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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
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
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
. Historically, many cities had their own guard formations, which doubled as police and military forces in times of need.
United States
After 1830, with theIndian removal
Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a ...
policy of the federal government giving white settlers a monopoly over the land east of the Mississippi, many states disbanded their unorganized militias in favor of volunteer militia units who frequently called themselves city or national guards. These companies performed functions such as assisting local law enforcement, providing troops for ceremonies and parades or acting as a benevolent social club
A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...
. The groups of company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...
size were usually uniformed and armed themselves as well as erecting armories through their own contributions. Volunteer units of sufficient size could elect their own officers and apply for a state charter under names that they themselves chose.
Companies
*Boston City Guard *Cambridge City Guard *Chicago Light Guard http://taylors-battery.com/Pre%20war%20militia%20history%20and%20the%20formation.htm * Detroit Light Guard *Hannibal Guards * Montgomery Guards *Richardson Light Guard *Salem Light Guard *Swatara Guards *Wallace Guards *Wamesit Guard *Worcester City Guard With the unification of laws and centralization of state power (such as the Municipal Police Act of 1844 inNew York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
), such formations became increasingly incorporated into state-run police forces.
The Militia Act of 1903
The Militia Act of 1903 (), also known as the Efficiency in Militia Act of 1903 or the Dick Act, was legislation enacted by the United States Congress to create an early National Guard and which codified the circumstances under which the Guard co ...
remade city guard forces by stipulating all organized militia companies were to be incorporated into the Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the Army N ...
or Naval Militias.
See also
* City guard (Poland) * Colombo Town Guard *First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry
The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decorat ...
*Militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
* Municipal Guards
* Shurta
* Schutterij
*Watchman (law enforcement)
Watchmen were organised groups of men, usually authorised by a state, government, city, or society, to deter criminal activity and provide law enforcement as well as traditionally perform the services of public safety, fire watch, crime preven ...
Notes
Law enforcement units Military history of the United States Militia in the United States et:Munitsipaalpolitsei National Guard (United States) sk:Obecná polícia cs:Obecní policie Obsolete occupations de:Stadtpolizei nl:Stadswacht State defense forces of the United States pl:Straż miejska sv:Tornvakt {{law-enforcement-agency-stub