'Police' traces to Greek 'polis' (city) — from civic constitution to law enforcement in one long journey.
The civil force of a state, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.
From French 'police' (civil administration, public order), from Latin 'politia' (citizenship, government, the state), from Greek 'politeia' (πολιτεία, citizenship, constitution, form of government), from 'politēs' (citizen), from 'polis' (city). The word's meaning shifted dramatically over centuries: Greek 'politeia' meant 'citizenship' or 'constitution' (Plato's 'Republic' is titled 'Politeia'); Latin 'politia' meant 'civil administration'; French 'police' meant 'public order and regulation'; and the modern English sense of an organized law-enforcement body dates to the early nineteenth century. Key roots
Plato's most famous work, 'The Republic,' is actually titled 'Politeia' in Greek — the same word that eventually became 'police' in English. Plato's 'Politeia' is about the ideal constitution and the just ordering of society; modern 'police' is about enforcing that order. The two meanings are