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Police forces have been an integral part of the fabric of American cities for two hundred years. While a lack of official records makes it difficult to pinpoint, it is no doubt that Tallahassee’s police force is among the oldest.
In 1826, shortly after the city was incorporated, they instituted a single City Marshall operating as what we know today as the police force. When needed, the service employed additional police to manage specific circumstances that arose. This sometimes included Night Watch.
The other cities officially known to have some of the oldest police departments are Philadelphia (1758) and Boston (1838).
– Rebecca Hastings, The 100 Companies