Constables

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A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other people may be granted powers of a constable without holding this title.

Historically, the title comes from the Latin comes stabuli (attendant to the stables, literally 'count of the stable') and originated from the Roman Empire; originally, the constable was the officer responsible for keeping the horses of a lord or monarch.[1][2][3]

The title was imported to the monarchies of medieval Europe, and in many countries developed into a high military rank and great officer of state (e.g. the Constable of France, in French Connétable de France, who was the commander-in-chief of all royal armed forces (second to the king) until Prime Minister Cardinal Richelieu abolished the charge in 1627).

Most constables in modern jurisdictions are law enforcement officers. In the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Nations and some Continental European countries, a constable is the lowest rank of police officer (it is also, when preceded by the term sworn, used to describe any police officer with arrest and other powers), while in the United States a constable is generally an elected peace officer with lesser jurisdiction than a sheriff; however, in the Channel Islands a constable is an elected office-holder at the parish level.

Historically, a constable could also refer to a castellan, the officer charged with the defence of a castle. Even today, there is a Constable of the Tower of London.

An equivalent position is that of marshal, which derives from Old High German marah ('horse') and schalh ('servant'),[4] and originally meant "stable keeper",[5] which has a similar etymology.[6]

First Police Officers

http://www.360degrees.org/timeline/era1/era1_d.html

Around 900, the first officials whom we might recognize as police officers begin to appear — people whose primary responsibility is maintaining order rather than helping neighbors. For each hundred, a local nobleman designates a comes stabuli (literally, officer of the stable, the precursor to our modern term, constable) to lead the community's law enforcement efforts, rousing citizens and directing the action. By this time, the hundreds have been organized into still larger groups called shires, or counties. A Crown-appointed official known as a shire reeve (an early form of the word sheriff) oversees all the constables in his county. When a crime is committed and the perpetrator can be identified, a posse is organized to apprehend the lawbreaker. All able-bodied men hearing the hue and cry are obligated to take part.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constable
2. https://www.britannica.com/topic/comes-stabuli The title comes stabuli is found in the Roman and particularly in the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire from the 5th century AD as that of the head of the stables at the imperial court. The Franks borrowed the title, and under the Merovingian and Carolingian kings …
3. Constable Precinct 3 > Constable History. < link > Constable is the oldest law enforcement position in the world. The position originated from the Eastern Roman Empire. History records constables in France in the beginning of the fifth century, when they were known as the Counts of the King's Stables, which was later merged into "Counstables". The position was usually of noble birth. The count was the First Officer of the Crown of France and later became known as the Constable of France. His primary duty was commander of the King's armies and upheld the Crown Rule of Orders. The Constable was the only one permitted to carry the King's sword. According to French authors, the Constable was changed in France in 1600's by King Louis XIV to Guarde De Corps.
4. “The Origins of Policing in the United States. Memes claim that modern law enforcement evolved out of slave patrols.“ < link > The Encyclopedia of Police Science delves into the history of constables in the colonies: In the American colonies the constable was the first law enforcement officer. His duties varied from place to place according to the needs of the people he served. Usually, the constable sealed weights and measures, surveyed land, announced marriages, and executed all warrants. Additionally, he meted out physical punishments and kept the peace.