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119 OFFICER OF POLICE 119  Officer of Police An unwelcome intruder proved a ceaseless annoyance to the enlisted men. The regimental officer of police had the duty of inspecting living quarters of the troops and the grounds of his regiment to make sure that soldiers conformed to regulations regarding cleanliness and sanitation. He and the noncommissioned officers and drummer who accompanied him were known as the camp (or garrison) police, and sometimes, as the internal police. No other officer had a more intimate contact with the rank and file. The officer of police himself normally did not order punishment, but his reports on infractions did lead to severe penalties. The primitive living conditions in the Continental army enhanced the importance of camp police.The policing of a military area had a much more pervasive meaning to the ragtag soldiers of the Revolutionary army than it does for modern GIs. In the American army of the twentieth-first century, police call “refers to the cleaning of an area, typically in and around barracks, housing, and work stations. A police call is an informal formation, normally under the supervision of a noncommissioned officer (NCO), in which soldiers are placed on line and move through the area picking up trash and debris. On most Army posts, police calls are held daily, in the mornings.”1 Police call in the Continental army involved a more structured system of control and attention to a wider variety of camp conditions. The officer of police, who might also be regarded as a “regimental officer of the day,”2 was a subaltern, usually a lieutenant, although in garrisons sometimes a captain was employed.3 Regimental adjutants daily appointed an officer of police.4 Having a noncommissioned officer serve as officer of police was strictly forbidden. Major James Randolph Reid faced a court-martial for appointing a sergeant “to do the duty of officers of Police ”; he was reprimanded in general orders for this “unwarrantable departure ” from regulations.”5 OFFICER OF POLICE 120 The officer of police had its counterpart in the British army.6 In the American practice, in accordance with Steuben’s Regulations, the officer of police was assisted by four noncommissioned officers and a drummer.7 The “drummer of the police” was required to visit “constantly” the regimental adjutant’s office, “to be ready at all times to communicate the necessary signals.”8 With the ideal number of subalterns per regiment being sixteen (from four companies), although the count varied greatly from only a few to over twenty, on average, a subaltern pulled a tour as officer of police about every two weeks.9 The duty performance of the officer of police was freely monitored. The general officer of the day, the commander of a brigade to which the regiment belonged, and a field officer of the day were expected to “superintend the police of the camp.”10 Brigade inspectors and subinspectors were to “inspect the Police of the Camp.”11 A captain of the day, also referred to as “Police Captain,” was appointed at the brigade level, “who is generally to superintend the Police of their respective Brigades” and to give “such directions to the Regimental Officers of Police as shall be Necessary for the Cleanliness of Camp.”12 The commander of the regiment had the responsibility of drawing up “all General regulations for the internal Police of the Regiment” consistent with the overall standards for procedure of the army.13 All officers of a regiment were expected to afford the “Strictest attention” in support of the officer of police in doing his duty.14 In attending to the cleanliness of the camp and “internal regulations” in general, both the officer of police and the regimental commanding officer were “answerable” for “any neglect or irregularity.”15 The officer of police was “bound to see that there be no neglect in the Quarter Masters, or Camp-colour-men,” in reference to sanitation details.16 Any problem regarding “filthiness” was to be referred to a brigadier general, who would “afford a Remedy to it.”17 Besides overseeing camp or garrison sanitation, the officer of police had other duties. He was to make sure that “the Public property” was “not left exposed to Loss or Damage” and that fatigue parties were “employed Steadily on the Business” on which they were ordered.18 He was “to be present at all distributions in the regiment” and “to form and send off all detachments for necessaries,” such as water, wood, or...

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