I am so bad at naming things. This is for my scifi again. Setting isn't dystopian, but, because we've successfully colonized several planets, the population is thin in some spots and there aren't enough official police per spare mile to work effectively. I need a legal-ish sounding name for a civilian who is recognized by a local government and granted the authority to arrest and hold a suspect. For anyone not familiar with the term "lay," it's for members of the church who are not full-time paid clergy, or not ordained clergy, but who perform the same or similar function. That's exactly how I'm thinking about these guys; enough of a legal backing to get the job done, unbound by jurisdiction, but not for the long term. Thanks for any input at all. I'm totally stumped.
"Deputy" *insert normal title here* would probably work best. You're effectively describing the situation on the American frontier, just in space. Many sheriff's offices were one man affairs, so the sheriff would form a posse of deputized citizens when the need for more manpower arose.
Equestris has the right of it. If you need the religious connotation, "lay deputy" would work fine. The "unbound by jdx" bit also makes me think of the U.S. Marshals. So maybe that as well. Of course, Knight of the Word would work, too. All depends on the feel you're going for.
Deputy sounds good. What about if I just called it vigilantism and established that it was legal if registered to a point (no sentencing or carrying out). Would that be weird?
To my mind, the whole point of vigilantism is that it's not supported by the government. (I'm not sure what you mean by "registered to a point" or "carrying out".)
It wouldn't be vigilantism in that case. Vigilantes by definition don't have legal authority, and almost always lay down a sentence/punishment on a captured target. Quite often death.
OMG that's what I had decided to use! I combined the two, "deputy support officer," because I thought community might imply jurisdiction. The abbreviation, DSO, sounds pretty official too. I know the gubment loves it's acronyms.
Bond agents just go after people who've broken their bail though, right? Like after arraignment when they fail to appear for court.
I personally liked just Lay Police. As soon as I read it I understood what it meant, and all the implications. I think Lay Police is simple, and yet still really powerful.
In the UK, we have Special Constables...http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/special-constables/index.html
I assumed Lay police was going to be an erotic story about a unit who police who can get laid On point i'd say deputy although vigilante would work - the name comes originally from Vigiles - Romans who patrolled the streets of rome watching for fires and also enforcing the law in a rough and ready way
Or a dystopian squad that ensured matches were only made according to the genetic planners and not just random couplings.
I was starting to worry that I was the only person in the forum who immediately thought about that kind of "lay" the moment I read the title thread.
does he bless the union in a very practical way ? (I know what a lay priest is btw - the word comes from laity - ie people who arent clergy.... ergo its not usually applied to volunteer police (or volunteer anything else) )
