constable

n. (Abbr. Cons. or Const.)

1. A peace officer with less authority and smaller jurisdiction than a sheriff, empowered to serve writs and warrants and make arrests.
2. A medieval officer of high rank, usually serving as military commander in the absence of a monarch.
3. The governor of a royal castle.
4. Chiefly British. A police officer.

[Middle English, from Old French conestable, from Late Latin comes stabulī, officer of the stable : Latin comes, officer, companion + Latin stabulī, genitive of stabulum, stable.]

constableship con'sta·ble·ship' n.

noun

A member of a law-enforcement agency: bluecoat, finest, officer, patrolman, patrolwoman, peace officer, police, policeman, police officer, policewoman. Informal cop, law. Slang bull, copper, flatfoot, fuzz, gendarme, heat, man (often uppercase). Chiefly British bobby, peeler. See law.

Constable is a word deriving from the Latin comes stabuli. Under the Franks the role of constable developed from being in charge of the royal stables to a principal officer of the Merovingian and Carolingian kings. In general, it came to mean the chief officer of a household, court, or military forces of a ruler. More specifically, by the 11th century in France, the constable had become one of the five great offices of state with powers of jurisdiction and command over the cavalry. By the mid-14th century, the constable was supreme military commander of the army. However, after the treason of the Constable Charles de Bourbon (1523), French kings viewed the office with considerable distrust and for much of the 16th century it was allowed to remain vacant, being abolished in 1627. It was briefly revived by Napoleon who appointed his brother, Louis Bonaparte, grand constable of his new empire.

In England, the position of constable with the primary duty of command of the army, was in existence by the reign of Henry I (1100-35). Together with the marshal, the constable was the chief military officer of the crown and their combined court was known as the Court of Chivalry, responsible for the enforcement of the king's statutes in times of war and with jurisdiction over disputes relating to armourial bearings. By the time of Edward I (1272-1307), the term was being used for officers with important military commands who controlled key garrisons such as Windsor, Dover, and Conwy. Under the statute of Winchester (1285), they also had responsibility for civil jurisdiction and the power to arm militias to suppress riots and violent crimes. Both the name and the powers it implied were given to civilian policemen by Peel in 1840, the royal appointment becoming an honorific.

— Chris Mann

One of the great medieval offices of state, derived from comes stabuli, count of the stables. The first lord high constable was a supporter of the Empress Matilda, who made him earl of Hereford. It then passed to the Bohuns, on to Thomas of Woodstock, and to his descendant Edward, duke of Buckingham, executed by Henry VIII in 1521. It had acquired responsibility for the mobilization of the army, for the enforcement of martial law, and for adjudication on matters of chivalry. Scottish constables commanded the army and from the time of Robert I the office became hereditary in the Hay family, earls of Erroll.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

An official of a municipal corporation whose primary duties are to protect and preserve the peace of the community.

In medieval law, a constable was a high functionary under the French and English kings. The importance and dignity of this position was second only to that of the monarch. The constable led the royal armies and was cognizant of all military matters, exercising both civil and military jurisdiction. It was also his duty to conserve the peace of the nation.

In English law, a constable was a public civil officer whose general duty was to maintain the peace within his district, although he was frequently charged with additional obligations. "High," "petty," and "special" constables formerly existed. The police have assumed the functions of constables.

State constitutions and laws in the United States generally establish prerequisites for holding the office of constable. In most instances, a constable must be a U.S. citizen, a qualified voter, and a resident in the area of his or her jurisdiction.

The term of office and removal therefrom are usually governed by state constitutions and laws. A basis for removal may reside in neglect of duty.

A constable-elect is generally required to post a bond as security for faithful performance of the duties and obligations of the office. The bond protects those individuals who might otherwise be harmed by any possible neglect of duty.

A constable has the status of peace officer, a person designated by public authority to maintain the peace and arrest persons guilty or suspected of crime. The constable must yield to the superior authority of a sheriff, the chief executive and administrative officer of a county, where a conflict exists concerning jurisdiction.

Service of process — the delivering of a summons which informs a person that he or she is a defendant in a lawsuit — is an important function of a constable. State laws confer the power to serve process. The constable executes the process of magistrates' court and of some other tribunals. The courts do not instruct constables on the manner of serving process. The constable should exercise due diligence to make the service but is not obligated to exert every conceivable effort.

Attachment — the seizure of a debtor's property pursuant to court order — is another function of a constable. It is the constable's duty to assume custody of and carefully preserve the property to be seized. In most instances, the constable is expected to sell the property and collect and distribute the sale proceeds.

Miscellaneous duties assigned to constables by local or state law include the custody of juries, attendance at criminal court sessions, and the service of writs — court orders requiring the performance of a specified act or giving authority to have it done. The powers and duties of constables have, however, been replaced by sheriffs in many jurisdictions.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - politibetjent, kommandant

idioms:

• chief constable    politimester

Nederlands (Dutch)
politieagent, slotvoogd

Français (French)
n. - (GB) agent de police, gendarme

idioms:

• chief constable    (GB) chef de la police

Deutsch (German)
n. - Polizist

idioms:

• chief constable    Polizeidirektor

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - όργανο της τάξης, αστυφύλακας ή χωροφύλακας

idioms:

• chief constable    (Βρετ.) Αρχηγός Αστυνομίας

Italiano (Italian)
agente di polizia, poliziotto, vigile

Português (Portuguese)
n. - condestável (m), policial (m) (f)

idioms:

• chief constable    chefe (m) de polícia

Русский (Russian)
полицейский, констебль

idioms:

• chief constable    начальник полиции

Español (Spanish)
n. - policía, guardia, condestable, administrador de un castillo real

idioms:

• chief constable    jefe de policía

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - polisman, ståthållare

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
治安官, 巡官, 警官

idioms:

• chief constable    郡警察局长

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 治安官, 巡官, 警官

idioms:

• chief constable    郡警察局長

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 치안관, 순경, 성주

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 治安官, 巡査, 城守, 高官

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شرطي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שוטר, אחראי על טירה‬

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