The Administrative Police in Nazi Germany (German: Verwaltungspolizei), was not only responsible for the internal administration of the police services, but also for many administrative functions which in other countries were performed by purely civilian agencies.
The police commissioners of the state police departments in cities were police lawyers of the administrative police with the grades of Polizeidirektor or Polizeipräsident. The staff of the administrative police consisted of police lawyers, police administrative officials, as well as the jailers of the police jails.[1]
The administrative police of the state police departments handled the following type of matters:[2]
The municipal police departments handled the same type of business as the state police departments. In addition in handled the type of police duties that was reserved for the municipal authorities, such as building inspection, forest police, housing inspection, homelessness, and school attendance. Only the larger cities without a state police department had a special staff of Gemeindeverwaltungspolizeibeamten, municipal administrative police officials. In smaller cities and in towns the administrative police functions were handled by the regular civil municipal administration.[3]
Administrative police officials belonged to the same four different career tracks as the general civil service.
| Career track[4] | Civilian education required for candidates from civil life[5] | Recruitment of administrative officials serving in State Police Departments and as Municipal administrative police officials [4] | Recruitment of administrative officials serving in the Gestapo/Sicherheitspolizei[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| einfacher Dienst (lower career) |
Volksschule | 100% from State Protection Police officers (Municipal protection police officers) | 80 % from State Protection Police officers with more than 8 years seníority; 20% from civil life as Polizeverwaltungslehrlinge (police administration apprentices).[6] |
| mittlerer Dienst (middle career) |
Vocational school | 90% from State Protection Police officers (Municipal police officers) with more than 10 years seníority; 10% from civilian life. | 50% from State Protection Police officers with more than 8 years seníority; 50% from civil life. |
| gehobener Dienst (upper career) |
Abitur | 50% from State Protection Police officers (Municipal protection police officers) with at least 12 years seníority; 50% from civil life. | 50% from State Protection Police officers with at least 12 years seníority; 50% from civil life. Promotion from Middle Career also possible. All candidates had since 1939 to successfully participate in a SS-Fuehrer selection.[7] Participation in the selection required membership in the Nazi Party.[8] |
| höherer Dienst (higher career) |
University degree | From civil life | |
| Pay grade | Annual pay Reichsmark |
Lower career | Middle career | Upper career | Higher career or Police lawyers |
Insignia | Corresponding rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A10b | 1700–2400 | Amtsgehilfe Botenmeister Hausmeister |
– | – | – |  |
Wachtmeister |
| A10a | 1759–2550 | Betriebsassistent Oberbotenmeister |
– | – | – |  |
Revieroberwachtmeister |
| A9 | 1800–2700 | Polizei- Gefängnisoberwachtmeister Vollziehungsbeamter |
– | – | – | ||
| Polizei- Gefängnishauptwachtmeister Erster Polizeigefängnis-hauptwachtmeister |
– | – | – |  |
Hauptwachtmeister | ||
| A8a | 2100–2800 | – | Polizeiassistent Kanzleiassistent Regierungsassistent Verwaltungsassistent technischer Assistent |
– | – | ||
| A7a | 2350–3500 | Polizeigefängnis- Verwalter |
Polizeisekretär Kanzleisekretär Regierungssekretär technischer Sekretär |
– | – | Meister | |
| A5b | 2300–4200 | Polizeigefängnis- Oberverwalter |
Polizeiobersekretär Kanzleiobersekretär Regierungsobersekretär techn. Obersekretär Waffenmeister |
– | – |  |
Obermeister Revierleutnant |
| A4c2 | 2800–5000 | – | – | Polizeiinspektor Waffeninspektor Waffenrevisor |
– |  |
Oberleutnant |
| A4c1 | 2 800–5300 | – | – | Polizeinspektor Polizeirentmeister |
– | ||
| A4b2 | 3000–5500 | – | – | Polizeioberinspektor Polizeirechnungsrevisor |
– |  |
Hauptmann |
| A4b1 | 4100–5800 | – | – | Polizeioberinspektor Polizeioberrentmeister Waffenoberrevisor Oberbuchalter |
– | ||
| A3b | 4800–7 000 | – | – | Polizeirat Polizeiamtmann (with less than 3 years in the grade) |
– | ||
| – | – | Polizeirat Polizeiamtmann |
– |  |
Major | ||
| A2d | 4800–7800 | – | Amtsrat Polizeioberamtmann |
– | |||
| A2c2 | 4800–8400 | – | – | Regierungsassessor | |
Hauptmann | |
| – | – | – | Regierungsrat (with less than 3 years in the grade) | ||||
| – | – | Regierungs- und Kassenrat | Regierungsrat |
|
Major | ||
| A2b | 7 000–9700 | – | – | – | Polizeidirektor Oberregierungsrat Oberstleutnant der Polizei |
 |
Oberstleutnant |
| A1b | 6200–10600 | – | – | – | Polizeipräsident (cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants) Regierungsdirektor |
 |
Oberst |
| A1a | 8400–12600 | – | – | – | Polizeipräsident (cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants) Polizeivizepräsident (Berlin) Ministerialrat Oberst der Polizei | ||
| B8 | 14000 | – | – | Polizeipräsident (cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants) |
 |
Generalmajor | |
| B7b | 15000 | – | – | – | Polizeipräsident (Hamburg) | ||
| B7a | 16000 | – | – | – | Polizeipräsident (Wien) Ministerialdirigent | ||
| B6 | 17000 | – | – | – | Polizeipräsident (Berlin) |  |
Generalleutnant |
| B4 | 19000 | – | – | – | Ministerialdirektor |
Median annual wage for an industrial worker was 1,495 RM in 1939. In the same year the median salary for a privately employed white-collar worker was 2,772 RM.[12]
New rules for promotions were issued in 1943.[13]
Polizeiassistenten were eligible for promotion to Polizeisekretär after two years in the grade. Participation in a SS-Fuehrer course was mandatory for SS-members, but not for officials who didn't belong to the SS. Polizeisekretäre were eligible for promotion to Polizeiobersekretär after three years in the grade. Participation in a leadership course was mandatory for those not members of the SS.[13]
Polizeiinspektoren were eligible for promotion to Polizeioberinspektor after three years in the grade. Polizeioberinspektoren were eligible for promotion to Polizeirat after two years in the grade. Regierungsamtmänner and Polizeiräte in RSHA were eligible for promotion to Amtsrat after five years in the grade. Amtsräte were eligible for promotion to Regierungsrat after five years in the grade.[13]