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154-642: OMON is a system of military special police units within the Armed Forces of Russia. It previously operated within the structures of the Soviet and Russian Ministries of Internal Affairs (MVD). Originating as the special forces unit of the Soviet Militsiya in 1988, it has played major roles in several armed conflicts during and following the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union . OMON

308-438: A Boston Police Department -approved academy which was a minimum of 160 training hours. However, as of 1 July 2021, most Boston special police officers were stripped of their police powers and the automatic right to carry a firearm on-duty, due to the passage of Massachusetts bill S.2963. The bill requires anyone exercising police powers, including Boston special police officers, to have graduated from an MPTC-approved academy or

462-537: A Cypriot passenger jet was hijacked by Chechen sympathisers while flying toward Germany . Both of these incidents were resolved through negotiations, and the hijackers surrendered without any fatalities being inflicted. According to the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces , 3,826 troops were killed, 17,892 troops were wounded, and 1,906 troops are missing in action . According to

616-567: A citizen's arrest . Many jurisdictions permit SPOs to carry a firearm (some even while off-duty, with some SPOs being covered under LEOSA ), but some are not permitted to do so. Even in the latter case, however, they are typically permitted to carry at least OC spray (pepper spray), a baton , and/or handcuffs . Some SPOs are permitted to conduct traffic stops . In these cases, the SPOs typically (although not always) hold "full" police powers. SPOs that are primarily responsible for law enforcement in

770-495: A police officer , immigration officer and customs officer . In United States terminology, special police can mean: While no single definition of "special police" prevails across the United States, it is typically understood to mean either a law enforcement agency working for a unique jurisdiction (such as a hospital or park) or a law enforcement officer whose authority, training, and experience may differ somewhat from

924-761: A state of emergency and threatened general mobilization if the Russian troops did not withdraw from the Chechen border. To prevent the invasion of Chechnya, he did not provoke the Russian troops. After staging another coup d'état attempt in December 1993, the opposition organized themselves into the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic as a potential alternative government for Chechnya, calling on Moscow for assistance. In August 1994,

1078-430: A "regular" law enforcement officer (LEO). The term can also refer to limited police power granted in some jurisdictions to lifeguards , SPCA personnel, teachers , and other public sector employees which is incidental to their main responsibilities. The specific powers granted to special police officers vary widely from state to states and sometimes within a single state. Some states, such as Maryland, New York, and

1232-569: A Chechen weapons cache. On 29 December, in a rare instance of a Russian outright victory, the Russian airborne forces seized the military airfield next to Grozny and repelled a Chechen counter-attack in the Battle of Khankala ; the next objective was the city itself. With the Russians closing in on the capital, the Chechens began to set up defensive fighting positions and grouped their forces in

1386-659: A Chief Officer, who has less authority over their staff than an ordinary police chief. As of 2022, there are three designated policing units in the province: the Metro Vancouver Transit Police , which provides police services to TransLink , the regional transit provider in the Vancouver metropolitan area; the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia , which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting organized crime rings; and

1540-679: A March 2000 security sweep by Russian OMON in Grozny. In 2007, Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug OMON officer Sergei Lapin was sentenced for the kidnapping and torture of a Chechen man in Grozny in 2001, with the Grozny court criticising the conduct of OMON serving in Chechnya in broader terms. In an event related to the conflict in Chechnya, several OMON officers were also accused of starting the May 2007 wave of ethnic violence in Stavropol by assisting in

1694-704: A branch of the Regular Police who were used for restoring peace and stability if it had been heavily disturbed, counter-terrorism, countering violent groups, and repressing riots (especially in prisons). The Special Police also provided security and public peace, investigated and prevented organized crime, terrorism and other violent groups; protected state and private property; and helped and assisted civilians and other emergency forces in cases of emergency, natural disasters, civil unrest and armed conflicts. The term "Special (Police) Guards" ( Greek : Ειδικοί φρουροί , romanized :  Eidikoi frouroi ) describes

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1848-461: A burned-out house holding a dead baby. Trucks with bodies piled in the back rolled through the streets on the way to the cemetery. While treating the wounded, I heard stories of young men – gagged and trussed up – dragged with chains behind personnel carriers. I heard of Russian aviators who threw Chechen prisoners, screaming, out their helicopters. There were rapes, but it was hard to know how many because women were too ashamed to report them. One girl

2002-596: A column of OMON from Sergiyev Posad in Grozny on 2 March 2000. Among other incidents, several Chechen OMON servicemen were abducted and executed in Grozny by Russian military servicemen in November 2000, members of Chechen OMON engaged in a shootout with the Ingush police on the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia resulting in eight fatalities in September 2006, and Ramzan Kadyrov -controlled local OMON clashed with

2156-400: A designated policing unit (DPU) to supplement "the policing and law enforcement otherwise provided by the provincial police force or a municipal police department." Although officers of a DPU are armed police officers with the same authority as any other municipal police officer, designated policing units must comply with stricter regulations compared to municipal police services and are led by

2310-670: A fee to anyone who has property they wish to protect. In the state of North Carolina, special police differ greatly from security companies. North Carolina Special police officers have full arrest powers on any property they are hired to protect within the state as granted by the North Carolina Attorney General. Special police officers must also attend and pass the Basic Law Enforcement Training program like all other police officers. Security officers do not have arrest powers as their job

2464-496: A firearm concealed, off-duty, anywhere in the United States, as per the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act . This act does not grant any additional police authority to individuals that fall under it. Individuals employed by private agencies, i.e. security companies, private schools, or private hospitals, do not qualify for LEOSA protections, even if they are sworn SSPOs whom are authorized to carry

2618-528: A firearm on-duty. In New Jersey , "special police" generally refers to "Special Law Enforcement Officers" (SLEOs), whom are typically utilized to supplement full-time "regular" police officers. As codified within New Jersey state law, there are currently three classes of SLEOs, divided into "Class I", "Class II", and "Class III". Class I SLEOs are allowed to conduct routine traffic detail, spectator control, and similar duties, but are not authorized to carry

2772-401: A firearm while on duty. Such SLEOs are required to attend and graduate a state-approved "Class I academy". Class II SLEOs must attend a state-approved "Class II academy" and are afforded full police powers while on-duty. They are authorized to carry a firearm. Class III SLEO licenses are reserved for retired and fully-trained police officers who are under the age of 65 years old. They serve on

2926-762: A given jurisdiction (such as hospital or campus police) are more likely to hold this authority than, for example, an SPO working for a municipality's law enforcement agency as an auxiliary law enforcement officer. Uniforms of SPOs also vary widely. SPOs that hold no or limited police authority are typically uniformed in a manner that makes it immediately apparent that they are not "regular" law enforcement. This may range from distinctly different color uniforms than what local regular LEOs wear to some sort of patch or badge clearly identifying them as "special", "reserve", or "auxiliary" LEOs. SPOs whom hold "full" law enforcement authority typically wear uniforms that are similar to other local LEOs. While individual departments are usually given

3080-490: A group of rival Chechens belonging to the Kakiyev's Spetsnaz GRU military unit in Grozny, resulting in at least five being killed in 2007. OMON was often accused of severe human rights abuses during the course of the conflict, including abducting, torturing, raping and killing civilians. By 2000, the bulk of such crimes, as recorded by international organisations in Chechnya, appeared to have been committed either by or with

3234-492: A high proportion of initial civilian casualties were inflicted against ethnic Russians who were unable to find viable escape routes. The villages were also attacked from the first weeks of the conflict (Russian cluster bombs , for example, killed at least 55 civilians during the 3 January 1995 Shali cluster bomb attack ). Russian soldiers often prevented civilians from evacuating areas of imminent danger and prevented humanitarian organizations from assisting civilians in need. It

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3388-646: A limited number of armored personnel carriers such as GAZ Tigr , BTR-60 , BTR-70 and BTR-80 . OMON's headgear remains their signature black beret (they are thus sometimes called Black Berets ), which they share with the Naval Infantry . OMON, as part of the RosGvard, is transitioning to the Russian version of the ATACS LE (blue/grey) but units are still seen wearing the traditional Noch-91 uniform in all-black, and blue or gray Tigerstripe camouflage,

3542-459: A massive scale, kidnapped or killed Chechens considered to be collaborators and mistreated civilian captives and federal prisoners of war (especially pilots). Russian federal forces kidnapped hostages for ransom and used human shields for cover during the fighting and movement of troops (for example, a group of surrounded Russian troops took approximately 500 civilian hostages at Grozny's 9th Municipal Hospital). The violations committed by members of

3696-518: A month after the initial conflict, Chechen fighters successfully carried out an ambush near Shatoy , wiping out an entire Russian armored column resulting in losses up to 220 soldiers killed in action. In another attack near Vedeno , at least 28 Russian soldiers were killed in action. As military defeats and growing casualties made the war more and more unpopular in Russia, and as the 1996 presidential elections neared, Boris Yeltsin 's government sought

3850-454: A municipal water supply system are permitted to appoint special police officers which possess police powers for the purposes of maintaining the purity of drinking water. The regional government Metro appoints special police for the purposes of enforcing parking laws and codes. The city of Portland also commissions special police officers for this purpose. The Smithsonian museum utilizes federal employees designated as "special police" under

4004-896: A not uncommon sight has been a variety of Russian Army and Russian Internal Troops uniforms, often with (black) balaclava masks and/or helmets. Special police "Special police" is not a term used in Canada, but specialized police agencies exist in Alberta , British Columbia , Nova Scotia , and Ontario . Canada also makes use of special constables , a similar concept to "special police". In Alberta, special police forces can be maintained by transit authorities and universities and are usually referred to as protective services. Protective services are staffed by unarmed community peace officers who have law enforcement powers but cannot enforce criminal legislation. In British Columbia, any provincially-approved entity or First Nation can establish

4158-491: A number of demonstrators. The ruins of the presidential palace, the symbol of Chechen independence, were then demolished two days later. On 6 March 1996, a group of Chechen fighters infiltrated Grozny and launched a three-day surprise raid on the city, taking most of it and capturing caches of weapons and ammunition. During the battle, much of the Russian troops were wiped out, with most of them surrendering or routing. After two columns of Russian reinforcements were destroyed on

4312-568: A part-time LEO, and have an associate's degree or higher in criminal justice ; SSPO candidates whom have a significant full-time LE work history and have previously completed any LE academy may also apply for a training waiver from the MSP. SSPOs typically have the same police powers as "regular" police officers within the commonwealth, although they may only exercise it pursuant to their duties and usually only while on their employer's property. Massachusetts law provides that campus police officers of

4466-410: A part-time basis and authorized to provide security while on school or college premises during hours when the school or college is normally in session or when occupied by students, teachers, or professors. These Officers do not replace regular law enforcement officers or school resource officers currently employed in schools. By law, all armed SLEOs must return their firearm to the station house unless

4620-547: A prisoner from escaping. Both MADOC and MPB SSPOs are permitted to serve warrants issued by the governor, the MADOC commissioner or by the MPB chairman. MPB SSPOs may also execute warrants issued by Massachusetts courts. MPB SSPOs may also arrest parolees that have violated their parole conditions or have committed a crime before the parole officer, and have full police powers when assisting a "regular" police officer. Probation officers of

4774-483: A range of other safety services as requested by private clients. In Kentucky , special police officers are Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO). They are sworn peace officers with limited jurisdiction. They have full legal police powers; explicitly including arrest authority, the ability to carry a weapon, and use emergency vehicles. However, their jurisdiction is specifically limited to public property that they have been hired to protect. While Kentucky law allows both

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4928-421: A reserve for the formation of militia in areas liberated from Soviet power to train experienced police officers These militia units operated where open war gave way to partisan war . The detachment consisted of four foot and one horse platoons. The staff included 285 people. In those days, there was no such thing as a "omonovets" therefore these units were called "guards" . Soviet OMON originated in 1979, when

5082-482: A special class of police personnel, employed on a 5-year contract to supplement regular police officers. The idea for the creation of the category is attributed to Michalis Chrisochoidis and Chief Ioannis Georgakopoulos and was realised in 1999. Special Guards number 2,000 out of the 65,000-strong force. Special police in Indonesia, locally known as Kepolisian Khusus , refer to law enforcement agencies outside

5236-412: A total ban on the use of the armed forces in such situations. Russian government officials feared that a move to end the war short of victory would create a cascade of secession attempts by other ethnic minorities. On 16 January 1996, a Turkish passenger ship carrying 200 Russian passengers was taken over by what were mostly Turkish gunmen who were seeking to publicize the Chechen cause. On 6 March,

5390-733: A unit of special police officers known as Facility Protection Officers who were created by the Tennessee General Assembly in T.C.A. 4-3-2019. These F.PO.s are managed by the Protective Services Division of the Tennessee Highway Patrol's Facility Protection Unit and provide police services to state facilities. F.P.O.s are granted the authority to make arrests for public offenses committed against state officials or employees or committed upon, about, or against property owned or leased by

5544-553: A way out of the conflict. Although a Russian guided missile attack assassinated the Chechen president Dzhokhar Dudayev on 21 April 1996. Yeltsin even officially declared "victory" in Grozny on 28 May 1996, after a new temporary ceasefire was signed with the Chechen acting president Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev . While the political leaders were discussing the ceasefire and peace negotiations, Russian forces continued to conduct combat operations. On 6 August 1996, three days before Yeltsin

5698-706: A wide latitude in the wear of their uniforms, some states have specific laws, codes, or regulations that require special police to be clearly identified as such. The San Francisco Patrol Special Police is a neighborhood police force authorized in the City Charter, with officers appointed and regulated by the Police Commission after an initial security review by the San Francisco Police Department . Hourly rates for service are principally paid by private clients, with some cost to

5852-559: A wider range of police duties, including cordon and street patrol actions, and even paramilitary and military -style operations. Following Russia's 2011 police reform , Russian OMON units were to be renamed Distinctive Purpose Teams (KON), while OMSN ( SOBR ) would become Special Purpose Teams (KSN). It was announced that Special Purpose Centers for Rapid Deployment forces would also be created in Russian regions, to include regional OMON and OMSN units. In essence, all police spetsnaz (special designation) units were brought together under

6006-663: Is much larger and better known than SOBR , another special-police branch of the National Guard of Russia. In modern contexts, OMON serves as a riot police group, or as a gendarmerie -like paramilitary force. OMON units also exist in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and other post-Soviet states . However, some post-Soviet units have changed names and acronyms. Russian-speakers commonly refer to OMON officers as omonovtsy ( Russian : омоновцы ; singular: omonovyets – Russian : омоновец ). On 5 April 2016 OMON became part of

6160-412: Is to mainly observe and report. Historically, Oregon had many more special police officers than the state does presently, beginning in the 19th century. While the roles they served have largely been replaced by more conventional law enforcement officers, some special police officers and the authorities for commissioning them remain. For instance, under Oregon law, mayors or similar officials who oversee

6314-464: The Afghan War ), also resigned in protest of the invasion ("It will be a bloodbath, another Afghanistan ", Gromov said on television), as did General Boris Poliakov. More than 800 professional soldiers and officers refused to take part in the operation; of these, 83 were convicted by military courts and the rest were discharged. Later General Lev Rokhlin also refused to be decorated as a Hero of

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6468-1102: The Dragunov and Vintorez designated marksman rifles . The kind of issued protective gear is shared with regular National Guard units. The Bagariy body armor is a common sight replacing the older Kora-Kulon while the ZSH 1–2 is the main issued helmet with the older Kolpak being used only on riot duty. They are sometimes called "OMON soldiers". As riot police , OMON often uses special equipment termed riot gear to help protect themselves and attack others. Riot gear typically includes personal armor , batons , riot and tactical shields , and riot helmets . OMON also deploys specialized less-than-lethal weapons, such as water cannon , pepper spray , tear gas , sponge grenades , pistols , rifles, and shotguns which fire rubber bullets , bean bag rounds , stun grenades , and Long Range Acoustic Devices . OMON vehicles include specially-equipped vans, buses and trucks of various types (often armored and sometimes equipped with mounted machine guns), as well as

6622-524: The Home Office , and have duties and responsibilities associated with particular legal or illegal activities rather than the geographical areas which are served by a single territorial police force . There are three such forces: The National Crime Agency (whose full powers are limited to England and Wales) is not a police force but an agency responsible "to the Home Secretary and, through

6776-620: The Indonesian National Police . These law enforcement agencies are under supervision and are trained by the National Police. They include the Agricultural and Animal Quarantine Police, Forestry Police , Municipal Police , Prison Police , Railroad Police and Special Police for Management of Marine, Coastal Region and Remote Islands. The Indonesian National Police also have their own special police unit,

6930-656: The Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis . OMON took part in the Second Chechen War as well. OMON forces sustained severe losses in the conflict, including from the March 2000 ambush which killed scores of servicemen from Berezniki and Perm (including nine captured and executed), the July 2000 suicide bombing which killed at least twenty-five Russians at Argun base of OMON from Chelyabinsk , and

7084-682: The Makarov pistol , Stechkin automatic pistol and the MP-443 Grach or GSh-18 are assigned as sidearms. OMON units may use other weaponry, typically used by Russian light infantry during special operations and in war zones, such as: the PK machine gun , the GP-25 underbarrel grenade launcher for assault rifle or the GM-94 pump-action grenade launcher , RPG series rocket-proppelled grenade launchers, and

7238-736: The Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC) and parole officers of the Massachusetts Parole Board (MPB) are also authorized to be sworn as SSPOs upon recommendation by the MADOC commissioner or chairman of the Massachusetts Parole Board, respectively, given they meet SSPO training requirements. Like other SSPOs, they may only exercise their police powers while on-duty and pursuant to their specific duties. MADOC SSPOs are permitted to exercise their police powers in and around Massachusetts penal institutions, while transporting prisoners, and in order to prevent

7392-648: The Massachusetts Probation Service are, unlike parole officers, not sworn as SSPOs. Instead, Massachusetts General Law specifically empowers them as "regular" police officers whom may exercise such authority throughout the commonwealth, and are required to attend a Probation Service academy. Locally, some towns and cities may use the term "special police officer" to refer to reserve/part-time members of their police departments, such as in Wellesley and Lincoln, MA . If they are sworn ,

7546-758: The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) in New Braintree, Massachusetts , or any of the 20-week Recruit Officer Courses (the same academies attended by municipal LEOs across the commonwealth) approved by the Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC). Prospective SSPOs may have the training requirement waived by the Massachusetts State Police if they have completed an MPTC-approved Reserve/Intermittent Academy, have worked at least 2,000 hours as

7700-596: The NVO , the authoritative Russian independent military weekly, at least 5,362 Russian soldiers died during the war, 52,000 Russian soldiers were wounded or became diseased and some 3,000 more Russian soldiers were still missing in 2005. However, the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia estimated that the total number of Russian military deaths was 14,000, based on information which it collected from wounded troops and soldiers' relatives (only counting regular troops, i.e. not

7854-841: The North Caucasus , often causes the group to lose members in combat. The Zubr Special Purpose Police Detachment ( Russian : Отряд Милиции Особого Назначения "Зубр" ; is Russian for Bison, particularly the European bison ) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia was created in February 2006 on the basis of the OMON GUVD in the Moscow Region that existed since 1988. It is based in Shchelkovo-7 near Moscow. Zubr

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8008-517: The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) described the scenes as nothing short of an "unimaginable catastrophe", while former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called the war a "disgraceful, bloody adventure" and German chancellor Helmut Kohl called it "sheer madness". Following the fall of Grozny , the Russian government slowly and methodically expanded its control over

8162-655: The Republic of Dagestan . In particular, the border village of Pervomayskoye was completely destroyed by Russian forces in January 1996 in reaction to the large-scale Chechen hostage taking in Kizlyar in Dagestan (in which more than 2,000 hostages were taken), bringing strong criticism from this hitherto loyal republic and escalating domestic dissatisfaction. The Don Cossacks of Southern Russia , originally sympathetic to

8316-647: The Russian Federation , while Chechnya declared full independence from Moscow in 1993 as the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). The economy of Chechnya collapsed as Dudayev severed economic links with Russia while black market trading, arms trafficking and counterfeiting grew. Violence and social disruption increased and the marginal social groups, such as unemployed young men from the countryside, became armed. Ethnic Russians and other non-Chechens faced constant harassment as they fell outside

8470-477: The Russian Ground Forces , General Eduard Vorobyov  [ ru ] , who then resigned in protest, stating that it is "a crime" to "send the army against its own people." Many in the Russian military and government opposed the war as well. Yeltsin 's adviser on nationality affairs, Emil Pain  [ ru ] , and Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense General Boris Gromov (commander of

8624-841: The Russian Ministry of Defence for damages inflicted, recalling how the federal forces previously assisted in the expulsion of the Ingush population from North Ossetia. Undisciplined Russian soldiers were also reported to be committing murders, rapes, and looting in Ingushetia (in an incident partially witnessed by visiting Russian Duma deputies, at least nine Ingush civilians and an ethnic Bashkir soldier were murdered by apparently drunk Russian soldiers; earlier, drunken Russian soldiers killed another Russian soldier, five Ingush villagers and even Ingushetia's Health Minister). Much larger and more deadly acts of hostility took place in

8778-624: The Soviet Union . In November 1991, Yeltsin dispatched Internal Troops to Grozny , but they were forced to withdraw when Dudayev's forces surrounded them at the airport. After Chechnya made its initial declaration of sovereignty , the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Republic split in two in June 1992 amidst the armed conflict between the Ingush and Ossetians . The newly created Republic of Ingushetia then joined

8932-445: The Stlʼatlʼimx Tribal Police Service , which serves ten St'at'imc communities in the northern end of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District . There is one special police force in Nova Scotia, the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission Bridge Patrol. The Patrol is composed of special constables with limited police authority to enforce traffic violations on or near Bridge Commission property. In Ontario, any organization can request

9086-431: The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union published a notice in the local Chechen press that the elections were illegal. With a turnout of 72%, 90.1% voted for Dudayev. Dudayev won overwhelming popular support (as evidenced by the later presidential elections with high turnout and a clear Dudayev victory) to oust the interim administration supported by the central government. He became president and declared independence from

9240-451: The Ukrainian Armed Forces . A group of OMON officers are suing for unlawful dismissal after being sacked for refusing to fight in Ukraine. On 28 September 2022, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and National Police of Ukraine published CCTV footage showing OMON and Rosgvardiya personnel shooting at civilians during the battle of Hostomel . In Russia, there is an OMON unit in every oblast , as well as in many major cities. Since 2016,

9394-607: The University of Massachusetts be accorded the powers and status of a "regular" police officer when duly appointed. Massachusetts law also provides the apparatus for appointment as "regular" police officers for campus police officers of other state universities and colleges as well as community colleges. This is covered under two statutes; MGL, Part I, Title XII, Chapter 73, Section 18 and MGL, Part I, Title II, Chapter 15A, Section 22. However, it has become nearly universal practice for such institutions' law enforcement agencies to obtain SSPO commissions for their officers, in addition to

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9548-434: The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. The Russian Federation was widely accepted as the successor state to the USSR , but it lost a significant amount of its military and economic power . Ethnic Russians made up more than 80% of the population of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , but significant ethnic and religious differences posed a threat of political disintegration in some regions. In

9702-490: The kontraktniki (contract soldiers, not conscripts) and members of the special service forces). The list which contains the names of the dead soldiers, drawn up by the Human Rights Center "Memorial", contains 4,393 names. In 2009, the official number of Russian troops who fought in the two wars and were still missing in Chechnya and presumed dead was some 700, while about 400 remains of the missing servicemen were said to have been recovered up to that point. The Russian military

9856-509: The 1990s. The number officially rose to about 20,000 nationwide by 2007; the biggest OMON unit in Russia, Moscow OMON, numbers over 2,000 members. Most OMON officers retire at the age of approximately forty-five. They were also sometimes not paid for their service. In 2001, for example, some fifty OMON members from Moscow filed a lawsuit claiming they had not been paid for one month of combat operations in Chechnya. The use of OMON members in high-risk situations, especially in Chechnya and elsewhere in

10010-402: The 19th century. The Chechens' subsequent attempts at gaining independence after the 1917 fall of the Russian Empire failed, and in 1922 Chechnya became part of Soviet Russia and in December 1922 part of the newly formed Soviet Union (USSR). In 1936, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin established the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic , within the Russian SFSR . In 1944, on

10164-404: The April 2002 mine attack which left twenty-one Chechen OMON troops dead in central Grozny. Control and discipline continued to be questionable in Chechnya, where OMON members were known to have engaged in, or fallen victim to, several deadly incidents of friendly fire and fratricide . In perhaps the bloodiest of such incidents , at least twenty-four were killed when OMON from Podolsk attacked

10318-587: The ChRI was waging a Jihad ( struggle ) against Russia raised the spectre that Jihadis from other regions and even outside Russia would enter the war. Limited fighting occurred in the neighbouring a small republic of Ingushetia , mostly when Russian commanders sent troops over the border in pursuit of Chechen fighters, while as many as 200,000 refugees (from Chechnya and the conflict in North Ossetia ) strained Ingushetia's already weak economy. On several occasions, Ingush president Ruslan Aushev protested incursions by Russian soldiers and even threatened to sue

10472-437: The Chechen cause, turned hostile as a result of their Russian-esque culture and language, stronger affinity to Moscow than to Grozny, and a history of conflict with indigenous peoples such as the Chechens. The Kuban Cossacks started organizing themselves against the Chechens, including manning paramilitary roadblocks against infiltration of their territories. Meanwhile, the war in Chechnya spawned new forms of resistance to

10626-531: The Chechen command withdrew from the area of Vedeno to the Chechen opposition-aligned village of Dargo and from there to Benoy . According to an estimate cited in a United States Army analysis report, between January and May 1995, when the Russian forces conquered most of the republic in the conventional campaign, their losses in Chechnya were approximately 2,800 killed, 10,000 wounded and more than 500 missing or captured. Some Chechen fighters infiltrated occupied areas, hiding in crowds of returning refugees. As

10780-542: The December 1995 raid by the Chechens on the city of Gudermes . ) Throughout the span of the first Chechen war, Russian forces have been accused by human rights organizations of starting a brutal war with total disregard for humanitarian law , causing tens of thousands of unnecessary civilian casualties among the Chechen population. The main strategy in the Russian war effort had been to use heavy artillery and air strikes leading to numerous indiscriminate attacks on civilians. This has led to Western and Chechen sources calling

10934-565: The District of Columbia, grant full police/peace officer authority to SPOs for use in whatever area they are employed to protect. They may make traffic stops in their jurisdiction if they have had accredited training. They are also permitted to conduct traffic control and investigations pertaining to the area protected by them. In some jurisdictions, SPOs may be granted only limited arrest authority in specific circumstances, while in still other jurisdictions, SPOs are granted no more authority than an otherwise private citizen could exercise in effecting

11088-509: The February 2000 Novye Aldi massacre in which at least sixty civilians were robbed and then killed by Russian forces entering Grozny after the fall of the city; one officer, Sergei Babin , was to be prosecuted in relation to the case in 2005 but he vanished. In April 2006, the European Court of Human Rights found Russia guilty of the forced disappearance of Shakhid Baysayev , a Chechen man who had gone missing after being detained in

11242-795: The Home Secretary, to Parliament." The NCA has the power to direct police forces within England and Wales, and the British Transport Police, to provide officers or undertake specific activities. Within Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, the power to direct assistance is limited to reflect the devolved administration of policing. The NCA enabling legislation does not allow the Home Secretary to give "directed tasking arrangements" to Scottish or Northern Irish police forces. NCA officers can be 'triple warranted' – with powers of

11396-567: The MSP-sponsored SSPO Academy; The city of Boston is still permitted to issue special police officer licenses, but prospective officers must meet the aforementioned requirements. As of September 2021, only 6 licenses had been re-issued, all to Boston Housing Authority special police officers. Special police officers and SSPOs whom work for a "public agency", (i.e. any state or municipal agency, school, or hospital) and are authorized to carry firearms on-duty, qualify to carry

11550-546: The Mayor. The Ministry of Public Security has a High Command of Mobile Police Force. It includes six regiments of mobile police and three battalions of special police. First Chechen War [REDACTED]   Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Foreign volunteers : [REDACTED]   Russia 1994–1995 1996 The First Chechen War , also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War ,

11704-592: The OMON units report directly to the National Guard Forces Command as part of its regional district commands, and they are expected to be deployed in support of the police forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Information from different sources suggested that there were between 10,500 and 15,000 OMON members stationed at population centers and transportation hubs around the country during

11858-547: The POLSUSPAS (Police Special Penitentiary). It is a Special Police Corps (Special Police) as well as ASN (Civil Servants) under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. It is tasked with supervising, coaching, security and safety for convicts and detainees. Aside from the New Zealand Police , special powers are derived in legislation for customs officers , Fisheries Officers, and Fire Police . The Fire Police hold

12012-539: The Russian FSK state security organization (which was later converted to the FSB ) to fight for the Provisional Council forces. On 29 November, President Boris Yeltsin issued an ultimatum to all warring factions in Chechnya, ordering them to disarm and surrender. When the government in Grozny refused, Yeltsin ordered the Russian army to invade the region. Both the Russian government and military command never referred to

12166-520: The Russian Federation for his part in the war. The advance of the northern column was halted by the unexpected Chechen resistance at Dolinskoye and the Russian forces suffered their first serious losses. Units of Chechen fighters inflicted severe losses on the Russian troops. Deeper in Chechnya, a group of 50 Russian paratroopers was captured by the local Chechen militia , after being deployed by helicopters behind enemy lines to capture

12320-557: The Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin . The raid forced a temporary stop in Russian military operations, giving the Chechens time to regroup and to prepare for the national militant campaign. The full-scale Russian attack led many of Dzhokhar Dudayev 's opponents to side with his forces and thousands of volunteers to swell the ranks of mobile militant units. Many others formed local self-defence militia units to defend their settlements in

12474-520: The Russian forces were usually tolerated by their superiors and were not punished even when investigated (the story of Vladimir Glebov serving as an example of such policy). Television and newspaper accounts widely reported largely uncensored images of the carnage to the Russian public. The Russian media coverage partially precipitated a loss of public confidence in the government and a steep decline in President Yeltsin 's popularity. Chechnya

12628-575: The Russian military set out to take the city using air power and artillery. At the same time, the Russian military accused the Chechen fighters of using civilians as human shields by preventing them from leaving the capital as it was bombarded. On 7 January 1995, the Russian Major-General Viktor Vorobyov was killed by mortar fire, becoming the first on a long list of Russian generals to be killed in Chechnya. On 19 January, despite many casualties, Russian forces seized

12782-406: The Russian military's bombardment of Grozny killed around 35,000 civilians, including 5,000 children and that the vast majority of those killed were ethnic Russians. While military casualties are not known, the Russian side admitted to having 2,000 soldiers killed or missing. The bloodbath of Grozny shocked Russia and the outside world, inciting severe criticism of the war. International monitors from

12936-407: The Russian strategy deliberate terror bombing on parts of Russia. According to Human Rights Watch, the campaign was "unparalleled in the area since World War II for its scope and destructiveness, followed by months of indiscriminate and targeted fire against civilians". Due to ethnic Chechens in Grozny seeking refuge among their respective teips in the surrounding villages of the countryside,

13090-719: The Soviet government and fought against the Nazis and they even received the highest military awards in the Soviet Union (e.g. Khanpasha Nuradilov and Movlid Visaitov ). In March 1944, the Soviet authorities abolished the Checheno-Ingush Republic. Eventually, Soviet first secretary Nikita Khrushchev granted the Vainakh (Chechen and Ingush) peoples permission to return to their homeland and he restored their republic in 1957. Russia became an independent state after

13244-400: The Soviet period, some of Russia's approximately 100 nationalities were granted ethnic enclaves that had various formal federal rights attached. Relations of these entities with the federal government and demands for autonomy erupted into a major political issue in the early 1990s. Boris Yeltsin incorporated these demands into his 1990 election campaign by claiming that their resolution

13398-688: The State and local governments to use SLEO's, most are used by the Kentucky State Police in the Facilities Security Branch. Within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , "special police" usually refers to Special State Police Officers (SSPOs) whom are law enforcement officers typically employed by a college, university, or hospital police force. SSPOs must attend and graduate either the 16-week SSPO Academy hosted by

13552-595: The United States Code (Title 10, Chapter 63, §6306). These officers patrol Smithsonian property in New York, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Smithsonian Special Police Officers carry firearms, mace and handcuffs and have arrest authority on federal Smithsonian property. Tennessee code annotated 3-18-118 & T.C.A. 4-3-1106 defines the laws of the commissioning of special police officers/deputies in

13706-672: The aim of asserting independence. The storming caused the death of the head of Grozny 's branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Vitaliy Kutsenko, who was defenestrated or fell while trying to escape. This effectively dissolved the government of the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Republic of the Soviet Union . Elections for the president and parliament of Chechnya were held on 27 October 1991. The day before,

13860-550: The attack. Russian forces conducted an operation of zachistka , house-by-house searches throughout the entire village. Federal soldiers deliberately and arbitrarily attacked civilians and civilian dwellings in Samashki by shooting residents and burning houses with flame-throwers . They wantonly opened fire or threw grenades into basements where residents, mostly women, elderly persons and children, had been hiding. Russian troops intentionally burned many bodies, either by throwing

14014-546: The authority to raise a special constabulary from the local police services board. With some exceptions, officers employed by special constabularies do not carry guns and cannot refer to themselves as police. In general, special constables in Ontario employed by special constabularies have full police powers — including the ability to enforce the Criminal Code — but only on, between, or in relation to property owned by

14168-558: The aviation and border troops established a military blockade of the republic, and eventually unmarked Russian aircraft began combat operations over Chechnya . The opposition forces, who were joined by Russian troops, launched a poorly organized assault on Grozny in mid-October 1994, followed by a second, larger attack on 26–27 November 1994. Despite Russian support, both attempts were unsuccessful. Chechen separatists succeeded in capturing some 20 Russian Ground Forces regulars and about 50 other Russian citizens who were covertly hired by

14322-481: The bodies into burning houses or by setting them on fire. A Chechen surgeon, Khassan Baiev , treated wounded in Samashki immediately after the operation and described the scene in his book: Dozens of charred corpses of women and children lay in the courtyard of the mosque, which had been destroyed. The first thing my eye fell on was the burned body of a baby, lying in fetal position... A wild-eyed woman emerged from

14476-548: The case of federal offensive action, officially numbering 5,000–6,000 armed men in late 1995. According to a UN report, the Chechen Armed Forces included a large number of child soldiers , some as young as 11 years old, and also included females. As the territory controlled by them shrank, the Chechens increasingly resorted to classic guerrilla warfare tactics, such as booby traps and mining roads in enemy-held territory. The use of improvised explosive devices

14630-448: The city for general program administration concerning standards of professional performance, but not concerning day-to-day operations. Thus, the nature of this special police force is both quasi-private and quasi-public. The force has been in operation in the United States, city of San Francisco for over 162 years. By current City Code the force provides patrols on the streets of San Francisco as well as at fixed locations, and also provides

14784-588: The city limits, with limited Police Power as New Orleans Police Special Officers. Louisiana R.S. 40:1379.1 (b) states the Special Officer, when performing those tasks requiring a Special Officer's commission, shall have the same powers and duties as a Peace Officer, however, that when not performing these tasks directly related to the special officer's commission, he shall be regarded as a private citizen and his commission shall not be in effect. Special Officers may make arrest for felony or misdemeanor offenses on

14938-421: The city of Argun , moving their military headquarters first to surrounded Shali , then shortly after to the village of Serzhen'-Yurt as they were forced into the mountains and finally to Shamil Basayev 's ancestral stronghold of Vedeno . Chechnya's second-largest city of Gudermes was surrendered without a fight but the village of Shatoy was fought for and defended by the men of Ruslan Gelayev . Eventually,

15092-447: The city within 48 hours, or else it would be leveled in a massive aerial and artillery bombardment. He stated that federal forces would use strategic bombers (not used in Chechnya up to this point) and ballistic missiles . This announcement was followed by chaotic scenes of panic as civilians tried to flee before the army carried out its threat, with parts of the city ablaze and falling shells scattering refugee columns. The bombardment

15246-546: The city. When the Russians besieged the Chechen capital, thousands of civilians died from a week-long series of air raids and artillery bombardments in the heaviest bombing campaign in Europe since the destruction of Dresden . The initial assault on New Year's Eve 1994 ended in a big Russian defeat, resulting in many casualties and at first a nearly complete breakdown of morale in the Russian forces. The fighting claimed

15400-480: The coalition of the opposition factions based in north Chechnya launched a large-scale armed campaign to remove Dudayev's government. However, the issue of contention was not independence from Russia: even the opposition stated there was no alternative to an international boundary separating Chechnya from Russia. In 1992, Russian newspaper Moscow News noted that, just like most of the other seceding republics, other than Tatarstan , ethnic Chechens universally supported

15554-481: The conflict as a war but instead a 'disarmament of illegal gangs' or a 'restoration of the constitutional order'. Beginning on 1 December, Russian forces openly carried out heavy aerial bombardments of Chechnya. On 11 December 1994, five days after Dudayev and Russian Minister of Defense Gen. Pavel Grachev of Russia had agreed to "avoid the further use of force", Russian forces entered the republic in order to "establish constitutional order in Chechnya and to preserve

15708-576: The developing trust between Gen. Romanov and the ChRI Chief of Staff Aslan Maskhadov , a former colonel in the Soviet Army ; in August, the two went to southern Chechnya to try to convince the local commanders to release Russian prisoners. In February 1996, federal and pro-Russian Chechen forces in Grozny opened fire on a massive pro-independence peace march of tens of thousands of people, killing

15862-496: The establishment of an independent Chechen state and, in 1995, during the heat of the First Chechen War, Khalid Delmayev, a Dudayev opponent belonging to an Ichkerian liberal coalition, stated that "Chechnya's statehood may be postponed... but cannot be avoided". Moscow covertly supplied opposition forces with finances, military equipment and mercenaries . Russia also suspended all civilian flights to Grozny while

16016-463: The federal army in ethnic or regional conflicts within Russia. Tatarstan president Mintimer Shaimiev vocally opposed the war and appealed to Yeltsin to stop it and return conscripts, warning the conflict was at risk of expanding across the Caucasus. Some regional and local legislative bodies called for the prohibition on the use of draftees in quelling internal conflicts, while others demanded

16170-399: The federal government. Opposition to the conscription of men from minority ethnic groups to fight in Chechnya was widespread among other republics, many of which passed laws and decrees on the subject. For example, the government of Chuvashia passed a decree providing legal protection to soldiers from the republic who refused to participate in the Chechen war and imposed limits on the use of

16324-759: The firearm is owned by the SLEO in compliance with unit policy on personally owned firearms. All Class II and Class III SLEOs are fully trained and certified police officers in the State of New Jersey. Class I SLEOs go through different certifications, but still have police officer status. Class Two Officers in Newark carry weapons off duty. The Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department in accordance with New Orleans Home Rule Charter section 4-502 (2) (a) (b) and New Orleans Municipal Code 17271 MCS 90–86, may deputize private Security Guards, within

16478-506: The first Soviet police tactical unit was founded in preparation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to ensure that there were no terrorist incidents like the Munich massacre during the 1972 Summer Olympics . Subsequently, the unit was to be utilized in emergencies such as high-risk arrests, hostage crises and acts of terror. The current OMON system is the successor of that group and

16632-585: The front of the vehicle. The bones were white; someone must have boiled the skull to remove the flesh. Major Vyacheslav Izmailov is said to have rescued at least 174 people from captivity on both sides in the war, was later involved in the tracing of missing persons after the war and in 2021 won the hero's prize at the Stalker Human Rights Film Festival in Moscow. The declaration by Chechnya's Chief Mufti Akhmad Kadyrov that

16786-505: The full legal powers of a Police Constable when on official duty; Customs Officers, Fishery Officers, and Aviation Security Officers have limited powers (including the power to arrest or detain) in particular circumstances. In the United Kingdom, special police force has a special meaning in law and describes one of the forces defined as such in legislation including: These are managed by government departments other than

16940-542: The joint command of the Interior Ministry — the Center for Operational Spetsnaz and Aviation Forces of MVD (Центр специального назначения сил оперативного реагирования и авиации МВД России). In January 2012, Russia's OMON was renamed from otryad militsii osobogo naznacheniya , (Special Purpose Militia Unit) to otryad mobilniy osobogo naznacheniya (Special Purpose Mobile Unit), keeping the acronym. The force

17094-400: The key districts within hours in an operation prepared and led by Aslan Maskhadov (who named it Operation Zero) and Shamil Basayev (who called it Operation Jihad). The fighters then laid siege to the Russian posts and bases and the government compound in the city centre, while a number of Chechens deemed to be Russian collaborators were rounded up, detained and, in some cases, executed. At

17248-537: The lives of an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Russian soldiers, mostly barely trained conscripts; the worst losses were inflicted on the 131st 'Maikop' Motor Rifle Brigade , which was destroyed in the fighting near the central railway station. Despite the early Chechen defeat of the New Year's assault and the many further casualties that the Russians had suffered, Grozny was eventually conquered by Russian forces after an urban warfare campaign. After armored assaults failed,

17402-510: The lowland areas and then into the mountains. In what was dubbed the worst massacre in the war, the OMON and other federal forces killed up to 300 civilians while seizing the border village of Samashki on 7 April (several hundred more were detained and beaten or otherwise tortured). In the southern mountains, the Russians launched an offensive along all the front on 15 April, advancing in large columns of 200–300 vehicles. The ChRI forces defended

17556-566: The newly-established National Guard of Russia, ending its years as part of the MVD. The MVD continues to operate the Police of Russia . Special purpose militia units were formed on May 5, 1919 in the Russian state in the structure of the "white" (Siberian) militia. Alexander Kolchak emphasized that OMON is a combat unit for the protection and restoration of state order and public peace, serves as

17710-473: The number of Russian dead at close to 1,000. Thousands of troops were either taken prisoner or surrounded and largely disarmed, their heavy weapons and ammunition commandeered by Chechen fighters. On 19 August, despite the presence of 50,000 to 200,000 Chechen civilians and thousands of federal servicemen in Grozny, the Russian commander Konstantin Pulikovsky gave an ultimatum for Chechen fighters to leave

17864-515: The office of the mayor, while Marshals and their deputies derive their authority from the municipal council, and are generally permitted to perform a wider scope of duties such as issuing and executing warrants for arrest. Virginia possesses special police officers employed, typically, in the private police field. These officers are regulated by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and are termed special conservators of

18018-402: The orders of NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria , more than 500,000 Chechens, the Ingush and several other North Caucasian people were ethnically cleansed and deported to Siberia and to Central Asia . The official pretext was punishment for collaboration with the invading German forces during the 1940–1944 insurgency in Chechnya , despite the fact that many Chechens and Ingush were loyal to

18172-585: The organization that is responsible for the special constabulary. As of 2022, there is one special constabulary with armed employees, the Niagara Parks Police Service , which is responsible for providing police services to property owned or maintained by the Niagara Parks Commission . Special constabularies are also maintained by universities, transit systems, and public housing authorities. The Special Police were

18326-498: The participation of OMON. Moscow region OMON took part in the April 1995 rampage in the village of Samashki , where up to 300 civilians were reportedly killed during a large-scale brutal cleansing operation by federal MVD forces. In December 1999, a group of unidentified OMON members manning a roadblock checkpoint shot dead around forty refugees fleeing the siege of Grozny. OMON from Saint Petersburg are believed to have been behind

18480-702: The peace (SCOP). These officers must meet specific training requirements and be sworn in by the district court judge or magistrate in the area where they request a commission. These officers, when so sworn and certified, are permitted to utilize the term "police" (this was removed by the state legislature in 2018 and they may no longer use the term) and are permitted to operate emergency vehicles equipped with red flashing/strobing lights (municipal law enforcement operates either blue or combinations of blue and red). This class of officers should not be confused with armed security officers who in Virginia possess arrest authority on

18634-406: The powers statutorily granted to them. This practice is only statutorily required of campus police officers employed by private institutions, as outlined by MGL, Part I, Title II, Chapter 22C, Section 63. This practice does not accord such officers any additional authority - nor does it serve to limit to it - and it is unclear why this practice has become commonplace. Officers and investigators of

18788-422: The powers that were reserved for local and federal government. The only federal subjects that did not sign the treaty were Chechnya and Tatarstan . Eventually, in early 1994, Yeltsin signed a special political accord with Mintimer Shaeymiev , the president of Tatarstan, granting many of its demands for greater autonomy for the republic within Russia. Thus, Chechnya remained the only federal subject that did not sign

18942-565: The property or area they are to protect, patrol, or in relation to their direct assignment. However, Special Officers still may make an arrest, as a private person, for a felony, whether in or out of his presence, under Louisiana Law CCRP Art.214 Arrest by private person; when lawful. In North Carolina , some private companies have their own special police forces. These include hospitals, hotels, race tracks, and shopping malls and are more properly referred to as " Company Police ". There are also companies that offer contract special police services for

19096-507: The property they are employed to protect. Armed security officers do not have fresh pursuit authority (off of their grounds/property) whereas SCOP officers do. Washington utilizes special police in both the public and private security sectors. Most work for private security companies although many security officers in the Washington, D.C., area also have special police status. Special police are required to be licensed and are appointed by

19250-593: The racially motivated murder of a local Chechen man. In 2021 OMON officers tortured Jehovah's Witnesses in Irkutsk in an attempt to make them inform about other members. Some OMON units participated in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine where they were intended to disperse riots and control civil unrest after Kyiv would be captured. The failure to capture Kyiv resulted in some SOBR missions becoming redundant, they also ended up engaging in military combat and some of its personnel being killed in action or captured by

19404-498: The remaining lowlands and mountainous regions of Chechnya were met with fierce resistance and frequent surprise raids by Chechen guerrillas. The recapture of Grozny in 1996 played a part in the Khasavyurt Accord (ceasefire), and the signing of the 1997 Russia–Chechnya Peace Treaty . The official Russian estimate of Russian military deaths was 6,000, but according to other estimates, the number of Russian military deaths

19558-403: The roads leading to the city, Russian troops eventually gave up on trying to reach the trapped soldiers in the city. Chechen fighters subsequently withdrew from the city on orders from the high command. In the same month in March, Chechen fighters and Russian federal troops clashed near the village of Samashki . The losses on the Russian side amounted to 28 killed and 116 wounded. On April 16,

19712-467: The ruins of the Chechen presidential palace , which had been fought over for more than three weeks as the Chechens abandoned their positions in the ruins of the downtown area. The battle for the southern part of the city continued until the official end on 6 March 1995. By the estimates of Yeltsin's human rights adviser Sergei Kovalev , about 27,000 civilians died in the first five weeks of fighting. The Russian historian and general Dmitri Volkogonov said

19866-524: The same time, Russian troops in the cities of Argun and Gudermes were also surrounded in their garrisons. Several attempts by the armored columns to rescue the units trapped in Grozny were repelled with heavy Russian casualties (the 276th Motorized Regiment of 900 men suffered 50% casualties in a two-day attempt to reach the city centre). Russian military officials said that more than 200 soldiers had been killed and nearly 800 wounded in five days of fighting, and that an unknown number were missing; Chechens put

20020-534: The state of Tennessee. Tennessee requires all special police officers to hold an active armed security license and possess equivalent military or civilian law enforcement training. These officers traditionally work for private companies as company police or in hospitals or private universities and their jurisdiction is limited to the property to which they are employed. While on duty these officers have full arrest powers and are able to act in law enforcement capacity. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security maintains

20174-535: The state or on public roads or rights-of-way passing through such owned or leased property. The Texas Special Police were formed along with the Texas State Police during the administration of Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis on July 22, 1870, to combat crime statewide in Texas. There were thirty special policemen assigned as auxiliary officers throughout the state. On April 22, 1873, the law authorizing

20328-586: The state police was repealed by the newly elected Democratic-controlled state legislature. Texas state law authorizes mayors to appoint special police officers to enforce the municipality's laws, avert danger, or protect life or property; because of riot, outbreak, calamity, or public disturbance; or because of threat of serious violation of law or order, of outbreak, or of other danger to the municipality or its inhabitants. Municipal special police officers are distinct and separate from municipal Marshals and their deputies, as special police derive their authority from

20482-710: The state requires all special police officers to complete 372.5 hours of training, with an additional 56 hours for those carrying a firearm , the same as other part-time or reserve officers in Massachusetts. There are also a plethora of "special police officers" whom work in the city of Boston; these officers either work directly for the city (Boston School Police, Boston Municipal Protective Services , Boston Public Health Commission Police, Boston Housing Authority Police, or Boston Fire Department arson investigators) or for private security and armored car companies. The city of Boston required these agencies to attend

20636-400: The territorial integrity of Russia." Grachev boasted he could topple Dudayev in a couple of hours with a single airborne regiment, and proclaimed that it will be "a bloodless blitzkrieg , that would not last any longer than 20 December." On 11 December 1994, Russian forces launched a three-pronged ground attack towards Grozny . The main attack was temporarily halted by the deputy commander of

20790-515: The time of Sheikh Mansur , the first imam (leader) of the Caucasian peoples . He united various North-Caucasian nations under his command to resist Russian invasions and expansion. Following long local resistance during the 1817–1864 Caucasian War , Imperial Russian forces defeated the Chechens and annexed their lands and deported thousands to the Middle East in the latter part of

20944-751: The treaty. Neither Yeltsin nor the Chechen government attempted any serious negotiations and the situation deteriorated into a full-scale conflict. Meanwhile, on 6 September 1991, militants of the All-National Congress of the Chechen People (NCChP) party, created by the former Soviet Air Force general Dzhokhar Dudayev , stormed a session of the Supreme Soviet of the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic , with

21098-422: The vendetta system which protected the Chechens to a certain extent. From 1991 to 1994, tens of thousands of people of non-Chechen ethnicity left the republic . During the undeclared Chechen civil war , factions both sympathetic and opposed to Dzhokhar Dudayev fought for power, sometimes in pitched battles with the use of heavy weapons. In March 1993, the opposition attempted a coup d'état , but their attempt

21252-463: The war continued, the Chechens resorted to mass hostage -takings, attempting to influence the Russian public and leadership. In June 1995, a group led by the maverick field commander Shamil Basayev took more than 1,500 people hostage in southern Russia in the Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis ; about 120 Russian civilians died before a ceasefire was signed after negotiations between Basayev and

21406-550: The war, but it was not battle trained, and did not play any significant role as an organized force before disintegrating. During the armed conflict, almost every Russian city would be regularly sending militsiya groups, often OMON members, for tours of usually three or four months. The pro-Moscow administration of the Chechen Republic also formed its own OMON detachments. In February 1996, a group of thirty-seven Russian OMON officers from Novosibirsk surrendered to Chechen militants of Salman Raduyev and Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov during

21560-660: The withdrawal of both sides' forces from Grozny, the creation of joint headquarters to preclude looting in the city, the withdrawal of all federal forces from Chechnya by 31 December 1996, and a stipulation that any agreement on the relations between the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the Russian federal government need not be signed until late 2001. Human rights organizations accused Russian forces of engaging in indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force whenever they encountered resistance, resulting in numerous civilian deaths. (According to Human Rights Watch , Russian artillery and rocket attacks killed at least 267 civilians during

21714-688: Was a high priority. There was an urgent need for a law to clearly define the powers of each federal subject. Such a law was passed on 31 March 1992, when Yeltsin and Ruslan Khasbulatov , then chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet and an ethnic Chechen himself, signed the Federation Treaty bilaterally with 86 out of 88 federal subjects. In almost all cases, demands for greater autonomy or independence were satisfied by concessions of regional autonomy and tax privileges. The treaty outlined three basic types of federal subjects and

21868-469: Was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the Russian Federation from 11 December 1994 to 31 August 1996. This conflict was preceded by the battle of Grozny in November 1994 , during which Russia covertly sought to overthrow the new Chechen government. Following the intense Battle of Grozny in 1994–1995 , which concluded with a victory for the Russian federal forces, Russia's subsequent efforts to establish control over

22022-549: Was active in the First Chechen War of 1994–1996 in which OMON was often used in various security and light infantry roles, notably for the notorious "cleansing" ( zachistka ) operations. Prior to the war, there was also an OMON formation belonging to the Interior Ministry (MVD) of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , Chechnya's separatist government. The independent Chechnya had an OMON battalion prior to

22176-450: Was as high as 14,000. According to various estimates, the number of Chechen military deaths was approximately 3,000–10,000, the number of Chechen civilian deaths was between 30,000 and 100,000. Over 200,000 Chechen civilians may have been injured, more than 500,000 people were displaced , and cities and villages were reduced to rubble across the republic. Chechen resistance against Russian imperialism has its origins from 1785 during

22330-479: Was crushed by force. A month later, Dudayev introduced direct presidential rule, and in June 1993 dissolved the Chechen parliament to avoid a referendum on a vote of non-confidence . In late October 1992, Russian forces dispatched to the zone of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict were ordered to move to the Chechen border; Dudayev, who perceived this as "an act of aggression against the Chechen Republic", declared

22484-536: Was founded on 3 October 1988 in Moscow and was called the Militsiya Squad of Special Assignment. Special police detachments were often manned by former soldiers of the Soviet Army and veterans of the Soviet–Afghan War . OMON units were used as riot police to control and stop demonstrations and hooliganism , as well as to respond to emergency situations involving violent crime. The units later took on

22638-408: Was however soon halted by the ceasefire brokered by General Alexander Lebed , Yeltsin 's national security adviser, on 22 August. Gen. Lebed called the ultimatum, issued by General Pulikovsky (replaced by then), a "bad joke". During eight hours of subsequent talks, Lebed and Maskhadov drafted and signed the Khasavyurt Accord on 31 August 1996. It included: technical aspects of demilitarization ,

22792-457: Was made up of officers drawn from the OMON riot police near Moscow and numbered about 430 people. Zubr is equipped with armored personnel carriers, Tigrs and other special equipment, and includes snipers and dog handlers. List of equipment of the National Guard of Russia OMON groups use a wide range of firearms, including AK-74 assault rifle, AKS-74U carbine assault rifle, 9A-91 compact assault rifle, and PP-19 Bizon submachine gun, and

22946-461: Was notorious for hiding casualties. Let me tell you about one specific case. I knew for sure that on this day – it was the end of February or the beginning of March 1995 – forty servicemen of the Joint Group were killed. And they bring me information about fifteen. I ask: "Why don't you take into account the rest?" They hesitated: "Well, you see, 40 is a lot. We'd better spread those losses over

23100-415: Was one of the heaviest burdens on Yeltsin's 1996 presidential election campaign . The protracted war in Chechnya, especially many reports of extreme violence against civilians, ignited fear and contempt of Russia among other ethnic groups in the federation. One of the most notable war crimes committed by the Russian army is the Samashki massacre , in which it is estimated that up to 300 civilians died during

23254-459: Was particularly noteworthy; they also exploited a combination of mines and ambushes . On 6 October 1995, Gen. Anatoliy Romanov , the federal commander in Chechnya at the time, was critically injured and paralyzed in a bomb blast in Grozny . Suspicion of responsibility for the attack fell on rogue elements of the Russian military, as the attack destroyed hopes for a permanent ceasefire based on

23408-410: Was raped in front of her father. I heard of one case in which the mercenary grabbed a newborn baby, threw it among each other like a ball, then shot it dead in the air. Leaving the village for the hospital in Grozny, I passed a Russian armored personnel carrier with the word SAMASHKI written on its side in bold, black letters. I looked in my rearview mirror and to my horror saw a human skull mounted on

23562-437: Was to be inaugurated for his second term as Russian president and when most of the Russian troops were moved south due to what was planned as their final offensive against remaining mountainous Chechen strongholds, the Chechens subsequently launched another surprise attack on Grozny. Despite Russian troops in and around Grozny numbering approximately 12,000, more than 1,500 Chechen guerrillas (whose numbers soon swelled) overran

23716-612: Was widely alleged that Russian troops, especially those belonging to the Internal Troops (MVD), committed numerous and in part systematic acts of torture and summary executions on Chechen civilians; they were often linked to zachistka ("cleansing" raids on town districts and villages suspected of harboring boyeviki – militants). Humanitarian and aid groups chronicled persistent patterns of Russian soldiers killing, raping and looting civilians at random, often in disregard of their nationality. Chechen fighters took hostages on

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