not quite the same, but the police used to work the same way. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Policing.jsp#constablestext https://www.oldbaileyonline.or

not quite the same, but the police used to work the same way. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Policing.jsp#constablestext https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Policing.jsp#constabl... Traditionally, householders served in the office of constable by appointment or rotation. During their year of office they performed their duties part-time alongside their normal employment. Similarly, householders were expected to serve by rotation on the nightly watch. From the late seventeenth century, however, many householders avoided these obligations by hiring deputies to serve in their place. Essentially being a police man was sort of like jury duty.