Jump to content

City guard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bryard (talk | contribs) at 21:59, 3 September 2015. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about a historical law enforcement unit. For modern law enforcement units, which are sometimes named city guard, see municipal police.
Drum of the Edinburgh City Guard (late 18thC) bearing the city's coat of arms

A city guard, city watch, town guard, or town watch was a law enforcement and security formation found in many countries and historical periods, usually subordinate to the local municipal government. Historically many cities had their own guard formations, which doubled as police and military forces in times of need.

With the unification of laws and centralization of state power (e.g. the Municipal Police Act of 1844 in New York City, United States), such formations became increasingly incorporated into state-run police forces.

City guard in fiction

See also

Stub icon

This law enforcement agency article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=City_guard&oldid=679328524"