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The ranks and insignia of the Ordnungspolizei were developed in 1936 after the nationalisation of Germany's regular police forces.

Ordnungspolizei

Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) ranks were based on local police titles and were considered a separate system from the ranks of the SS. If a member of the Order Police was already an SS member or - upon application - became an SS member, he was automatically awarded an SS rank according to his police rank. Within the police administration, only the police rank was used. In the SS environment, the equivalent SS title was usually mentioned first, even if the bearer usually had no function in the SS administration. In 1944, all Orpo generals also gained equivalent Waffen-SS ranks so that, in the event of capture by the Allies, the Orpo general would hold status as a military officer instead of a police official.

It was not until the decree of 16.4.1940 that the Order Police were allowed to show their SS affiliation in their uniforms: A small SS rune was sewn on below the left breast pocket.

Ordnungspolizei rank insignia

In addition to collar and shoulder insignia, Ordnungspolizei also wore the wreathed police eagle on the upper left sleeve. The collar patch and shoulderboards were backed, and the sleeve eagle (below the rank of Leutnant) embroidered, in truppenfarbe, a colour-code which indicated the branch of police: green for Schutzpolizei (protection police) and police general officers, wine-red for Gemeindepolizei (municipal protection police), orange for rural Gendarmerie, carmine-red for fire brigades, gold for maritime police, and light grey for administrative police.

General officers

Shoulder insignia	Collar insignia(1936–42)	Collar insignia(1942–45)	Orpo general rank	Equivalent SS rank
			Chef der Deutschen Polizei	Reichsführer-SS
			Generaloberst der Polizei	Oberst-Gruppenführer
			General der Polizei	Obergruppenführer
			Generalleutnant der Polizei	Gruppenführer
			Generalmajor der Polizei	Brigadeführer

Note: Since most police generals, increasingly as time went on, were also SS generals, they typically wore an SS uniform except at police-specific functions.

Field and junior officers

Shoulder insignia	Collar insignia	Orpo general rank	Equivalent SS rank
		Oberst der Schutzpolizei	Standartenführer
		Oberstleutnant der Schutzpolizei	Obersturmbannführer
		Major der Schutzpolizei	Sturmbannführer
		Hauptmann der Schutzpolizei	Hauptsturmführer
		Oberleutnant der Schutzpolizei	Obersturmführer
		Leutnant der Schutzpolizei	Untersturmführer

Enlisted, NCOs, and senior NCOs

Shoulder insignia	Collar insignia	Orpo general rank	Translation	Equivalent SS rank	Equivalent U.S. Army rank
		Meister	Master	None	(Warrant officer)
		Hauptwachtmeister	Chief watch master	Hauptscharführer	(Master sergeant)
		Revieroberwachtmeister (Schupo)Bezirksoberwachtmeister (Gendarmerie)Zugwachtmeister (Kasernierte Polizei)	Precinct senior watch masterDistrict senior watch masterPlatoon watch master	Oberscharführer	(Technical sergeant)
		Oberwachtmeister	Senior watch master	Scharführer	(Staff sergeant)
		Wachtmeister	Watch master	Unterscharführer	(Sergeant)
		Rottmeister	Team master	Rottenführer	(Corporal)
		Unterwachtmeister	Junior watch master	Sturmmann	Constable (Private first class)
No insignia		Anwärter	Candidate	Mann	Constable cadet (Private)

• Source:

Rank and pay

Mean annual pay for an industrial worker was 1,459 Reichsmarks in 1939, and for a privately employed white-collar worker 2,772 Reichsmarks.

References

1. O.-Kdo P I (1a) Nr. 146/40, RMBliV S. 798.
2. Gordon Williamsson, World War II German Police Units, Osprey Publishing 2006, p. 8.
3. Unteroffiziere mit Portepee (equivalent to warrant officer)
4. Maybe equivalent to the Wehrmacht's Festungswerkmeister ("Fortress Foreman") and Hufbeschlaglehrmeister ("Farrier Instructor").
5. Schutzpolizei des Reiches Retrieved 2016-01-10.
6. ^ Reichsbesoldungsordnung 1943, RGBl I:38
7. Die Besoldung eines Soldaten der Wehrmacht Retrieved 2013-11-26

v t e Schutzstaffel (SS)
Branches	Allgemeine SS SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) Waffen-SS
Leadership	Reichsführer-SS SS and police leader SS commands Allgemeine-SS regional commands
Leaders	Julius Schreck Joseph Berchtold Erhard Heiden Heinrich Himmler Karl Hanke
Main departments	Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS Command Staff Reichsführer-SS SS Main Office SS Medical Corps Head Operational Office Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) Economics and Administration Office Office of Race and Settlement (RuSHA) Main Office for Ethnic Germans (VOMI) Office of the Reich Commissioner for Germanic Resettlement (RKFDV) Courts Office Personnel Office Education Office
Ideological institutions	Ahnenerbe Das Schwarze Korps SS-Junker Schools Lebensborn
Police and security services	Uniformed police (Orpo) Schutzpolizei (Schupo) Criminal police (Kripo) Secret State Police (Gestapo) State Security Police (SiPo) SS Security Service (SD) Customs Border Guards (ZGS)
Führer protection	SS-Begleitkommando des Führers Reichssicherheitsdienst
Waffen-SS units	Paramilitary Einsatzgruppen Schutzmannschaft Byelorussian Latvian Lithuanian Ukrainian Estonian Rollkommando Hamann Arajs Kommando Selbstschutz Volksdeutscher Trawnikis Order Police battalions Hiwi Security Battalions (Greece) Waffen-SS divisions SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) Leibstandarte (LSSAH) SS Division Das Reich SS Division Totenkopf SS Polizei Division SS Division Wiking Foreign SS units Austrian SS Germanic-SS Germaansche SS in Nederland Germaansche SS in Vlaanderen Germanske SS Norge Schalburg Corps British Free Corps Kaminski Brigade Finnish Volunteer Battalion
SS-controlled enterprises	Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe German Earth and Stone Works (DEST) Ostindustrie German Equipment Works Klinker-Zement Allach porcelain Apollinaris Mattoni Sudetenquell Anton Loibl

• SS ranks
• Ordnungspolizei