Between law and arbitrary rules: public order and police power in São Paulo (1890-1920) ; Entre a lei e o arbítrio: ordem pública e poder de polícia em São Paulo (1890-1920)

In a city marked by prominent town planning mutations and by an increasing demographic pressure, the action of the police showed it self fundamental between the available options to the public power in the task of management of that tense scene. The limits of the police action, nearly always situated between the dictates of the law and the convenience of arbitrary practices, will be discussed in this article. ; In a city marked by prominent town planning mutations and by an increasing demographic pressure, the action of the police showed it self fundamental between the available options to the public power in the task of management of that tense scene. The limits of the police action, nearly always situated between the dictates of the law and the convenience of arbitrary practices, will be discussed in this article. ; Numa cidade marcada por relevantes mutações urbanísticas e por uma crescente pressão demográfica, a atuação dos aparelhos policiais mostrou-se fundamental no gradiente de recursos disponíveis ao poder público na tarefa de gestão desse conflituoso cenário. Os limites da atuação policial, quase sempre situados entre os ditames da lei e a conveniência de práticas arbitrárias, serão discutidos neste artigo.