Boston was growing, and the old system was changing. In 1838, Boston established a small daytime police force alongside its existing Night Watch. By 1854, a reorganized Boston Police Department marked a major shift toward professional policing. But one much older office remained.
The arrival of professional police did not mean the disappearance of the constable.
Boston’s First Police explores Boston’s transition from the older system of constables and watchmen to organized professional policing. Beginning with the six-man Day Police established in 1838, the story follows the coexistence of the Day Police and Night Watch and the creation of the reorganized Boston Police Department in 1854.
Using historically researched details, including the distinction between early police badges and the official uniform adopted later in 1858, this volume shows how a new institution emerged without simply replacing everything that came before it.
As police increasingly assumed responsibility for public patrol, peacekeeping, crime, and disorder, constables continued performing legal process, court-directed duties, and other responsibilities retained by law.
The result was not simply the replacement of one officer by another. It was the beginning of a division of responsibilities that would shape the modern system.
The police were new. The constable was not.
