The Administrative Police of the Third Reich (), was not only responsible for the internal administration of the police services, but also for many administrative functions which in other countries were performed by purely civilian agencies.

State police departments

The police commissioners of the state police departments in cities were police lawyers of the administrative police with the grades of ''Polizeidirektor'' or ''Polizeipräsident''. The staff of the administrative police consisted of police lawyers, police administrative officials, as well as the jailers of the police jails. ;Mission The administrative police of the state police departments handled the following type of matters: * Financial administration of the state police department. * Passports, control of aliens, civil registration (including the Nuremberg Laws), registration of conscripts. * Traffic regulations, waterways and fire inspection. * Control of trade establishments and their licences. * Regulations on punishable offences, welfare matters, health inspection, food and veterinary inspection.

Municipal police departments

The municipal police departments handled the same type of business as the state police departments. In addition in handled the type of police duties that was reserved for the municipal authorities, such as building inspection, forest police, housing inspection, homelessness, and school attendance. Only the larger cities without a state police department had a special staff of ''Gemeindeverwaltungspolizeibeamten'', municipal administrative police officials. In smaller cities and in towns the administrative police functions were handled by the regular civil municipal administration.

Personnel

Administrative police officials belonged to the same four different career tracks as the general civil service.

Career tracks and recruitment

Grades and pay

Sources: Median annual wage for an industrial worker was 1,495 RM in 1939. In the same year the median salary for a privately employed white-collar worker was 2,772 RM. ;Promotions New rules for promotions were issued in 1943. ''Polizeiassistenten'' were eligible for promotion to ''Polizeisekretär'' after two years in the grade. Participation in a SS-Fuehrer course was mandatory for SS-members, but not for officials who didn't belong to the SS. ''Polizeisekretäre'' were eligible for promotion to ''Polizeiobersekretär'' after three years in the grade. Participation in a leadership course was mandatory for those not members of the SS.''Befehlsblatt des Chefs der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD'' 4(1943)54, p. 347. ''Polizeiinspektoren'' were eligible for promotion to ''Polizeioberinspektor'' after three years in the grade. ''Polizeioberinspektoren'' were eligible for promotion to ''Polizeirat'' after two years in the grade. ''Regierungsamtmänner'' and ''Polizeiräte'' in

RSHA The Reich Security Main Office (german: Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA) was an organization under Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacity as ''Chef der Deutschen Polizei'' (Chief of German Police) and ''Reichsführer-SS'', the head of the Nazi ...

were eligible for promotion to ''Amtsrat'' after five years in the grade. ''Amtsräte'' were eligible for promotion to ''Regierungsrat'' after five years in the grade.

References

Literature

* Boberach, Heinz (1997). ''Ämter, Abkürzungen, Aktionen des NS-Staates''. München. * Mollo, Andrew (1971). ''Uniforms of the SS - Volume 5 - Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei 1931–1945.'' London. * Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1945). ''The German Police.'' London. {{Uniforms, insignia and ranks of Nazi Germany Police units of Nazi Germany