United States Police Department

The Canadians have the Mounties, the French have their Gendarmes, the Italians have the Carabinieris. Is it possible for the US to have a federal para-military police outfit? I think the closest thing was the US cavalry in the Indian territories.
 
Like the FBI, BATFE, DEA, and others? All of those have their own paramilitary/SWAT groups, and they can call on local or state police forces for assistance.
 
They still do. They're in charge of countering counterfeiting and currency fraud.

That's right. Everyone knows the Secret Service as the President's security detail, but they are actually the law enforcement arm of the Treasury Department.
 
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Ehm, the OP specifically asks for a paramilitary type force in Gendarmerie/Carabinieri style. FBI, BATF, DEA, US Marshals & SS :)eek:;)) all pretty much belong in the "plain-clothes detectives backed up by SWAT teams" category.

A US Gendarmerie would be a fully uniformed force of several hundred thousand men. It's roles would be more limited than most similar forces due to the federal structure of the US, but could include things like patrolling Interstates, airport police, National Parks, guarding the Capitol and the White House, perhaps guarding the border as well. Also included would be mobile units, mostly used as anti-rioting police.
 
Not really sure what this police force would do, that state and local police wont do. Unlike Canada etc the States are very protective of their independence within the USA, so while the FBI has its role a national police force doesn't.
 
I think for this you would need a POD in 1865.

Some more Confederates decide on guerrilla-type resistance to Union. While annoying, they don't constitute a real threat, and the Army doesn't want to deal with them. Lincoln (butterflies keep him alive) founds (under Allen Pinkerton) a 'National Police Force' (NPF) of Federals to hunt down the renegade Confederates.

The NPF reports to the Secretary of the Interior, and is not a branch of the military. The pay is better, and there is a command structure.

By 1868, the last of the renegade bands is hunted down, and the NPF is reduced in size, but not eliminated. They turn into poll watchers for the Republicans in the South, and are used in conventional interstate crime fighting.

Jim Crow still happens, but the Republican Party survives in the South. As the 20th century approaches, they are used in less savory work - strike breaking in particular. This proves very unpopular, and two Interior Secretaries are fired by Presidents for refusing to order the NPF to break strikes.

In the early 20th Century a particularly able Interior Secretary gets the Coast Guard put under the NPF. The NPF's duties expands to include regulating interstate commerce and trade. This butterflies the FBI, as the duties of the OTL FBI are assumed by the NPF.

During the two world wars of the 20th Century, the NPF is responsible for both counter-intelligence and domestic security of critical war facilities. In post-war era, the NPF, and its rival the CIA are heavily involved in anti-communist operations.

As the 20th Century moves on, the NPF starts infiltrating various fringe groups in the US, Aryan Nation, Black Panthers, the KKK, etc. Also gets into the anti-terrorist game.

By the 21st Century, the NPF has reached a cross roads. With international crime and especially the narcotics trade, the NPF is battling crime in more than just the United States. It has major branch offices in Mexico City, Panama, and Caracas in the Republic of Gran Columbia. Also in London, Paris, and the Prussian capital Erfurt. In the middle east, they are in Riyahd, Cairo, and the Free City of Jerusalem. And in Asia, they are in Tokyo, Singapore and New Seoul. Finally they are in all three Russian countries, with offices in Moscow, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok.

One wonders if they are just the National Police Force, or a Global one...

Mike Turcotte
 
I think for this you would need a POD in 1865.

Some more Confederates decide on guerrilla-type resistance to Union. While annoying, they don't constitute a real threat, and the Army doesn't want to deal with them. Lincoln (butterflies keep him alive) founds (under Allen Pinkerton) a 'National Police Force' (NPF) of Federals to hunt down the renegade Confederates.

The NPF reports to the Secretary of the Interior, and is not a branch of the military. The pay is better, and there is a command structure.

By 1868, the last of the renegade bands is hunted down, and the NPF is reduced in size, but not eliminated. They turn into poll watchers for the Republicans in the South, and are used in conventional interstate crime fighting.

Jim Crow still happens, but the Republican Party survives in the South. As the 20th century approaches, they are used in less savory work - strike breaking in particular. This proves very unpopular, and two Interior Secretaries are fired by Presidents for refusing to order the NPF to break strikes.

In the early 20th Century a particularly able Interior Secretary gets the Coast Guard put under the NPF. The NPF's duties expands to include regulating interstate commerce and trade. This butterflies the FBI, as the duties of the OTL FBI are assumed by the NPF.

During the two world wars of the 20th Century, the NPF is responsible for both counter-intelligence and domestic security of critical war facilities. In post-war era, the NPF, and its rival the CIA are heavily involved in anti-communist operations.

As the 20th Century moves on, the NPF starts infiltrating various fringe groups in the US, Aryan Nation, Black Panthers, the KKK, etc. Also gets into the anti-terrorist game.

By the 21st Century, the NPF has reached a cross roads. With international crime and especially the narcotics trade, the NPF is battling crime in more than just the United States. It has major branch offices in Mexico City, Panama, and Caracas in the Republic of Gran Columbia. Also in London, Paris, and the Prussian capital Erfurt. In the middle east, they are in Riyahd, Cairo, and the Free City of Jerusalem. And in Asia, they are in Tokyo, Singapore and New Seoul. Finally they are in all three Russian countries, with offices in Moscow, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok.

One wonders if they are just the National Police Force, or a Global one...

Mike Turcotte

Interesting idea Mike!
 
Taking over the Coast Guard (which is old and would have a political constituency) seems unlikely but it does seem totally reasonable for there to be three principal federal law enforcement agencies. This new Federal Police Agency (under Interior) would enforce law on federal lands and agencies, border security (but likely not Customs), interstate crime, and specifically federal crimes (if an analogue of the New Deal still occurs), the Coast Guard (under Transportation/Defense) would deal with coastal and inland waters, and the Marshal's Service (under Justice) would deal with things post-conviction (there are different rules, no presumption of innocence etc) and perhaps court security. There would still be a few other specialized agencies but we'd avoid the ridiculous alphabet soup that is modern federal law enforcement in the US.
 
I forgot to mention the German Border Police is also a gendarme type force.

Could this type of service replace the US cavalry during the Indian wars? Those type of actions are typically performed by paramilitary forces in the modern world.
 
well we have MPs (military police) they operate in bases on convoys at the airport and at the capital they include jag and ncis it is more like the police for the military but they do have other jobs

it they don't count then there is still the national guard
 
In all honesty how many police-like organisations do you americans have???


Oh, not very many at all. There's only a few, such as town and county police, state troopers, State enforcement agencies (DEP, Park Rangers, etc.), the FBI, DHS, DEA, BATFE, and other alphabet soup organizations, along with anything else the feds decide are police. That's not much at all!:eek:
 
Texas has the Texas Rangers.
As do or did a lot of other States.
I think the best bet for this would be a Official union of these into a federalized organization in the early 1800's.
Following WW1 the Federal government take over the Organization, and the Federal Rangers become TTL's FBI.
 
I think for this you would need a POD in 1865.

Some more Confederates decide on guerrilla-type resistance to Union. While annoying, they don't constitute a real threat, and the Army doesn't want to deal with them. Lincoln (butterflies keep him alive) founds (under Allen Pinkerton) a 'National Police Force' (NPF) of Federals to hunt down the renegade Confederates.

The NPF reports to the Secretary of the Interior, and is not a branch of the military. The pay is better, and there is a command structure.

By 1868, the last of the renegade bands is hunted down, and the NPF is reduced in size, but not eliminated. They turn into poll watchers for the Republicans in the South, and are used in conventional interstate crime fighting.

Jim Crow still happens, but the Republican Party survives in the South. As the 20th century approaches, they are used in less savory work - strike breaking in particular. This proves very unpopular, and two Interior Secretaries are fired by Presidents for refusing to order the NPF to break strikes.

In the early 20th Century a particularly able Interior Secretary gets the Coast Guard put under the NPF. The NPF's duties expands to include regulating interstate commerce and trade. This butterflies the FBI, as the duties of the OTL FBI are assumed by the NPF.

During the two world wars of the 20th Century, the NPF is responsible for both counter-intelligence and domestic security of critical war facilities. In post-war era, the NPF, and its rival the CIA are heavily involved in anti-communist operations.

As the 20th Century moves on, the NPF starts infiltrating various fringe groups in the US, Aryan Nation, Black Panthers, the KKK, etc. Also gets into the anti-terrorist game.

By the 21st Century, the NPF has reached a cross roads. With international crime and especially the narcotics trade, the NPF is battling crime in more than just the United States. It has major branch offices in Mexico City, Panama, and Caracas in the Republic of Gran Columbia. Also in London, Paris, and the Prussian capital Erfurt. In the middle east, they are in Riyahd, Cairo, and the Free City of Jerusalem. And in Asia, they are in Tokyo, Singapore and New Seoul. Finally they are in all three Russian countries, with offices in Moscow, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok.

One wonders if they are just the National Police Force, or a Global one...

Mike Turcotte

so cool! and even better, Teddy Roosevelt is the head of it at some point :p
 
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