ABSTRACT
Modern policing has complex and intricate origins, and the histories of volunteers in policing organizations in both the United States and the United Kingdom are just as engaging. This chapter will review the historical context of volunteer policing from its foundations in England, and then will explore the use of police specials in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in a historical context. Although policing in the United States was initially based on the English principles of policing, it quickly diversified, as did the utilization of volunteers in various roles in early policing in America. This will be discussed, as will police posse formation, slave patrols, civil defense, and other forms of early voluntary policing.
