police and civilians - interesting articles

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squinty

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I was recently taken to task for hijacking a thread by quibbling over the term 'civilian' and pretty well put in my place by no less an authority than Merriam-Webster:eek:.

So I won't hijack anymore threads, and sure I'll accept that the dictionary reflects what is now common usage. Also I'll admit that police, EMS and Firefighting agencies are paramilitary organizations with military hierarchies, and that they are also members of fairly tight knit professional communities who may feel set apart from the general populace by certain unique features of their jobs, which non-members of their profession might not understand.
I am glad that there are trained competent professionals available to provide such services.

Referring to people outside the profession as 'civilians' is a convenient semantic device. But I still don't like the idea of police being separate or different from the rest of the community they serve, rather than part of it, and feel like drawing a distinction between police and 'civilians' is symptomatic of such an attitude.

Here is a link to an article on GOA's website. Check out section two "Police as a Standing Army" and "The second Amendment" (Yes I noticed that the article refers to "civilians" as a group distinct from police.)
http://gunowners.org/fs0402.htm
And a Cato Institute article.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6476
 
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The term COP is actually an acronym for "civilian on patrol", they are civilians, although while in uniform others are commonly referred to as civilians. This happens in many law enforcement fields, those in uniform, and those not are referred to differently.
The structure of law enforcement, corrections, and alot of other government organizations is paramilitary in the way they are run, but not at all like the military.
 
The term COP is actually an acronym for "civilian on patrol",
Click to expand...

Nope, try "Constable on Patrol".

Some will say that the term "COP" is a reference to the copper buttons and badges on very early NYPD uniforms. However, etymological research has shown that the term "COP" predates the NYPD, and originated in London (and spread to North America via Canada) where the lowest rank in most law enforcement organizations are titled "Police Constables".
 
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