Provost marshal

This article is about military usage of the term provost. For other uses, see Provost (disambiguation).
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A provost marshal (/ˌproʊvoʊ ˈmɑːʃl/) commands a group of military police (MPs). The title originated with an older term for MPs, provosts, from the Old French prévost (Modern French prévôt). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior commissioned officer, the title can apply to a person of any rank who commands any number of MPs; historically, civilian officials could become provost mashalls, especially under conditions of martial law, or when a military force had day-to-day responsibility for some or all aspects of civilian law-enforcement (such as in some British colonies). A provost marshal may also oversee security services, imprisonment, fire/emergency services and ambulances.

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