posse comitatus
Lawman's civilian backup
Posse comitatus is a Latin phrase meaning "power of the county"—the authority of a sheriff to summon able-bodied citizens to help keep the peace or pursue criminals.
The armed posses of Western films derive from this tradition.
In U.S. law, the Posse Comitatus Act restricts using federal military forces for domestic law enforcement: Critics argued the deployment violated posse comitatus.
County's chief officer
- deputizeAppoint as stand-in
- militiaNon-professional armed force
- hue and cryLoud public protest
- common lawJurisprudence from judicial decisions
marshal · frontier · constable · vigilance · settlers · township · magistrate · watchmen
Statute from central government
- militaryArmed forces collectively
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
- National GuardState-level reserve military
insurrection · martial law · exceptions · civil authority · prohibited · troops · defense · Coast Guard
sheriff
County's chief officer
- deputizeAppoint as stand-in
- militiaNon-professional armed force
- hue and cryLoud public protest
common law · marshal · frontier · constable · vigilance · settlers · township · magistrate · watchmen · regulators
federal law
Statute from central government
- militaryArmed forces collectively
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
National Guard · insurrection · martial law · exceptions · civil authority · prohibited · troops · defense · Coast Guard · emergency
- Military Affairsmilitary, defense secretary, War Department, defense strategy, military policy
- sheriffssheriff, deputy, deputy sheriff, county sheriff, sheriff's office
- Pseudolawsovereign citizen, legal fiction
posse comitatusstanding army
Continuously maintained military force
regular army · federal troops · national guard · military garrison · conscript army
posse comitatusmartial law
Armed forces governance
military occupation · military intervention · military rule · military jurisdiction
commit, commitment, committed, committee, posse, uncommitted, committing, noncommittal, recommit