The gangs of
Titus Annius Milo,
Publius Clodius and others which were used by rival politicians during the Republic had been eliminated mostly due to the efforts of
Pompeius Magnus. Although political gangs were a thing of the past since effective power no longer resided in the competing factions of the
Roman Senate and
elected officials, some kind of
police force was necessary to maintain public order and prevent civil disturbances. To fulfill this purpose
Augustus established three urban cohorts (
cohortes urbanae) under a newly appointed prefect of the city. Their primary role was to police Rome and counteract roaming mobs and
gangs that often haunted its streets during the
Republic. The urban cohorts thus acted as a heavy duty police force, capable of
riot control duties, while their contemporaries, the
Vigiles, policed the streets and fought fires. As a trained
paramilitary organization, the urban cohorts could, on rare occasions, go to battle if necessary. This role, however, was only called upon in dire situations. Unlike the
Vigiles, who mostly operated at night as firefighters and watchmen, members of the urban cohorts were considered
legionaries, though with higher pay than the regular legions—if not quite as much as the
Praetorian Guards—and tended to receive slightly higher
donatives, though not as much as the Praetorians. == Organization ==