublin Castle]]. By 1841 this force numbered over 8,600 men.
The force had been rationalized and reorganized in an 1836 act and the first constabulary code of regulations was published in 1837. The discipline was tough and the pay poor. The police also faced unrest among the Irish rural poor, manifested in organizations like the [[Ribbonmen]], which attacked [[landlords]] and their property.
In [[London]], night watchmen were the first paid law enforcement body in the country, augmenting the force of unpaid constables. They guarded the streets since 1663. On September 29, 1829, the [[Metropolitan Police Act 1829|Metropolitan Police Act]] was passed by Parliament, allowing Sir [[Robert Peel]], the then [[home secretary]], to found the London [[Metropolitan Police Service|Metropolitan Police]].
[[Image:Christian Krogh-Albertine i politilægens venteværelse.jpg|thumb|"Albertine at the Police Doctor's Waiting Room", 1885-87 painting by the [[Norway|Norwegian]] writer and painter [[Christian Krohg]] illustrating his then very controversial novel ''Albertine'' about the life of a [[prostitute]]]]
These police are often referred to as ´Bobbies´ or 'Peelers' after Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel, who introduced the Police Act. They became a model for the police forces in most countries, such as the [[United States]], and most of the [[British Empire]]. [[Bobbies]] can still be found in many parts of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. The primary role of the police in Britain was keeping the [[Queen's Peace]], which continues into the present day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.together.gov.uk/article.asp?c=442&aid=1275 |title=Respect - Homepage |publisher=Together.gov.uk |accessdate=2009-06-21}}{{Dead link|date=June 2009}}</ref>
===Development of Theory ===
In Western culture, the contemporary concept of a police paid by the government was developed by French legal scholars and practitioners in the 17th and early 18th centuries, notably with Nicolas Delamare's ''[http://cujas.synasoft.fr/page.asp?Ouvrage=225&Ftime=1 Traité de la Police]'' ("Treatise on the Police"), first published in 1705. The German ''[[Polizeiwissenschaft]]'' (Science of Police) was also an important theoretical formulation of police.
As conceptualized by the ''[[Polizeiwissenschaft]]'', the police had an economic and social duty ("procuring abundance"). It was in charge of [[demographics]] concerns and of empowering the [[population]], which, according to [[mercantilist]] theory, was to be the main strength of the [[Sovereign state|state]]. Thus, its functions largely overreached simple law enforcement activities and included [[public health]] concerns, [[urban planning]] (which was important because of the [[miasma theory of disease]]; thus, [[cemeteries]] were moved out of town, etc.), and surveillance of [[prices]].<ref> [[Michel Foucault]], ''Security, Territory, Population'', 1977-78 course (published 2004)</ref>
Development of modern police was contemporary to the formation of the state, later defined by sociologist [[Max Weber]] as achieving a "[[monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force]]" and which was primarily exercised by the police and the [[military]]. [[Marxist]] theory situates the development of the modern state as part of the rise of capitalism, in which the police are one component of the [[bourgeoisie]]'s repressive apparatus for subjugating the [[working class]].
===British Empire===
In [[British North America]], policing was initially provided by local elected officials. For instance, the New York Sheriff's Office was founded in 1626, and the [[Albany County Sheriff's Department (New York)|Albany County Sheriff's Department]] in the 1660s. In the colonial period, policing was provided by elected sherriffs and local militias. In [[Canada]], the [[Royal Newfoundland Constabulary]] was founded in 1729, making it the first police force in present day Canada. It was followed in 1834 by the [[Toronto Police]], and in 1838 by police forces in [[Montreal]] and [[Quebec City]]. A national force, the [[Dominion Police]], was founded in 1868. Initially the Dominion Police provided security for parliament, but its responsibilities quickly grew. The famous [[Royal Northwest Mounted Police]] was founded in 1873. ''(See [[law enforcement in Canada]].)''
In [[Australia]] with the passing of the Police Regulation Act, 1862, the [[New South Wales Police Force]] was established and essentially tightly regulated and centralised all of the police forces operating throughout the Colony of New South Wales.
===United States===
In 1626, the New York City Sheriff's Office was founded. Other Sheriff's offices were also founded in this period, such as the [[Albany County Sheriff's Department (New York)|Albany County Sheriff's Department]] in the 1660s. In the colonial period, policing was provided by elected sherriffs and local militias.
In 1789 the US Marshals Service was established, followed by other federal services such as the US Parks Police (1791) and US Mint Police (1791).
The first city police services were established in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] in 1838, [[New York City|New York]] in 1844, and Philadelphia in 1854.
The [[US Secret Service]] was founded in 1865 and was for some time it was the main investigative body for the federal government.
After the civil war, policing became more para-military in character, with the increased use of uniforms and military ranks. Prior to this, sherriff's offices had been non-uniformed organizations without a para-military hierarchy.
In the [[American Old West]], policing was often very poor quality. The Army often provided some policing alongside poorly resourced [[sherriff]]s and temporarily organised [[posse comitatus|posse]]s. Public organizations were supplemented by private contractors, notably the [[Pinkerton National Detective Agency]], which was hired by individuals, businessmen, local governments and the federal government. At its height, the Pinkerton Agency's numbers exceeded those of the standing army of the United States.
===Other countries===
In [[Lebanon]], modern police were established in 1861, with creation of the [[Gendarmerie]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isf.gov.lb/English/LeftMenu/General+Info/History/ |title=Historical overview |publisher=Interior Security Forces (Lebanon) |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
In 1566, the first police investigator of Rio de Janeiro was recruited. By the seventeenth century, most "capitanias" already had local units with law enforcement functions. In July 9, 1775 a Cavalry Regiment was created in Minas Gerais for maintaining law and order. In 1808, the Portuguese royal family relocated to Brazil, due to the French invasion of Portugal. King João VI established the "Intendência Geral de Polícia" (General Police Intendancy) for investigations. He also created a Royal Police Guard for Rio de Janeiro in 1809. In 1831, after independence, each province started organizing its local "military police", with order maintenance tasks. The [[Federal Railroad Police]] was created in 1852.
== Personnel and organization ==
In most Western police forces, perhaps the most significant division is between preventive (uniformed) police and [[detective]]s. Terminology varies from country to country.
Police functions include protecting life and property, enforcing [[criminal law]], criminal investigations, regulating traffic, crowd control, and other public safety duties.
=== Uniformed police ===
[[Image:Brazilian Federal Highway Police.jpg|thumb|right|Brazilian [[Federal Highway Police]] at work.]]
Preventive Police, also called Uniform Branch, Uniformed Police, Uniform Division, Administrative Police, Order Police, or Patrol, designates the police which patrol and respond to emergencies and other incidents, as opposed to detective services. As the name "uniformed" suggests, they wear [[uniform]]s and perform functions that require an immediate recognition of an officer's legal authority, such as [[traffic]] control, stopping and detaining motorists, and more active crime response and prevention.
Preventive police almost always make up the bulk of a police service's personnel. In [[Australia]] and Britain, patrol personnel are also known as "general duties" officers.<ref name="bayley-1979">{{cite journal |author=Bayley, David H. |title=Police Function, Structure, and Control in Western Europe and North America: Comparative and Historical Studies |journal=Crime & Justice |volume=1 |year=1979 |pages=109–143 |id={{NCJ|63672}} |doi=10.1086/449060}}</ref> Atypically, [[Brazil]]'s preventive police are known as [[Military Police (Brazil)|Military Police]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.policiamilitar.mg.gov.br/_pmmg.htm |title=PMMG |publisher=Policiamilitar.mg.gov.br |date= |accessdate=2009-06-21}}</ref>
=== Detectives ===
[[Image:vehicle drug search australia.jpg|thumb|left|[[New South Wales Police Force]] officers search the vehicle of a suspected [[drug smuggler]] at a border crossing. [[Wentworth, New South Wales]], [[Australia]]]]
Police [[detective]]s are responsible for investigations and detective work. Detectives may be called Investigations Police, Judiciary/Judicial Police, and Criminal Police. In the [[UK]], they are often referred to by the name of their department, the [[Criminal Investigation Department|Criminal Investigation Department (CID)]]. Detectives typically make up roughly 15%-25% of a police service's personnel.
Detectives, in contrast to uniform police, typically wear 'business attire' in bureaucratic and investigative functions where a uniformed presence would be either a distraction or intimidating, but a need to establish police authority still exists. "Plainclothes" officers dress in attire consistent with that worn by the general public for purposes of blending in.
In some cases, police are assigned to work "[[undercover]]", where they conceal their police identity to investigate crimes, such as [[organized crime]] or [[narcotic]]s crime, that are unsolvable by other means. In some cases this type of policing shares aspects with [[espionage]].
Despite popular conceptions promoted by movies and television, many US police departments prefer not to maintain officers in non-patrol bureaus and divisions beyond a certain period of time, such as in the detective bureau, and instead maintain policies that limit service in such divisions to a specified period of time, after which officers must transfer out or return to patrol duties.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} This is done in part based upon the perception that the most important and essential police work is accomplished on patrol in which officers become acquainted with their beats, prevent crime by their presence, respond to crimes in progress, manage crises, and practice their skills.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}
Detectives, by contrast, usually investigate crimes after they have occurred and after patrol officers have responded first to a situation. Investigations often take weeks or months to complete, during which time detectives spend much of their time away from the streets, in interviews and courtrooms, for example. Rotating officers also promotes [[cross-training]] in a wider variety of skills, and serves to prevent "cliques" that can contribute to corruption or other unethical behavior.
=== Auxiliary ===
Police may also take on [[Auxiliary police|auxiliary]] administrative duties, such as issuing firearms licenses. The extent that police have these functions varies among countries, with police in [[France]], [[Germany]], and other [[continental Europe]]an countries handling such tasks to a greater extent than British counterparts.<ref name="bayley-1979"/>
=== Specialized units ===
[[Image:Rakshak.JPG|thumb|After the [[2008 Mumbai attacks]], the [[Mumbai Police]] created specialized, quick response teams to deal with terror threats.]]
Specialized preventive and detective groups exist within many law enforcement organizations either for dealing with particular types of crime, such as traffic law enforcement and crash investigation, [[homicide]], or [[fraud]]; or for situations requiring specialized skills, such as [[Scuba diving|underwater search]], [[aviation]], [[Bomb disposal|explosive device disposal]] ("[[bomb squad]]"), and [[computer crime]].
Most larger jurisdictions also employ specially-selected and trained quasi-[[military]] units armed with military-grade weapons for the purposes of dealing with particularly violent situations beyond the capability of a patrol officer response, including high-risk warrant service and barricaded suspects. In the United States these units go by a [[List of Special Response Units in the United States|variety of names]], but are commonly known as [[SWAT]] (Special Weapons And Tactics) teams.
In [[counter insurgency]] type campaigns, select and specially trained units of police armed and equipped as [[light infantry]] have been designated as [[police field force]]s who perform [[paramilitary]] type patrols and ambushes whilst retaining their police powers in areas that were highly dangerous.<ref>p.Davies, Bruce & McKay, Gary ''The Men Who Persevered:The AATTV'' 2005 Bruce & Unwin</ref>
Because their situational mandate typically focuses on removing innocent bystanders from dangerous people and dangerous situations, not violent resolution, they are often equipped with non-lethal tactical tools like [[chemical agents]], "[[Hand grenade#Stun grenades|flashbang]]" and concussion grenades, and rubber bullets. The London Metropolitan police's [[Specialist Firearms Command]] (CO19)<ref>formerly named SO19 {{cite web
|url=http://www.met.police.uk/co19/
|title=Metropolitan Police Service - Central Operations, Specialist Firearms unit (CO19)
|publisher=Metropolitan Police Service |accessdate=2008-08-04 }}</ref> is a group of armed police used in dangerous situations including hostage taking, armed robbery/assault and terrorism.
=== Military police ===
Military police may refer to:
* a section of the [[military]] solely responsible for policing the [[armed forces]] (referred to as [[Provost (military police)|provosts]])
* a section of the military responsible for policing in both the armed forces and in the civilian population (most [[gendarmerie]]s, such as the [[National Gendarmerie|French Gendarmerie]], the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Carabinieri]] and the [[Portuguese Republican National Guard ]] also known as GNR.
* a section of the military solely responsible for policing the civilian population (such as the [[Romanian Gendarmerie]])
* the civilian preventative police of a [[Brazilian state]] ([[Military Police (Brazil)|Policia Militar]])
== Varying jurisdictions ==
Police forces are usually organized and funded by some level of government. The level of government responsible for policing varies from place to place, and may be at the national, regional or local level. In some places there may be multiple police forces operating in the same area, with different ones having [[jurisdiction]] according to the type of crime or other circumstances.
For example in the UK policing is primarily the responsibility of a regional police force; however specialist units exist at the national level. In the US policing there is typically a state police force, but crimes are usually handled by local police forces which usually only cover a few municipalities. National agencies, such as the [[FBI]], only have jurisdiction over federal crimes or those with an interstate component.
In addition to conventional urban or regional police forces, there are other police forces with specialized functions or jurisdiction. In the [[United States]], the [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] [[United States government|government]] has a number of police forces with their own specialized jurisdictions.
Some example are the [[United States Federal Protective Service|Federal Protective Service]], which patrols and protects government buildings; the [[United States Postal Inspection Service|postal police]], which protect postal buildings, vehicles and items; the [[United States Park Police|Park Police]], which protect national parks, or [[Amtrak Police]] which patrol [[Amtrak]] stations and trains..
There are also some government agencies which perform police functions in addition to other duties. The [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] carries out many police functions for boaters.
In major cities, there may be a separate police agency for public transit systems, such as the [[New York City]] [[Port Authority Police]] or the [[MTA police]], or for major government functions, such as sanitation, or environmental functions.
[[Image:RUC PSNI Dungiven.JPG|thumb|left|A [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]]/[[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] barracks in [[Northern Ireland]]. The high walls are to protect against [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]] bomb attacks.]]
== Global policing ==
Policing plays an increasingly important role in [[United Nations peacekeeping]] and this looks set to grow in the years ahead, especially as the [[international community]] seeks to develop the [[rule of law]] and reform security institutions in States recovering from conflict.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25538&Cr=UN&Cr1=police |title=Top UN police, rule of law officials meet in Italy to discuss global policing |publisher=Un.org |date=2008-02-07 |accessdate=2009-06-21}}</ref>
== Armament and equipment ==
[[Image:Brazil Rio de Janeiro Police in North Zone Vista Alegre.JPG|thumb|right|[[VW]] - [[Volkswagen_Gol|Gol]] of [[Military_Police_(Brazil)|Military Police]] of [[Rio de Janeiro|Rio de Janeiro]] in a bus crash - The Fire arm is an [[IMBEL]] [[IMBEL_MD97|MD97L]]]]
In many jurisdictions, police officers carry [[firearm]]s, primarily handguns, in the normal course of their duties. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, and New Zealand, with the exception of specialist units, officers do not carry firearms as a matter of course.
Police often have specialist units for handling armed offenders, and similar dangerous situations, and can (depending on local laws), in some extreme circumstances, call on the [[military]] (since [[Military Aid to the Civil Power]] is a role of many armed forces). Perhaps the most high-profile example of this was, in 1980 the [[Metropolitan Police]] handing control of the [[Iranian Embassy Siege]] to the [[Special Air Service]].
They can also be equipped with [[non-lethal force|non-lethal]] (more accurately known as "less than lethal" or "less-lethal") weaponry, particularly for [[riot control]]. Non-lethal weapons include [[club (weapon)|baton]]s, [[riot control agent]]s, [[rubber bullet]]s and [[electroshock weapon]]s. The use of firearms or [[deadly force]] is typically a last resort only to be used when necessary to save human life, although some jurisdictions (such as Brazil) allow its use against fleeing felons and escaped convicts. Police officers often carry [[handcuffs]] to restrain suspects.
Modern police forces make extensive use of [[radio]] communications equipment, carried both on the person and installed in vehicles, to co-ordinate their work, share information, and get help quickly. In recent years, vehicle-installed computers have enhanced the ability of police communications, enabling easier dispatching of calls, criminal background checks on persons of interest to be completed in a matter of seconds, and updating the officer's daily activity log and other required reports on a real-time basis. Other common pieces of police equipment include [[flashlight]]s/torches, [[whistle]]s, and [[police notebook]]s and "ticketbooks" or [[summons|citations]].
=== Vehicles ===
[[Image:LAPD Police Car.jpg|thumb|left|The black and white pattern of an [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]] [[Ford Crown Victoria]] patrol car.]]
[[Image:NZHighway patrol.jpg|thumb|right|Old model [[New Zealand Police]] highway patrol vehicle]]
[[Image:TPS ETF SUV.jpg|thumb|right|[[Toronto Police]] 2008 [[Chevrolet Suburban]] police vehicle]]
[[Image:That's how we roll.jpg|thumb|left|let|[[Portland Police Bureau (Oregon)|Portland Police]] 2008 [[Dodge Charger]] Police car]]
{{Main|Police car}}
<br />
Police vehicles are used for detaining, patrolling and transporting. The common Police patrol vehicle is an improved four door [[sedan (car)|sedan]] (saloon in British English). Police vehicles are usually marked with appropriate logos and are equipped with sirens and lightbars to aid in making others aware of police presence.
Unmarked vehicles are used primarily for sting operations or apprehending criminals without alerting them to their presence. Some police forces use unmarked or minimally marked cars for traffic law enforcement, since drivers slow down at the sight of marked police vehicles and unmarked vehicles make it easier for officers to catch speeders and traffic violators. This practice is controversial, with for example New York State banning this practice in 1996 on the grounds that it endangered motorists who might be pulled over by people impersonating police officers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dao |first=James |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E1DB1E39F93BA25757C0A960958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/R/Roads%20and%20Traffic |title=Pataki Curbs Unmarked Cars' Use - The |publisher=New York Times |date=1996-04-18 |accessdate=2009-06-21}}</ref>
[[Motorcycle]]s are also commonly used, particularly in locations that a car may not be able to access, to control potential public order situations involving meetings of motorcyclists and often in escort duties where the motorcycle policeman can quickly clear a path for the escorted vehicle. [[Bicycle]] patrols are used in some areas because they allow for more open interaction with the public. In addition, their quieter operation can facilitate approaching suspects unawares and can help in pursuing them attempting to escape on foot.
Police departments use an array of specialty vehicles such as helicopters, airplanes, watercraft, command post, vans, trucks, all terrain vehicles, motorcycles, and SWAT armored vehicles.
[[Image:Nash Bearcat.JPG|thumb|left|Police Lenco Bearcat CBRNE Armored Rescue Vehicle [[Metropolitan Nashville Police SWAT]]]]
== Strategies ==
The advent of the police car, [[two-way radio]], and telephone in the early 20th century transformed policing into a reactive strategy that focused on responding to [[calls for service]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Reiss Jr, Albert J. |title=Police Organization in the Twentieth Century |journal=Crime and Justice |year=1992 |volume=51 |page=51 |id={{NCJ|138800}} |doi=10.1086/449193}}</ref> With this transformation, police command and control became more centralized.
In the United States, [[August Vollmer]] introduced other reforms, including education requirements for police officers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Finest of the Finest |publisher=TIME Magazine |date=February 18, 1966 |url=http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899019,00.html}}</ref> [[Orlando Winfield Wilson|O.W. Wilson]], a student of Vollmer, helped reduce [[police corruption|corruption]] and introduce professionalism in [[Wichita, Kansas]], and later in the [[Chicago Police Department]].<ref name="cdlib">{{cite web |url=http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=tf3v19n6s0&doc.view=entire_text |title=Guide to the Orlando Winfield Wilson Papers, ca. 1928-1972 |publisher=Online Archive of California |accessdate=2006-10-20}}</ref> Strategies employed by O.W. Wilson included rotating officers from community to community to reduce their vulnerability to corruption, establishing of a non-partisan police board to help govern the police force, a strict [[merit system]] for promotions within the department, and an aggressive recruiting drive with higher police salaries to attract professionally qualified officers.<ref name="nytimes-1960">{{cite news |title=Chicago Chooses Criminologist to Head and Clean Up the Police |publisher=United Press International/The New York Times |date=February 22, 1960}}</ref> During the professionalism era of policing, law enforcement agencies concentrated on dealing with [[felony|felonies]] and other serious crime, rather than broader focus on [[crime prevention]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Evolving Strategy of Policing: Case Studies of Strategic Change |author=Kelling, George L., Mary A. Wycoff |month=December | year=2002 |publisher=National Institute of Justice |id={{NCJ|198029}}}}</ref>
[[Image:Police-antiemeute-p1000485.jpg|thumb|right|Anti-riot armoured vehicle of the police of the Canton of [[Vaud]] in [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]]]]
The [[Kansas City preventive patrol experiment|Kansas City Preventive Patrol study]] in the 1970s found this approach to policing to be ineffective. Patrol officers in cars were disconnected from the community, and had insufficient contact and interaction with the community.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.policefoundation.org/pdf/kcppe.pdf |title=The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment - A Summary Report |publisher=Police Foundation |author=Kelling, George L., Tony Pate, Duane Dieckman, Charles E. Brown |year=1974|format=PDF}}</ref> In the 1980s and 1990s, many law enforcement agencies began to adopt [[community policing]] strategies, and others adopted [[problem-oriented policing]].
[[Fixing Broken Windows|Broken windows]] policing was another, related approach introduced in the 1980s by [[James Q. Wilson]] and [[George L. Kelling]], who suggested that police should pay greater attention to minor "quality of life" offenses and disorderly conduct. This method was first introduced and made popular by New York City Mayor, [[Rudy Giuliani]], in the early 1990s.
The concept behind this method is simple: broken windows, graffiti, and other physical destruction or degradation of property, greatly increases the chances of more criminal activities and destruction of property. When criminals see the abandoned vehicles, trash, and deplorable property, they assume that authorities do not care and do not take active approaches to correct problems in these areas. Therefore, correcting the small problems prevents more serious criminal activity.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198203/broken-windows |title=Broken Windows |publisher=Atlantic Monthly |date=March 1982 |author=Kelling, George L., James Q. Wilson |format=subscription}}</ref>
Building upon these earlier models, [[intelligence-led policing]] has emerged as the dominant philosophy guiding police strategy. Intelligence-led policing and problem-oriented policing are complementary strategies, both which involve systematic use of information.<ref>{{cite paper |author=Tilley, Nick |title=Problem-Oriented Policing, Intelligence-Led Policing and the National Intelligence Model |publisher=Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science, University College London |url=http://www.jdi.ucl.ac.uk/publications/short_reports/problem_oriented_policing.php |year=2003}}</ref> Although it still lacks a universally accepted definition, the crux of intelligence-led policing is an emphasis on the collection and analysis of information to guide police operations, rather than the reverse.<ref>{{cite web|title=Intelligence-led policing: A Definition|publisher=Royal Canadian Mounted Police|url=http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/crimint/intelligence_e.htm|accessdate=2007-06-15}}</ref>
== Power restrictions ==
{{Main|Police misconduct}}
[[Image:BT truck-AFP.jpg|thumb|[[Australian Capital Territory Police|ACT Police]] breath testing and command truck in [[Canberra]] Australia]]
In many nations, [[criminal procedure]] law has been developed to regulate officers' discretion, so that they do not arbitrarily or unjustly exercise their powers of [[arrest]], [[search and seizure]], and [[use of force]]. In the United States, ''[[Miranda v. Arizona]]'' led to the widespread use of [[Miranda warning]]s or constitutional warnings.
Police in the United States are also prohibited from holding criminal suspects for more than a reasonable amount of time (usually 72 hours) before [[arraignment]], using [[torture]] to extract [[confession]]s, using excessive force to effect an arrest, and searching suspects' bodies or their homes without a warrant obtained upon a showing of [[probable cause]].
Using deception for confessions is permitted, but not coercion. There are exceptions or exigent circumstances such as an articulated need to disarm a suspect or searching a suspect who has already been arrested (Search Incident to an Arrest). The [[Posse Comitatus Act]] severely restricts the use of the military for police activity, giving added importance to police [[SWAT]] units.
British police officers are governed by similar rules, particularly those introduced under the [[Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984]] (PACE), but generally have greater powers. They may, for example, legally search any suspect who has been arrested, or their vehicles, home or business premises, without a warrant, and may seize anything they find in a search as evidence.
All police officers in the United Kingdom, whatever their actual rank, are 'constables' in terms of their legal position. This means that a newly appointed constable has the same arrest powers as a Chief Constable or Commissioner. However, certain higher ranks have additional powers to authorize certain aspects of police operations, such as a power to authorize a search of a suspect's house (section 18 PACE) by an officer of the rank of Inspector, or the power to authorize a suspect's detention beyond 24 hours by a Superintendent.
== Conduct and accountability==
{{Refimprovesect|date=March 2009}}
[[Image:carabinieri.motorcycle.in.rome.arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Motorcycle]] of the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Carabinieri]]]]
Police services commonly include units for investigating crimes committed by the police themselves. These units are typically called Inspectorate-General, or in the USA, "[[Internal affairs (law enforcement)|internal affairs]]". In some countries separate organizations outside the police exist for such purposes, such as the British [[Independent Police Complaints Commission]].
Likewise, some state and local jurisdictions, for example, [[Springfield, Illinois]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Police review board gets started|subhead=Too early to judge its effectiveness, chairman says|author=Amanda Reavy|url=http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/112655.asp|work=The State Journal-Register Online}}</ref> have similar outside review organizations. The [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] is investigated by the [[Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland]], an external agency set up as a result of the Patten report into policing the province. In the Republic of Ireland the Garda Síochána is investigated by the [[Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission]], an independent force that replaced the Garda Complaints Board in May 2007.
The [[Special Investigations Unit]] of [[Ontario]], [[Canada]], is one of only a few civilian agencies around the world responsible for investigating circumstances involving police and civilians that have resulted in a death, serious injury, or allegations of [[sexual assault]].
[[Image:Lamborghini Polizia.JPG|thumb|left|[[Lamborghini Gallardo]] of the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Polizia di Stato|State Police]]]]
[[Image:Mounted policeman in Oslo (Norway).jpg|thumb|[[Norwegia]]n mounted policeman, [[Oslo]]]]
[[Image:Alig police camel 455.jpg|thumb|A policeman riding a [[camel]] in [[Giza]], Egypt]]
=== Use of force ===
Police forces also find themselves under criticism for their use of force, particularly [[deadly force]]. Specifically, tension increases when a police officer of one ethnic group harms or kills a suspect of another one. {{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} In the United States, such events occasionally spark protests and accusations of racism against police and allegations that police departments practice [[racial profiling]].
In the United States since the 1960s, concern over such issues has increasingly weighed upon law enforcement agencies, courts and legislatures at every level of government. Incidents such as the 1965 [[Watts Riots]], the videotaped 1991 beating by [[Los Angeles Police Department|Los Angeles Police]] officers of [[Rodney King]], and the [[1992 Los Angeles Riot|riot]] following their acquittal have been suggested by some people to be evidence that U.S. police are dangerously lacking in appropriate controls.
The fact that this trend has occurred contemporaneously with the rise of the US [[civil rights movement]], the "[[War on Drugs]]," and a precipitous rise in violent crime from the 1960s to the 1990s has made questions surrounding the role, administration and scope of police authority increasingly complicated. {{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}
Police departments and the local governments that oversee them in some jurisdictions have attempted to mitigate some of these issues through community [[outreach]] programs and [[community policing]] to make the police more accessible to the concerns of local communities, by working to increase hiring diversity, by updating training of police in their responsibilities to the community and under the law, and by increased oversight within the department or by civilian commissions.
In cases in which such measures have been lacking or absent, civil law suits have been brought by the [[United States Department of Justice]] against local law enforcement agencies, authorized under the 1994 [[Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act]]. This has compelled local departments to make organizational changes, enter into [[consent decree]] settlements to adopt such measures, and submit to oversight by the Justice Department.<ref>{{cite book |title=The New World of Police Accountability |author=Walker, Samuel |year=2005 |publisher=Sage |pages=5}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}
=== Protection of individuals ===
The [[Supreme Court of the United States]] has ruled numerous times since 1856 that law enforcement officers have no duty to protect any individual, despite the motto "protect and serve". Their duty is to enforce the law in general. The first such case was in 1856 (''South v. Maryland'') and the most recent in 2005 (''[[Castle Rock v. Gonzales|Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-278.ZS.html|title=Castle Rock v. Gonzales |accessdate=2009-03-21 |publisher=[[Cornell University Law School]]}}</ref>
In contrast, the police are entitled to protect private rights in some jurisdictions. To ensure that the police would not interfere into the regular competencies of the courts of law, some police acts require that the police may only interfere in such cases where protection from courts cannot be obtained in time, and where, without interference of the police, the realization of the private right would be impeded.<ref>See e.g. § 1 section 2 of the Police Act of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]:{{cite web
|url=http://www1.polizei-nrw.de/im/Recht/Polizeigesetz/
|title=Police Act of the German state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
|accessdate=2008-08-10
|work=polizei-nrw.de
|publisher=Land Nordrhein-Westfalen
|language=[[German language|German]]
}}</ref> This would, for example, allow police to establish a restaurant guest's identity and forward it to the inn-keeper in a case where the guest cannot pay the bill at nighttime because his wallet had just been stolen from the restaurant table.
In addition, there are Federal Law Enforcement agencies in the United States whose mission includes providing protection for executives such as the President and accompanying family members, visiting foreign dignitaries, and other high-ranking individuals.<ref> The United States Park Police Webpage, http://www.nps.gov/uspp</ref> Such agencies include The [[United States Secret Service]] and the [[United States Park Police]].
== International forces ==
{{Main|Law enforcement by country}}
In many countries, particularly those with a federal system of government, there may be several police or police-like organizations, each serving different levels of government and enforcing different subsets of the applicable law. The [[United States]] has a highly decentralized and fragmented system of law enforcement, with over 17,000 state and local law enforcement agencies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/lawenf.htm |title=Law Enforcement Statistics |publisher=Bureau of Justice Statistics |accessdate=2007-05-23}}</ref>
Some countries, such as [[Chile]], [[Israel]], the [[Philippines]], [[France]], [[Austria]], [[New Zealand]] and [[South Africa]], use a centralized system of policing.<ref>{{cite book |title=Challenges of Policing Democracies: A World Perspective |author=Das, Dilip K., Otwin Marenin |publisher=Routledge |year=2000 |pages=17}}</ref> Other countries have multiple police forces, but for the most part their jurisdictions do not overlap. In the [[United States]] however, several different law enforcement agencies may have authority in a particular jurisdiction at the same time, each with their own command.
Other countries where jurisdiction of multiple police agencies overlap, include [[Guardia Civil]] and the [[Policía Nacional (Spain)|Policía Nacional]] in [[Spain]] , the [[Polizia di Stato]] and [[Carabinieri]] in [[Italy]] and the [[Police Nationale]] and [[National Gendarmerie]] in [[France]].<ref name="bayley-1979"/>
Most countries are members of the [[International Criminal Police Organization - Interpol|International Criminal Police Organization]] (Interpol), established to detect and fight trans-national crime and provide for international co-operation and co-ordination of other police activities, such as notifying relatives of the death of foreign nationals. Interpol does not conduct investigations nor arrests by itself, but only serves as a central point for information on crime, suspects and criminals. [[Political crime]]s are excluded from its competencies.
== See also ==
{{Commons}}
{{wiktionary}}
* [[Chief of police]]
* [[Criminal justice]]
* [[Fraternal Order of Police]]
* [[Law enforcement agency]]
* [[Law enforcement and society]]
* [[Law enforcement by country]]
* [[The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc]]
* [[Police academy]]
* [[Police brutality]]
* [[Police certificate]]
* [[Police state]]
* [[Police training officer]]
* [[Public administration]]
* [[Public Security]]
* [[Private Police]]
* [[Sheriff]]
; Lists:
* [[List of basic law enforcement topics]]
* [[List of countries by size of police forces]]
* [[List of law enforcement agencies]]
* [[List of protective service agencies]]
* [[Police rank]]
== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/police/division.shtml United Nations Police Division.]
{{Law}}
[[Category:Law enforcement]]
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