
alt-text:
A purple background with two badges the explanation reads "It's our responsibility to know this history. In the 1800s, 'slave catching ' groups stopped being a volunteer endeavor, becoming paid work provided by municipal governments -- the first police officers. The two badges have the same shape one reads "runaway slave patrol" the other reads "Deputy calaveras county sheriff"
some links on the topic:
https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/origins-modern-day-policing
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_the_United_States#History
https://time.com/4779112/police-history-origins/ (note, focuses more on the police that started in the north, at a later time)