The definition of the coercive capacity of the police is the condition of possibility for its political instrumentality as well as its governance. After a presentation that consolidates the theorization of the use of force for the production of consented obediences, the article presents three passages of foundational moments of modern police forces as illustrations of the alternative ways of defining that capability as examples of different ways of connecting ends and means, political preferences and weapons specifics. The issues that these bring about allow the presentation of two issues relevant to the brazilian debate on public security: the tension between universality and localism in the police instrument and the integral nature of ends and means in two instances which admit the possibility of the use of force - defense and public security.
Human Rights; Weapons Police; Governance; Public Security