County commissioners’ courts in Illinois were “authorized to divide their respective counties into as many election precincts . . . as they may think expedient.” Each precinct could elect two constables “to suppress all riots and unlawful assemblies, and to keep the peace, and also to serve and execute all warrants, writs, precepts and other process, to him lawfully directed.” George A. Smith first proposed this measure the night before when he advocated “dividing the city into precincts so as to make a large number of Civil officers.” This was done in a meeting that included all of the city’s bishops and approximately two hundred seventies and high priests who had gathered according to Young’s instructions to “take some measures to watch for the saf[e]ty of the Public as the repeal of our city charter has left us with out a police and men are taking advantage of our having no police and coming here for the purpose of stealing and robing.” The meeting appointed bishops and deacons “to watch the movements of mauraders.” (Elections [3 Mar. 1845], Revised Statutes of the State of Illinois [1844–1845], p. 215, sec. 7; Justices of the Peace and Constables [3 Mar. 1845], Revised Statutes of the State of Illinois [1844–1845], pp. 313, 328, secs. 2, 88; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 17 Mar. 1845, 50.)

Revised Statutes of the State of Illinois, Adopted by the General Assembly of Said State, at Its Regular Session, Held in the Years, A. D., 1844–’5. Springfield, IL: William Walters, 1845.

Smith, George Albert, Autobiography / “History of George Albert Smith by Himself,” ca. 1857–1875. Draft. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL.