AS PART OF THE 'OF THE WORLD' SERIES, THE INFORMATION IS FURNISHED IN A CLEAR STYLE SUITABLE FOR BOTH THE LAYMAN AND THE PROFESSIONAL. OVER 200 SEPARATE NATIONS RESPONDED TO REQUESTS FOR DATA FROM BOTH PUBLIC SOURCES AND POLICE HEADQUARTERS OF THE COUNTRIES. HOWEVER, DATA ON OPEN COUNTRIES, SUCH AS THE UNITED STATES AND AUSTRALIA, ARE MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN THAT PROVIDED BY THE REGIMES OF THE WARSAW PACT AREA AND SOUTH AMERICA. THE ENTRIES ARE ARRANGED IN AN ALMANAC OR DIRECTORY FORMAT, AND DO NOT PROVIDE AN EXHAUSTIVE STUDY OF EACH POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY DO FURNISH BACKGROUND ON THE COUNTRY, LANGUAGE, AND INHABITANTS, DESCRIPTIONS, OF THE NUMBER OF POLICE DEPARMENTS, AND, WHEN AVAILABLE, THE TITLE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE AND THE ADDRESS OF THE SPECIFIC AGENCY. FOR THE LARGER COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE HUNDREDS OF SEPARATE AGENCIES, REPRESENTATIVE DEPARTMENTS, SUCH AS THE MICHIGAN STATE POLICE, ARE DESCRIBED. ILLUSTRATIONS DEPICT THE FORMAL AND WORK UNIFORMS FOR MANY DEPARTMENTS AND REVEAL THE WIDE VARIETY OF EQUIPMENT USED BY AGENCIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION FOR SEVERAL COUNTRIES CONCERNS THE PARAMILITARY, GENDARMES, OR SPECIAL WEAPONS UNITS EMPLOYED FOR SERIOUS CRIME PREVENTION WORK. THE TEXT IS INDEXED. (TWK)