Since the introduction of the horse to early American society, horse theft has been a lucrative crime. This fascinating exposition details the history of organized horse-thief gangs and several of the most notorious criminals from the colonial era through World War II. Equally riveting is the development of groups dedicated to preventing horse theft, the most famous of which was the Anti-Horse Thief Association.Tricks of the horse-theft trade are explored. Stolen horses were disgui...

Police enforce the law, but they must also obey it. Statutes circumscribe how law enforcement officers conduct their work. At the same time, Canadian courts have handed police many powers to stop, search, and otherwise investigate people in the pursuit of public safety and crime prevention. Ancillary Police Powers in Canada explains what these common-law police powers are; how they came to be; and, crucially, what the potential dangers are in their expanding scope. What is the dif...