Hubby pointed out to me that we do have constables in the USA, particularly in the south. I live in the west and we don't. Here's what wikipedia says about Alabama:
In Alabama, a constable is traditionally elected in each precinct, a subdivision of a county. Constables are peace officers and have full powers of arrest, stop and search within their county. They are generally responsible for serving warrants and acting as process servers, as well as patrolling the streets and providing security for civic events. They are not funded from general tax revenues; instead, constables' fees are paid by the criminals they arrest.
In Mobile County, local attempts to require all constables to complete law enforcement training, except for those currently in office who would be grandfathered was ruled unconstitutional, though Alabama Constitutional authority to do so has so far been withheld.
And as the TV show "In Plain Sight" points out, U.S. Marshals have power in all 50 states and trump any local law. Yes, it can get confusing about who does what. US Marshals are similar in power to the RCMP and were created to enforce law in territories before we had states.
Typically each area has interagency agreements.
Hubby is out patrolling on Halloween tonight to make sure the little kids are safe and no vandalism occurs. He's a police volunteer; that is an unpaid person who can't arrest anyone but helps the police with directing traffic at accidents, tracking graffiti on walls and helping out at the desk in the Police Station. He wears a uniform and the shoulder patch says "Police Volunteer."
Artemis
