Tuesday, April 1, 2014

The Coruscant Security Force


The Coruscant Security Force (CSF), also known as the Coruscant Police or the Coruscant Constabulary, and depending on the era, less commonly known as the Imperial Sector Police, Galactic City Police, and Republic Security, was the primary police force in charge of maintaining law and order on the galactic capital planet of Coruscant during the reigns of the Galactic Republic, the Galactic Empire, the New Republic, and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. Its duties included regular patrols of Galactic City, criminal investigations, counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence operations, crowd control, diplomatic protection, maintaining the world's skylanes, and, in some cases, the military defense of Coruscant. Early during the Republic, the CSF was commanded by the Chief of Security and centuries later by the Coruscant Security Force Senior Command, later the Sector Command. As the Empire established its rule, control of the CSF was changed from the Sector Command to a Commander, that position itself later replaced by a Commissioner. The CSF operations were based out of a central headquarters and various divisional headquarters.

Though staffed mostly by sentient police officers, droids were used as well, including different kinds of police droids, probes, and crime scene investigation droids. Major crimes were investigated by detectives, although high-ranking officers could also investigate such crimes. Specialized units included the SWAT unit, the Anti-Terrorism Unit, the Organized Crime Unit, Traffic Division, and the Forensics Unit. The lower levels of Coruscant were patrolled by the CSF's Underworld Police division. The CSF utilized VAAT/e ships, assault ships, and Republic police gunships as rapid troop deployment and patrol craft. They also had Coruscant police speeders and RapidResponse police speeders which were used as patrol and pursuit airspeeders. If at times officers felt they could be entering a dangerous area, they could receive an escort by a police cruiser backup unit.

The CSF was one of the oldest planetary police forces in the known galaxy. After the Sacking of Coruscant and the subsequent Cold War, it battled for control of Coruscant against crime syndicates such as Black Sun and the Migrant Merchants' Guild. However, with severely depleted resources and a high rate of burnout among its embittered officers, the CSF had to leave large sections of Coruscant under gang control. During the later years of the Galactic Republic, the CSF was assisted by the Senate Guards—who served as a secondary police force for Coruscant—and the Jedi Order. Together, they would investigate severe crimes though rivalry and resentment were always present. During the Clone Wars, the CSF was supported by clone shock troopers of the Coruscant Guard and the Republic's clone commandos. With them, the CSF was able to investigate and bring down several terror networks operating on Coruscant.

When Order 66 was issued, the CSF assisted in hunting down Jedi, although many CSF officers were privately resentful of Emperor Palpatine and his New Order. Some officers turned a blind eye when spotting Jedi, and in the following years others spied for the Rebel Alliance. Under the Empire, the Coruscant Guard took over the primary responsibility of Coruscant's security. The CSF acted in a support capacity to the Guard and was staffed by stormtroopers as well as regular police officers. It was also given a new name, the Imperial Sector Police, though many still referred to it as Coruscant Security, Police, or Constabulary. During that time, CSF commanders shared their police officers' resistance to the Emperor's rule. A CSF Moff even took part in and led a coup to oust Palpatine, though it ultimately failed.

The New Republic captured Coruscant in 7 ABY, disbanded the Coruscant Guard, and reinstated the CSF as the primary law enforcement agency. With the Fall of Coruscant during the Yuuzhan Vong War, most of the CSF was wiped out; however, it was re-established after the end of the conflict. The Second Galactic Civil War placed the CSF in the middle of the conflict between the Galactic Alliance and the Confederation. Some CSF officers were recruited into the Galactic Alliance Guard to counter Corellian terrorist activities on Coruscant. The GAG was later disbanded following the death of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Caedus. After the Civil War, the CSF continued to serve as Coruscant's police force. During the liberation of Coruscant by the Jedi Order from the control of the Lost Tribe of Sith, the CSF assisted the Jedi as the Sith began committing acts of terror on Coruscant. However, the CSF's casualties during the battle ran into the thousands.

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