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Gendarmerie in the Nineteenth Century: Origins of a Model

NCJ Number
141329
Journal
Cahiers de la Securite Interieure Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1992- January 1993) Pages: 43-49
Author(s)
M Broers
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The French gendarmerie has served as a model for law enforcement organizations in many nations, not because of its idealized image, but rather because of the rural-based history of the force and the rural needs of those who have copied it.
Abstract
The French gendarmerie model was copied in Europe as well as in the new world, but it was most successful in rural areas. For example, when imposed upon urban areas, such as Hamburg in 1866, it met with strong resistance. In the United States, the model was rejected for a national force. However, individual States, especially the less populated, more rural western States, used the concept to build the State Trooper and Texas Ranger law enforcement organizations. 15 notes