Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia

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ZOMO Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia
Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej
Patch of the Citizens' Militia (MO) and ZOMO
Active	1956 – 1989
Disbanded	7 September 1989
Country	Polish People's Republic
Allegiance	Citizens' Militia (MO)
Type	Paramilitary police
Role	Political coercion, throttling of protests, street and state security
Size	13,000 (1980s)[1]
Nickname(s)	"Communist Gestapo", ZOMO-men

The Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia (Polish: Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej), commonly known as ZOMO, were paramilitary-police formations during the communist era in Poland. These elite units of Citizens' Militia (MO) were originally created to fight dangerous criminals, to provide security during mass events, and help in the case of natural disasters and other crises; however, they became known instead for their brutal and sometimes repressive lethal actions of riot control and their role in quelling civil rights protests.^[2]

The first ZOMO units were deployed in 1956 and became particularly infamous for their ruthless handling of political opponents under Polish martial law (1981–1983). It was permanently disbanded after the fall of communism in 1989, though the term "ZOMO" remains synonymous with police brutality to this day.^[when?]