Slave patrol

Slave patrols—also known as patrollers, patterrollers, pattyrollers or paddy rollers—were organized groups of armed men who monitored and enforced discipline upon slaves in the antebellum U.S. southern states. The slave patrols' function was to police slaves, especially those who escaped or were viewed as defiant. They also formed river patrols to prevent escape by boat.

This article is about patrols to capture runaway slaves. For information on naval operations to enforce laws against bringing slaves from Africa to the Americas, see African Slave Trade Patrol.

Slave patrol
Occupation
SynonymsPatrollers, patterrollers, pattyrollers, paddy rollers, sheriff
Occupation type
Law enforcement or Military (1704–1865)
Activity sectors
U.S. southern states
Description
Related jobs
Slave catcher

Slave patrols were first established in South Carolina in 1704 and the idea spread throughout the colonies before their use ended following the Civil War.

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