Milicja Obywatelska

Milicja Obywatelska MO Citizens' Militia
Milicja patch
Collar patch known as palemka
Common name	Milicja
Abbreviation	MO
Agency overview
Formed	7 October 1944
Dissolved	May 1990
Superseding agency	Policja
Employees	80,000 (1980s)[1]
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Polish People's Republic
Operations jurisdiction	Polish People's Republic
General nature	Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Warsaw
Agency executive	Franciszek Jóźwiak, as first Chief Commander
Parent agency	Ministry of Public Security (UB) Ministry of Internal Affairs
Child agency	ZOMO, ORMO

Milicja Obywatelska (Polish pronunciation: [miˈlit͡sja ɔbɨvaˈtɛlska]), in English known as the Citizens' Militia and commonly abbreviated to MO, was the national police organization of the Polish People's Republic. It was established on 7 October 1944 by the Polish Committee of National Liberation, effectively replacing the pre-war police force.^[2] The Citizen's Militia would remain the predominant means of policing in Poland until 10 May 1990, when it was transformed back into Policja.

The term milicja had been adapted from the cognate term, militsiya, used in several communist countries. The term is derived from militia, which derives its etymology from the concept of a military force composed of ordinary citizens. In most cases it represented a state-controlled force used to exert political repression, especially with its elite ZOMO squads.

Under both communist and post-communist governments, the Polish police system has traditionally operated under the auspices of national authority. Starting at the end of World War II, Poland went under the influence of the Soviet Union. In 1948, the country's strengthened turn toward Stalinism brought the beginning of formalised totalitarian rule, "in which one Party ruled autonomously over all sections of society".^[3] Training for the force was conducted in the town of Legionowo.