# Police Dept. mottos **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 1999, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022 "1999-12-12T11:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@Jorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorge)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/1 "1999-12-12T11:20:00Z")
“To Serve & Protect” in LA… “Fairness, Integrity & Respect” in Honolulu. Any others ? Particularly those with ironic twists ? * * * _O le mea a tamaali’i fa’asala, a o le mea a tufanua fa’alumaina._ ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/2 "1999-12-12T11:36:00Z")
Arlington County, VA - “Parking Meters Enforced on Saturdays Too” _(just kidding)_ ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/3 "1999-12-12T11:40:00Z")
From a Simpsons Halloween episode: “To Sever and Protect” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/4 "1999-12-12T12:29:00Z")
NYPD: “Yeah, pal, I got your law enforcement right here.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_LION](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@The\_LION](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_LION)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/5 "1999-12-12T12:47:00Z")
In Houston Texas. BANG,Halt or I will Shoot. Peace t lion * * * * * * " I Wonder What Happens When I push THIS Button? " * * * ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/6 "1999-12-12T16:00:00Z")
Pacific Grove, California: “No tickets for tourists.” ---
**Author:** ![Jorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@Jorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorge)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 1999, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/7 "1999-12-14T06:01:00Z")
Aw, c’mon… **real** ones ! ---
**Author:** ![CanadianSue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@CanadianSue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanadianSue)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 1999, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/8 "1999-12-14T06:19:00Z")
The Mounties always get their man… * * * I opened the door, and look who I found. Damn I’m good ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 1999, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/9 "1999-12-14T06:46:00Z")
Carved into the lintel of the white columned City Hall of Marks, MS (usually vying for the most impoverished county in the US): “OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW IS LIBERTY” BRRRRRRRRRRRRR! ---
**Author:** ![Jorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@Jorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorge)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/10 "1999-12-15T05:18:00Z")
elelle, that’s a good [?] one ! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/11 "1999-12-15T17:04:00Z")
Of course, the _real_ motto of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is **“Maintiens le Droit”** , which I have heard most often interpreted as “Uphold the Right (or Law)”. The buffalo head which appears on the Mountie cap badge is in reference to their first assignment in 1873-74, which was to move onto the prairies and squash the illegal liquor trade from the US, and bring law and order to what was then the North-West Territory. Visit the Mounties: [http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/](http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/) and visit the gift shop [http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/giftshop/index.html](http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/giftshop/index.html) where you can buy a used shoulder patch actually worn by a Mountie for $1.32 (seems kind of tacky to me, but…) * * * **Launcher may train without warning.** ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-dept-mottos/12022/12 "1999-12-15T19:21:00Z")
Toronto, Canada: Papers, please. * * * It’s immoral to allow a sucker to keep his money.