This paper was written in 1990-91, before any body of scholarly work had focused on the issues it addresses; consequently, it relied on primary sources such as interviews and documents, as well as newspaper and journal articles published while the changes were occurring, along with some later materials. It begins with a brief overview of the political events leading up to the changes occasioned by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, followed by descriptions of the theoretical and practical aspects of crime- fighting structures in East Germany. Changes in crime patterns in East Germany after the fall of the wall are then discussed, with attention to the problems East German police faced in dealing with increased crime. Finally, the psychological tensions in East Germany brought about by reunification are highlighted through the use of two case studies that involved the police ("squatting" and neo-Nazi incidents). 25 notes