Page 109 - The Lost Ways

Members of a posse didn’t have all the powers of a sheriff or deputy, but they did have
whatever powers the sheriff delegated to them. For example, if the posse was called out
for a manhunt, its members would be given the power to arrest the fugitive. Other times
the right to self-defense would be enough for the task.

Bringing It Up To Date

So law and order in the Old West was mostly handled by sheriffs and the help they could
draw on from their communities, either by appointing deputies or raising a posse. The big
question is, when our own society collapses, how can you use those methods to keep
yourself and the people around you safe? Is it even an appropriate way to do things?

The answer to that question has to be yes. Sheriffs, unlike most modern police forces,
belong to the old tradition of policing by consent. If the people didn’t like the job their
sheriff was doing, when his term was up, they could elect someone else. That was an
important check that kept most sheriffs honest.

Now, with the police increasingly politicized and remote from the people, the element of
consent is gone. That doesn’t matter much to a powerful government that can enforce its
will through force, but what about when that government loses control? If you want to
preserve safety in the aftermath, the first thing you need to do is get consent because
people aren’t going to accept any other form of policing.

Getting yourself elected as sheriff probably isn’t realistic in an SHTF scenario. People are
likely to be too worried and too involved in looking after themselves to feel like organizing
a town hall meeting. Security is a priority though, and it’s likely to be needed sooner
rather than later.

That means someone has to take on the responsibility. If nobody else is doing it, you’re

going to have to step up, and your first task is going to be building the consent you need.
If you just start patrolling the area with a gun, the chances are you’ll be looked at with
suspicion—but with the right groundwork, you’ll get a much better response.

The first thing to do is speak to as many of your neighbors as you can. If you can get them
all together at once, great; if not, talk to them individually. Explain that you’re worried
about lawlessness affecting you and them and that you have some ideas to help prevent
any issues. Some will immediately see the advantages. Others might need some

convincing.

Focus on these points:

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