time police n.
officers who regulate time travel or other time-related phenomena; (specif.) officers who travel through time to attempt to prevent the past from being changed; a (government) body responsible for time-related phenomena
SF Encyclopedia
Time Travel
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[1948
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H. Beam Piper
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We have a monument, at Paratime Police Headquarters, in Dhergabar, bearing the names of our own personnel who didn’t make it back. It’s a large monument; over the past ten thousand years, it’s been inscribed with quite a few names.]
Police Operation in Astounding Science Fiction July 18/2 -
1950
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Rog Phillips
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The now you use is a time-point and moving at right angles to the time stream you call past and future, and also another point moving at right angles to it. If the time police find out about it you will not be here now in the other time.
Typewriter from the Future in Amazing Stories Feb. 61/1 -
1953
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C. M. Kornbluth
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In the end the Time Police punished him for unauthorized time traveling. They had come back and got him, brought him back to his own time.
Time Bum in Fantastic Jan.–Feb. 141/2 -
1959
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Donald E. Westlake
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I am from the twenty fifth century. I am a policeman, until recently assigned to customs duty. I have just been promoted, and my job assignment changed to the Time Police.
And Then He Went Away in Future Science Fiction June 91/1 -
1960
J. G. Ballard
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Where did you get it from? Your parents? Don’t worry, the Time Police were disbanded years ago.
Chronopolis in New Worlds Science Fiction (#95) June 71 -
1972
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John Sladek
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Since as time-police we have the only time-bikes around, the evidence is going to make us look bad.
Steam-Driven Boy in H. Harrison Nova 2 124 -
1996
Terry Pratchett
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I wouldn’t mind joining the police if they were time police. You’d go back and say, ‘Hey, are you Adolf Hitler?’ and when he said, ‘Achtung, that’s me, ja’…Kablooeee! With the pump-action shotgun. End of problem.
Johnny & the Bomb 16 -
1999
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Robert K. J. Killheffer
This isn’t the Time Police zooming in on antigrav thrusters.
Books in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Mar. 37/2 -
2000
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Norman Spinrad
An oft-told tale, in which the time police of a self-appointed transtemporal authority…patrol the centuries and eons combating those who would tamper with history.
On Books in Asimov’s Science Fiction Oct.–Nov. 229/1 -
2013
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Alex Scarrow
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‘We were recruited by an agency to make sure things stay right…. To make sure any other troublesome buggers with time machines don’t go messing around and changing the course of history.’ Adam frowned. ‘You mean…like, sort of Time Police, or something?’
Mayan Prophecy 42
Research requirements
antedating 1950
Last modified 2022-11-01 13:51:45
In the compilation of some
entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries
in OED.