Abstract
Through the analysis of letters written by policemen, we intend to shed light on little known aspects of the São Paulo Police in the beginning of the XX century. This very personal mode of communication allows us to catch a glimpse of the intimacy of policemen's lives, the presence of family, the porosity between both civil and institutional "worlds". The epistolary form, so uncommon in a bureaucratic structure, uncovers the strategies of these workers in their daily relationship with the institution - the struggle for survival in a universe of poverty and hierarchical inequities; in short, a behind-the-scenes look into police work and routine.
Keywords:
police; labour; police history