Open problems · Police & public safety
Policing still runs on an 1861 law
Many states still run their police under the colonial Police Act of 1861, or under laws closely based on it.
Support0
DiscussionOpen for ideas, evidence and questions.
What we know
A Model Police Act was drafted in 2006 and sent to every state. Since then about 17 to 18 states have passed new police laws or amended old ones, depending on the count, and reviews found that none of them fully follows the Supreme Court's 2006 directions. The 1861 Act still applies wherever it has not been replaced.
Open questions
- Which police law governs your state today, and when was it last changed?
- What does your state's law say about who can transfer a police officer, and why?
- Which state's police law comes closest to the Model Police Act?
No published comments yet.