Questions tagged [police]
Armed force of a country intended to keep order among civilians. Usually the only formation allowed to use force to maintain the law. They usually wear uniforms, but some of police officers act as secret agents.
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Is the red serge uniform worn by police in Nova Scotia in 1863 in a movie an anachronism?
The 1975 movie The Story of Adèle H, by director François Truffaut, is set mostly in Nova Scotia in 1863, when that province was a British colony and not yet a part of Canada.
A simple-minded ...
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Is there an English translation of Nicolas de la Mare's 1722 work "Traité de la Police"?
Most places on the Internet (or maybe just the sites with the best SEO) put the origins of Western policing with Scotland Yard. For example, this article says policing came to the U.S. via England, ...
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What was the "high Commissioner of the Police in Scotland" in 1777?
I was reading old newspapers, and I came across this mention of what I believe to be "high Commissioner of the Police in Scotland". I am sure of all of the words but "high", it ...
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Did Robert F. Kennedy call Police Review boards a "sinister movement against law enforcement" in the 1960's?
Background
On multiple Fraternal Order of Police websites, they state that Robert F. Kennedy was opposed to Police Review boards and called them a "sinister movement against law enforcement" ...
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When did police uniforms change in New York from the British design?
The US law enforcement system (to the best of my knowledge) has followed a system similar to the UK system. The New York Police Department (NYPD) has used uniforms that mimicked their British ...
user41672
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What was the border regime between Poland and Czechoslovakia like during the 1970s and 1980s?
Poland and Czechoslovakia shared a rather long border after WW2. This border included several touristically relevant places, e.g. Snežka in the Krkonoše mountains and several peaks in the High Tatras.
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When did one-way mirrors become widely used by police?
Watching the BBC TV series "Life on Mars", the premise of which is that a time-travelling cop from 2000s England is transported back in time to the 1970s, where he is continually confounded ...
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Did any British police force rank "Senior Superintendent"?
Hong Kong Police Force ranks "Senior Superintendent".
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) (Traditional Chinese: 高級警司): crest over pip.
Picture.
But I don't see "Senior ...
user8309
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Why was there a "workers' militia" in Eastern Europe but not in the USSR?
After WWII, especially after 1956 in several Eastern European countries the ruling Communist Parties formed "workers' and peasants' militias", see for example, Worker's Militia or Combat ...
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How was law enforcement handled in medieval China before professional police?
This question came from:
How was law enforcement handled in large US cities before professional police?
China (Zhōng Gúo 中国) has had very large cities with more than a million people since the early ...
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Is there any precedent to Duterte's "Shoot them dead" call for policy violators in a Democracy?
Quoting Reuters:
“My orders to the police and military ... if there is trouble and there’s an occasion that they fight back and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead.”
“Is that understood? Dead. ...
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How did the authorities not find the speakeasy clubs during the prohibition?
I've always been baffled and fascinated by this "prohibition" era in the USA between 1920 and 1933. That's 13 years!
I know very well about the concept of "speakeasy" clubs, that is, illegal bars. ...
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Did the Catholic Church have a police force in the medieval period?
Did the Catholic Church have a police force in the medieval period?
For example, if a British king was accused of heresy by the church, who would have arrested him?
I’m specifically interested ...
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Examples from history, way forward for failed states [closed]
What are the historic examples of countries that were failed states and then became normal states?
To narrow it down, are there historic examples of countries that were once in a similar situation ...
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Was there a Japanese equivalent of the Gestapo during WW2
Colonial Japanese rule on occupied territories has been described as harsh as has been their treatment of prisoners of war. In some cases, this was not a fleeting occupation but one lasting years or ...
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How did western saloons lock up for the night?
Old western saloon doors have spaces under them, which means people can still crawl under them and get in even if the doors are locked. How did the saloon owners lock up at night to keep people from ...
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Why weren't army snipers used at the Munich massacre?
I was reading about the history of the GSG 9 and found the following statement on Wikipedia:
"Police did not have a specialized tactical sniper team at that time.
The army had snipers, but the ...
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How were state-level suspects identified prior to photography?
From the point of view of identifying people quickly, with the full, historical coercion level of highly organized states, up to, but not including, development of photographic imaging and telegraphs, ...
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In the Soviet Union, why was the Cheka renamed so many times?
The Cheka was the secret police of the USSR. Wikipedia maintains a list of the Cheka and its subsequent renamings:
1917: Cheka
1922: GPU
1923: OGPU
1934: NKVD
1941: NKGB
1941: NKVD (again)
1943: NKGB ...
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What police department served the Kenwood neighborhood in Chicago in 1907?
Today it's the 2nd District Police Department on Wentworth, but the building is new. Can anyone tell me (or recommend sources that might tell me) where the nearest police department was at the turn of ...
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Was there any kind of detective in Ancient Rome?
Searching through some Wikipedia articles, I could only find that the city of Rome itself had vigiles (firefighters and policemen), and only in imperial times. There is no mention of detectives, be ...
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Did North African countries have a police in the 18th/19th Century?
This is just a derived question from my other question about firefighters.
I wonder if there have been special forces for security like what we call police nowadays or at least nightwatchmen in ...
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First US police officer killed in the line of duty
Who was the first US police officer killed in the line of duty? When and where did it take place? By US police officer, I mean any active-duty police officer working for any force in the US post-...
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Why are the police never responsible for guarding the Head of the State?
Why does the military provide the Head of State's honor guard? Why is the Head of State always accompanied by military personnel? Why don't the police escort the Head of State?
user806
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Private firms (aka mercenaries) as a police force
Since the police invited security firms to bid for roles in the UK, I was wondering if there are historical events where mercenaries were used to police a city (or town or local) and what the effects ...
