[originaltext] Few institutions are more important than the police, / yet the

Few institutions are more important than the police, / yet there are few subjects that historians know so little about. / Most of the early academic interests developed among political scientists, / who usually examined it with only a nod toward the past. / Yet urban society has always placed a wide responsibility on its police. / Not only were they to maintain order and prevent crime / but they were also to assist in health services, / fight fires, supervise elections, and direct traffic./ In addition, it was assumed that the police were the special guardians / of the citizens’ liberties and the community’s peace.