How did the term "X's finest" come to mean the police force of a city X?

Question

I have often come across terms like London's finest, New York's finest, etc., intended to mean the police forces of the respective cities. I think in the case of Scotland Yard, the term even has some official currency. How did this usage originate? Was it sarcastic or propaganda?

It's hard to believe that the finest people of a city are its policemen, especially given how often popular tales involve thieves and outlaws as protagonists.

Hugo · Accepted Answer

In the case of "New York's Finest," Barry [Popik] has traced the term back to
  the 1870s, where it apparently first emerged in the form "the finest
  police force in the world," a phrase associated with George Matsell
  (police chief at the time), and possibly modeled on Civil War Major
  General Joseph Hooker's estimation of his troops as "the finest army
  on the planet." The general idea of New York's police being "the finest" had been asserted in print for several years by that point, so it
  wasn't surprising that eventually the tribute was codified in the
  phrase "New York's Finest."

http://www.word-detective.com/0806C.html

I've never heard the police in London referred to as "London's finest", and a search for that phrase results in must-see landmarks, expensive hotels, hairdressers, dance troupes and man-and-van services. But adding the word police shows the Metropolitan Police do (or have) used the phrase:

A career with London's finest

http://content.met.police.uk/News/A-career-with-Londons-finest/1260267625884/1257246745756

I don't think it's an official term in London, unlike New York and some other American cities.

Oldbag · Answer

In NYC, the police are "NY's Finest", the firemen are "NY's Bravest" and the sanitation workers are "NY's Strongest".  ("Everybody wants to get into the act" - Jimmy Durante)

Omaha Seamus · Answer

During the Civil War rioters in New York protested the unfairness of the draft. (It's a rich man's war but a poor man's fight.) It was wild enough that Lincoln ordered soldiers from the Army Of the Potomac to go to New York to restore order. Before the soldiers got to New York the police had won the street battles and ended the riot. The New York P.D. had earned the title New York's Finest in combat. Other police departments have not earned the title.

Answered by Omaha Seamus on October 4, 2021

Justina Colmena · Answer

It's the Eighth Amendment.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

People are simply making neutral comments about the superlative traffic fines they are paying.

How did the term "X's finest" come to mean the police force of a city X?

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