The viewpoints expressed are the official, the institutional, the functional, the associative, and the individual. The official is what the public sees, the institutional is found in in-house publications, and the functional are the official internal publications. The associative viewpoint is what is produced by gendarmerie professional associations, and the individual viewpoints are those expressed be individual gendarmerie officers, usually upon retirement. The brief article proposes not to summarize the viewpoints, but rather to suggest areas for further study. 5 notes