# City guard
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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/City_guard.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_guard
> Source revision: 1346418539
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{short description|none}}
{{distinguish|Municipal police}}
{{Globalize|date=August 2022|2=United States}}
[[File:Edinburgh Town Guard.webp|thumb|{{circa|1800}} painting of the [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh) town guard]]
A '''city guard''', '''city watch''', '''town guard''', or '''town watch''' were local [militia](/source/militia) companies formed to enforce municipal laws. Usually subordinate to the local [municipal government](/source/municipal_government), many cities had their own guard formations which doubled as police and military forces in times of need.
== Algeria ==
The [Garde Communale](/source/Garde_communale) was a paramilitary security force that existed during the [Algerian Civil War](/source/Algerian_Civil_War).
== Brazil ==
[Municipal Guards](/source/Municipal_Guards) are the municipal police of Brazil
== Poland ==
[City Guards](/source/City_Guard_(Poland)) are the municipal police of Poland.
== Spain ==
The [Guàrdia Urbana](/source/Gu%C3%A0rdia_Urbana_de_Barcelona) is the municipal police of Barcelona.
== Ukraine ==
Many Ukrainian cities such as [Odesa](/source/Municipal_Guard_(Odesa)) have their own [municipal guards](/source/Law_enforcement_in_Ukraine).
==United States==
After 1830, with the [Indian removal](/source/Indian_removal) policy of the federal government giving white settlers a monopoly over the land east of the Mississippi, many states disbanded their unorganized militias in favor of volunteer militia units who frequently called themselves city or national guards.[p.131 Uviller, H. Richard & Merkel, William G. ''The Militia and the Right to Arms, or, How the Second Amendment Fell Silent'' Duke University Press, 20 Jan 2003] These companies performed functions such as assisting local law enforcement, providing troops for ceremonies and [parade](/source/parade)s or acting as a benevolent [social club](/source/social_club). The groups of [company](/source/Company_(military_unit)) size were usually uniformed and armed themselves as well as erecting armories through their own contributions. Volunteer units of sufficient size could elect their own officers and apply for a state charter under names that they themselves chose.[Givens, Terryl L. & Grow, Matthew J. ''Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism'' Oxford University Press, 4 Oct 2011][p. 115 Stentiford, Barry M. ''The Richardson Light Guard of Wakefield, Massachusetts: A Town Militia in War and Peace, 1851-1975'' McFarland, 17 Apr 2013]
===Companies===
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
*Boston City Guard
*Cambridge City Guard
*Chicago Light Guard [{{Cite web|url=http://taylors-battery.com/Pre%20war%20militia%20history%20and%20the%20formation.htm|title=Pre War Militia History and formation the of Battery}}]
* [Detroit Light Guard](/source/Detroit_Light_Guard)
*Hannibal Guards
* [Montgomery Guards](/source/Montgomery_Guards)
*Richardson Light Guard
*Salem Light Guard
*Swatara Guards
*Wallace Guards
*Wamesit Guard
*Worcester City Guard
{{div col end}}
With the unification of laws and centralization of state power (such as the Municipal Police Act of 1844 in [New York City](/source/New_York_City)), such formations became increasingly incorporated into state-run police forces.
The [Militia Act of 1903](/source/Militia_Act_of_1903) remade city guard forces by stipulating all organized militia companies were to be incorporated into the [Army National Guard](/source/Army_National_Guard) or [Naval Militias](/source/Naval_militia).
==See also==
*[Belgian Civic Guard](/source/Belgian_Civic_Guard)
*[Cohortes urbanae](/source/Cohortes_urbanae)
*[Guardia Urbana](/source/Guardia_Urbana_(disambiguation))
*[Schutterij](/source/Schutterij)
*[Internal security](/source/Internal_security)
*[Public Security Force (disambiguation)](/source/Public_Security_Force_(disambiguation))
*[Public security (disambiguation)](/source/Public_security_(disambiguation))
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Portal bar|History|law}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:History of law enforcement
Category:Military history
Category:Militias
Category:Municipal law enforcement agencies
Category:Paramilitary police
{{military-stub}}
[cs:Obecní policie](/source/cs%3AObecn%C3%AD_policie)
[de:Stadtpolizei](/source/de%3AStadtpolizei)
[et:Munitsipaalpolitsei](/source/et%3AMunitsipaalpolitsei)
[nl:Stadswacht](/source/nl%3AStadswacht)
[pl:Straż miejska](/source/pl%3AStra%C5%BC_miejska)
[sk:Obecná polícia](/source/sk%3AObecn%C3%A1_pol%C3%ADcia)
[sv:Tornvakt](/source/sv%3ATornvakt)
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [City guard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_guard) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_guard?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.