History of the Danbury Constables Association
The origin of the Constable begins in the Eastern Roman Empire in what is now France. "Comes" was defined as an Officer and Count, "stabuli" was defined as an Officer of the Stable, Chief Equerry, or Marshall, generally of the "stabulum", stables; therefore, the "comes stabuli" was referred to as "Count of the Stable," or "Constable". During that period of time, the Constable was chief officer of the King's household or court and often acted as commander-in-chief of the army, second only to the King. He was the highest judge in military offenses. As a result, the Constable was the supreme arbitrator in martial displays and tournaments.
In
England, Constables were mentioned as early as 871 A.D. and were
appointed by the Norman kings to head military districts that were
created when Great Britain was conquered. The functions of the
Constable then were to preserve great tracts of forest for the
King's hunting and the compilation of a detailed census or
accounting of all land, cattle, etc. Later Constables were given law
enforcement duties that included bringing the armed forces of the
local communes together for the "defense of the kingdom... and the
preservation of peace against foreigners and other disturbers of the
peace." In 19th Century England, "Scotland Yard" was created
as a new law enforcement agency which was made up of 17
superintendents, 68 inspectors, 323 sergeants and 2,906 constables.
It may interest you to know, that the nickname, "Bobbies" of the
London Constables, came from the name of Sir Robert
"Bobby" Peel
who enacted legislation to create "Scotland Yard."
When
early America was settled by English colonies, it only made sense
for the settlers to follow the form of government they knew
best...the normal English system. This is how the office of the
Constable was introduced to the U.S. At that time, Constables had
the power to levy and collect taxes as well as enforce the orders of
colonial and county officials in both civil and criminal matters. As
time went on and America came under self rule, the Constable
garnered more law enforcement power. While the ultimate origin of
the word COP is disputed, many believe that it stood for Constable
On Patrol.
The
City of Danbury Constables were a small, but dedicated group of
Police Officers who volunteered their time to patrol the streets of
the City of Danbury on foot as well as in their own marked patrol
cars. They proudly wore the standard blue police style uniform. As
Constables, the officers were sworn Peace Officers appointed under
the authority of the Mayor. Their appointments gave them the powers
of a Police Officer and enabled them to enforce the laws of the
State of Connecticut and ordinances of the City of Danbury. The
officers received in depth and ongoing training which kept them
current with not only the law but also human relations.
Earliest
records show that the Danbury Constables Association had been in
existence in the city since 1960, but Constable Chief Carlo Ross
remembered them being around long before that time. After approval
in a September 1963 referendum, Danbury's two governments (Town and
City) were consolidated into a single City of Danbury under a mayor
and council on January 1, 1965. Before this time, the
Constables were responsible for patrolling the town's boundaries
while the Police Department was responsible for patrolling the city's boundaries. A rapid increase in
Danbury's population
outside of the city's boundaries led to an increase in crime as
well. The Constables, numbering almost 60 members at this time,
often used their own personal vehicles for patrol and were
dispatched to calls from their own radio room located in a small
building on Hayestown Road.
As
the years went by, many of the members could no longer afford the
time to attend the mandatory training classes set by the MPTC
(Municipal Police Training Council) in order to remain certified as
a Police Officer. Membership gradually declined and the Danbury
Constables Association was eventually disbanded in 1993 when as few
as 6 active Constables remained.