Citizens expected the police to preserve public peace and safety so that they would be free to go about their economic and social occupations. Beyond that was the private sphere, which was not the business of the police.
Reinhard Höhn
1936
The common belief among the first thought about how the Volksgenossen (citzens) lived in (30s) Germany is that they were not free, and that they were constantly being watched as they went along with their private affairs.
However, contrary to the popular teachings and beliefs, the common Volksgennose was in fact a free person to go about his private affairs. While the Erbgesundheit (heriditary health) of the individual belonged to the body of the people and not to oneself, the actions of the individual was his own private affair - only, of course, as long as it did not effect the other individuals negatively.
The duty of the police was to ensure the security and safety of the people in their Kampf ums Leben (struggle for life), which was grounded in the laws of life implemented by Kriminalbiologie (criminal biology). It was not the duty of the police to interfere with the individual if he had not brought harm to the Gesellschaft des Volkes (community of the people).
Upon expansion of the Reichs territories in 1938 into Austria and the Sudetenland and the decree that was put in place on March 18, 1938, the Reichspolitzei had more authority to do what was necessary to remove filth from the harm of the healthy community that lived well behind them. It was the duty of the police to take all necessary measures to maintain safety and preserve order. In the general reputation of the police, they were generally good in their actions to preserve peace. It was only until they expanded into the futher territories that they took further measurements to ensure purification of the communities before them to become healthy.