Most generally, how did the modern idea of a dedicated police force develop and evolve? By "police force", I mean an institution whose members are ordinary citizens that have been vested with power to oversee, arrest, and even kill others in the purported interest of protecting law-abiding citizens. I would point out the police's strongly hierarchic nature too, and the fact that they are an "other" force acting over and sometimes in opposition to "normal" citizens.
I want to know the history of ideas of what kinds of power and violence are acceptable, and to whom it is acceptable to direct them, in a society. It's probably obvious, but I am coming at this from the context of American police officers' past and current brutality towards racial minorities. Indeed, it was in the wake of George Floyd's murder that I saw the claim about slave-catching patrols that sparked this question.
I am sure more will comment on this but until then similar questions have been asked here before that may answer your question.
u/Takeoffdpantsnjaket commented
u/PartyMoses commented
Hope these posts help.
The first modern western police force is usually recognised as The Metropolitan Police which was established by The Rt Hon. Sir Robert Peel in 1829 while he was serving as Home Secretary (Hence why policemen are known as "Bobbies" or "Peelers")
However it is worth pointing out the Marine Police Force was established in 1798 for the prevention of crime, mostly theft, on London's dockyards. Although this was a private, non-government organisation with limited jurisdiction and authority.
The Metropolitan Police are the reason blue is usually associated with police forces, as it was specifically chosen, along with the organisational structure, to prevent any mixup with the military. (Who of course wear red) Sergeant is the only rank which is the same as one used in the military, and this remains the case to this day. Public opinion, perhaps more so then than now was very against any deployment of the military in domestic matters, which is much of the reason the constables were not armed with anything more than a truncheon, and for several decades wore top hats to further cement their civilian appearance. Peel's entire ethos around policing was that in order to make it accepted and widespread it would have to be an official paid employment rather than the volunteer nature or magistrate appointed role that had been the norm, and that it would have to be organised along civilian lines and answerable to the public.
Despite these measures, the police force was still unpopular with the population at large on its introduction, and in fact in 1830 when the first constable was killed in the line of duty, it was returned as justifiable homicide!
'While on duty on 28 June 1830, he intervened in a fight between two drunks in Somers Town, London, during the altercation Grantham was beaten to death. At his inquest, the jury returned a verdict of "justifiable homicide", possibly due to dislike of the new police force. Grantham was held to have contributed to his own death by "over-exertion in the discharge of his duty".'
https://web.archive.org/web/20090426000459/http://www.met.police.uk/history/timeline1829-1849.htm
I appreciate your question is framed in a US context although this is never actually specified so I figured you may wish to know more about what is generally considered the first proper western police force as it certainly had influence on US policing policy either actively or subconsciously.