History Main / Posse

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has a Wild West themed episode that involves the formation of a posse. Dean is very happy about that. He loves the posse. He's a [[IncrediblyLamePun posse magnet.]]
* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' has the Bookhouse Boys, townsfolk recruited by the Sheriff to help in some....slightly less than legal law enforcement operations.

The word comes from the Latin phrase "''posse comitatus''", roughly "to have the right to an armed retinue." In the old days, it would sometimes be necessary for a sheriff to get a lot of manpower very quickly to deal with a crisis. To this end, he could essentially draft any man handy (with certain restrictions) into a posse to handle the situation. The process will often include the line "I hereby deputise you."

After 1878, it was illegal to use military personnel in a posse. In more modern times, many jurisdictions have banned the formation of posses, but sheriffs seldom have need of them due to improved communications and manpower.

* The Italian western comic ''[[ComicBook/TexWiller Tex]]'' features one of the most epic uses of the trope, as the posse gathered at the end of the story arc ''Navajo Blood'' is composed by Tex, his pards and ''over one hundred pissed Navajos'', who showed up to make sure the {{Corrupt Hick}}s who murdered four Navajo boys ForTheEvulz are arrested and unable to bribe their way out of trouble ''again''. The posse is so formidable that the {{Mook}}s of the villains run away after being told of it, and the villains end up killing each other as they fight over the only available horse to run away.

* ''Film/{{Posse}}'' was a 1993 movie by Mario Van Peebles that has a gang formed up of black Spanish-American War veterans returning home to right wrongs. Unfortunately, they can't be a legal posse as TheSheriff is one of the [[CorruptHick bad guys]].

** The spinoff game ''{{TabletopGame/Inquisitor}}'' is based around such retinues battling each other.

* The townspeople form one and chase down the bandits in ''Film/TheGreatTrainRobbery''.

* Subverted in the Gary Cooper film, ''Film/HighNoon''--Marshal Kane tries to gather a posse to take down {{revenge}}-seeking {{outlaw}} Frank Miller, but he's forced to fight alone when none of the eligible townsfolk will help him. Some refuse to join him out of cowardice, others because they sympathize with Miller. The only people who would be willing to help him are an one-eyed old drunk and a 14-year-old boy; Kane sends them away, as they'd be more of a hindrance.

* The western novel series started by William Johnstone and his niece J.A. frequently have civilian posses formed to pursue bank robbers, murderers, and the like, generally after a villainous EstablishingCharacterMoment. In most books, they get attacked in an ambush and are either wiped out or turn back in fright after losing a member or two. On a few occasions (such as in ''[=MacCallister=]: The Eagles Legacy: Kingdom Come''), the posse successfully captures the killers, only for them to pull off a bloody jailbreak later on. On the rare occasions where a main character is part of an organized posse (such as in ''Blood Bond: Gunsight Crossing''), the whole affair is likely to be a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.