The Gestapo was created in 1933 and manned by members of local police forces and called a State Police force. It was quickly turned into a government police force used to fight espionage, terrorist acts, treason and “all tendencies dangerous to the state”. The Gestapo was above local law and judicial review. The Gestapo also had the power to hold suspects indefinitely without laying charges upon an individual. After transfer of the Gestapo to the SS, its ranks swelled to nearly 50,000 men. It was divided into several departments in charge of investigating Political Enemies, Sects and Churches, Government Affairs, Counter Intelligence, Frontier and Border Police.

The SS was first created as a form of Secret Service tasked with the protection of heads of state and political leaders. It was assigned security at public events such as rallies and speeches. The SS total manpower was 8 men. By the end of 1932 the SS ranks swelled to over 290,000 men by swallowing other organizations such as the local police, the Gestapo, the SA and the SD. The SS now had jurisdiction in local, state, government and military affairs and could investigate any freely.

The SS was divided into several departments, the first being the General SS which consisted of several branches including the military wing. The second group was the SS-TV which was in charge of the prisons, concentration camps and extermination camps. Another group was the Special Action Groups which were created on an as-needed basis by grabbing men from the SD, Gestapo, local police and military units. The fourth group was the Order Police which were basically all local police forces under one command. The two remaining departments were the Medical Corp and Police Courts. The medical Corps became the SS Surgeon Generals office and was in charge of government medical program and euthanasia program against the handicapped. The Police Courts was the SS Internal Affairs for disciplining SS members because the SS was above the local courts. The Reich Ministry of Justice passed an act stating that SS members were allowed to break conventional laws in order to fulfill their duties.

Many organizations can see parallel arms in government agencies here in the United States. The Secret Service having the duties of the original SS. The FBI can be compared to the Gestapo and Order Police of the SS or SA. The CIA and NSA operate much like the intelligence and military wing of the SS or SD.