The analysis focused on the police role in generating the crime statistics in several types of offenses, including poaching, drunkenness, common assault, vagrancy, and simple larceny. Results indicated that the higher and much more volatile offense rate in the city indicated a higher degree of police activity; concerted police drives against undesirable behavior took place in the mid-1870's and the 1890's. Such drives were initiated by decisions of the Watch Committee, often in response to public pressure. The much steadier crime rate for the county reflected a different style of police management and less public pressure for police actions on their public-order concerns. Findings also indicated that the rural and urban economies were so interdependent by the end of the 19th century that the country's rural and urban areas did not differ substantively in their criminal activity or in the role, function, and purposes of the police. Figures and reference notes