Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies

Overview
The Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies was made up of a series of groups established in New York between June of 1776 and January of 1778 to collect intelligence, apprehend British spies and couriers, and examine suspected British sympathizers. In effect, there was created a "special service" for New York which had the power to arrest, to convict, to grant bail or parole, and to jail or to deport. A company of militia was placed under its command to implement its broader charter.

Source

 * CI Reader: An American Revolution Into the New Millennium, Vol. I, at 2.