Several months ago while driving in Berlin, I was passed by an official-looking car that caught my attention. I snapped this photo of it at the next intersection:
Ordnungsamt vehicle
The word Ordnungsamt on the back of the car translates literally as Orderliness Department, although a more meaningful rendering might be Office for Public Order. I know that Germans have a reputation for being orderly, but still I was surprised to see that a public office was devoted to maintaining order. And I wasn’t really sure what members of the Ordnungsamt do. Today I found out.