Police

(po-lers') [Fr. ] The internal regulation of a kingdom, city, or town. In its more popular acceptation, the P. signifies the administration of the municipal laws and regulations of a city, incorporated town, or borough: as, the P. of New York, Philadelphia, . The P.. in this sense, differ from the military, in being under the command of civil officers, but they are drilled and armed in a half military manner. Their object is both to prevent and detect crime; and they are either the ordinary P., dre ed in uniform, or secret and detective P., who are not intended by their dre and manners to be distinguished from ordinary citizens; that. the guilty may neither feel themselves safe from detection, nor be so. Such a secret force requires very careful regulation, or it might lead to great abuses. [s. 719]