Policemen in the Dock

Figures from the Prussian Justice Ministry from 1902-1905 show that Prussian criminal courts prosecuted and convicted police personnel at a surprisingly high rate, both compared to contemporary rates for London and for France, as well as compared to rates of prosecutions in many twenty-first century Western countries. These findings call for a revision of interpretations by historians as well as contemporary observers of Wilhelmine Prussia. This article has three main aims. First, to establish as much evidence as possible about the cases that led to prosecution, about the police officers who were prosecuted and convicted, as well as the punishments issued. Second, to examine the dynamics around the criminal justice process, as well as the institutional and cultural context in which Prussian prosecutors and judges operated. Third, to explore the wider implication of these court decisions in the context of public concerns about police malpractice and the pressure from the left-liberal and social democratic opposition for greater police accountability to the law.