# Are cops "civilians"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cops-civilians/360878>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [June 15, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cops-civilians/360878 "2006-06-15T23:49:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cops-civilians/360878/61 "2014-06-24T06:16:04Z")

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I’m surprised I’m the first to make this point:

To me, police are clearly “civilians” just like all the rest of us non-military folks, because they, like us are (at least in theory) subject to the “civil code”, as opposed to members of the military who are governed by the [Uniform Code of Military Justice](http://www.ucmj.us/):

> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> There has to be a word for someone not sworn to uphold the law, not with special responsibilities as an officer of the court, not with arrest powers, etc. If that word weren’t “civilian”, what \*would \* it be?

I quite prefer the word “citizen” as it seems to emphasize the fact that we have rights which ought to be respected by those enforcing our laws.

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