authorities, officials
それで工場のみんなは仕方なく協力したことにすれば当局に言い訳がたつでしょう
Then we can tell the authorities that everyone at the factory cooperated because they had no choice, and that should give us a defensible excuse.
— 紅の豚 (1992)
You write, “We will notify the authorities” and “many times before…”
— 戦争と女の顔 (2019)
Investigators also seem to be quite perplexed.
— M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (1931)