Gemeindepolizei


Gemeindepolizei is the German name for a municipal law enforcement agency. This article deals with the municipal police forces of Nazi Germany. Municipalities with more than 2,000 residents, not having a state police presence, had to have a municipal police department. The mayors were police commissioners. Under them the municipal police departments were led by professional chiefs of police. Towns with over 10,000 residents having a municipal police department were also obliged to have a municipal criminal investigation division.

Organization

Municipalities with more than 2,000 residents, not having a State protection police presence, had to have a municipal police department. In municipalities with less than 2,000 residents, the Gendarmerie was in charge of police protection. During the war, it was planned to extend the responsibility of the Gendarmerie to all towns with less than 5,000 residents, but it did not take place except to a very limited extent. In 1942 municipal police departments existed in 1,338 municipalities with more than 5,000 residents. Of these, five had more than 100,000 residents; 22 had 50–100,00, 591 had 10–50,000, and 720 had 5–10,000 residents.

Municipal police departments

In smaller towns, the Bürgermeister was police commissioner. He was subordinated to the Landrat as head of the Landkreis police administration. In a city that constituted its own Stadtkreis, the Oberbürgermeister was both police commissioner and head of the district police administration. As such he was subordinated to the Regierungspräsident in each Regierungsbezirk. Under the police commissioners the municipal police departments were led by professional chiefs of police.
Size of the municipalityPolice commissionerChief of police
27 cities with over 50,000 residentsOberbürgermeisterStadtpolizeidirektor
88 cities with 30–50,000 residentsOberbürgermeisterPolizeioberinspektor
106 cities with 20–30,000 residentsOberbürgermeisterPolizeioberkommissar
Polizeikommissar
1,117 towns with
5–20,000 residents		BürgermeisterThe nearest chief of the State protection police was also municipal chief of police.
Less than 5,000 residentsBürgermeisterThe nearest chief of the Gendarmerie was also municipal chief of police.

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Protection Police

The municipal protection police in larger cities were called Kommando der Schutzpolizei, while it in smaller municipalities was called Schutzpolizei-Dienstabteilung.
Size of the municipalityCommander of the municipal protection policeRank as
27 cities with over 50,000 residentsKommandeuer der SchutzpolizeiOberstleutnant
Major
88 cities with 30–50,000 residentsFührer der Schutzpolizei-DienstabteilungHauptmann
106 cities with 20–30,000 residentsFührer der Schutzpolizei-DienstabteilungInspektor / Revieroberleutnant
1,117 towns with
5–20,000 residents		Führer der Schutzpolizei-DienstabteilungObermeister / Revierleutnant
Meister

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''Kriminalpolizei''

Towns with over 10,000 residents having a municipal police department were also obliged to have a municipal criminal investigation division—Gemeindekriminalpolizeiabteilung. It was supervised by the nearest State criminal investigation department . As of 1943 all municipal criminal investigation divisions with more than 10 detectives were transferred to the state Kriminalpolizei.

Ranks in the municipal Kripo

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