Few historians or criminal justice researchers have utilized ethnographies as a data set to explore the evolution of the police. These rich data sources provide an insight into criminal justice mechanisms both cross-culturally and in preindustrial societies. This article highlights some of the benefits and problems associated with this type of data. Further, for an example of the utilization of ethnographic data, a refined code for police structure is tested for association with an independent variable measuring political organization. 2 tables, 7 notes, 10 references. (Author abstract)