SS and police commands were senior level commands of the SS that existed under the authority of the SS and police leaders. The commands were first authorized in 1937 as extensions of the power granted to SS-Oberabschnitt commanders of the Allgemeine-SS (General-SS). The SS and police leaders were drawn from the general-SS Abschnitt and Oberabschnitt commands; it was a common occurrence for the same SS officer to hold both posts.
The SS and police commands were technically under the authority of the Allgemeine-SS, however during time of war the post was granted authority over Waffen-SS commands. In 1944, most SS and police leaders were granted equivalent Waffen-SS rank.
There were three levels of the SS and police commands: SS und Polizeiführer (SSPF), Höhere SS und Polizeiführer (HSSPF), and Höchste SS und Polizeiführer (HöSSPF).