Definition of "police" []

• The governmental department charged with the regulation and control of the affairs of a community, now chiefly the department established to maintain order, enforce the law, and prevent and detect crime. (noun)
• A body of persons making up such a department, trained in methods of law enforcement and crime prevention and detection and authorized to maintain the peace, safety, and order of the community. (noun)
• A body of persons having similar organization and function: campus police. Also called police force. (noun)
• Police officers considered as a group. (noun)
• Regulation and control of the affairs of a community, especially with respect to maintenance of order, law, health, morals, safety, and other matters affecting the public welfare. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""Of course, we have," replied Müffling, smiling, "that is to say, we have a police to attend to sweeping the chimneys and cleaning the streets, but as to a _haute police_, we still live in a state of perfect innocence.""
• "It was the Parliament's first duty to see to the extraordinary police (_haute police_) in its district; it performed the duty badly and weakly."
• "* police confiscate more than $1m from phish fans* western military forces turning inward in anticipation of domestic unrest* man says he was informant for fbi in orange county* taser launches headcam for cops* new airport security rules to require more personal information* army to start liaison program with washington state police* the cia: beyond redemption & should be terminated* nfl"