Law enforcement in the United States is one of the three main components of the U.S. criminal justice system, along with courts and correctional facilities. Although each component operates semi-independently, the three together form a chain that goes from investigating alleged criminal activity to administering criminal sanctions. Law enforcement agencies are also involved in the initial response to emergencies and other threats to public safety. the protection of certain public facilities and infrastructures; the maintenance of law and order; protection of public officials; and the operation of some detention centres (usually at the local level). In most states, law enforcement officers operate under the same self-defense laws as the public. If the first responder or a member of the public is at risk of serious bodily harm and/or death, lethal force is generally warranted. Most law enforcement agencies establish a continuum of violence and cite lethal force as a last resort. With this model, the authorities try to control the excessive use of force. Still, some question the number of killings by law enforcement officials, including the killing of unarmed people, raising questions about widespread and persistent excessive use of force. [34] [35] Other non-fatal incidents and arrests have raised similar concerns. [36] [37] [38] The U.S.
Marshals Service is the oldest and most diverse law enforcement agency in the country. Their many responsibilities include apprehending federal refugees, protecting the federal judiciary, operating the witness security program, transporting federal prisoners, and forfeiting property acquired by criminals through illegal activities. The Bureau of Justice Statistics` 2008 National and Local Law Enforcement Census (CSLLEA) found that 17,985 state and local law enforcement agencies employed at least one full-time or equivalent part-time official. [107] The ATF has many functions, including enforcing federal laws regarding the manufacture, use and possession of weapons and explosives. They also investigate the illicit trade in tobacco and alcohol. The agency works closely with local law enforcement agencies to regulate the interstate sale and transportation of ammunition, firearms and explosives. Law enforcement agencies work mainly through state police authorities. There are 17,985 U.S. police departments in the United States, including city police departments, county sheriff`s offices, state police/highway patrol, and federal law enforcement agencies. The purposes of these law enforcement agencies are to investigate suspected criminal activity, report the results of investigations to state or federal prosecutors, and temporarily remand suspected offenders pending trial. Law enforcement agencies are also often tasked to varying degrees, at different levels of government and in different agencies, with deterring criminal activity and preventing the successful commission of ongoing crimes.
Other tasks may include the service and execution of arrest warrants, documents and other court decisions. The FBI was founded in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation and became the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. In addition to law enforcement, the FBI is responsible for collecting national intelligence and national security. Although the FBI is under the control of the Department of Justice, it reports to both the Attorney General (head of the DOJ) and the Director of National Intelligence (Office of the President). The procedural use of patrol searches and cavity searches by law enforcement agencies has raised civil liberties concerns. [65] [66] [67] The practice of handcuffing an arrested person in a public place, often handcuffed, to allow the media to take photos and videos of the event also raised concerns. [68] In 2008, state and local law enforcement agencies employed more than 1.1 million full-time employees, including approximately 765,000 sworn employees (defined as individuals with general powers of arrest). The agencies also employed about 100,000 part-time employees, including 44,000 sworn public servants. [107] Promotions usually take place at a police station. Before you begin your online criminal justice studies, if you are considering becoming a police officer, you need to know what the chain of command is. The following example is from the Los Angeles Police Department, but other police departments are similar.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is another department that reports to many federal law enforcement agencies. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are some of the agencies reporting to DHS. [4] The U.S. Coast Guard is assigned to the U.S. Department of Defense in the event of war.
In 2019, the FBI estimated that approximately 1,003,270 law enforcement agencies were employed nationwide and spread across more than 13,250 agencies. Of these, 697,195 were sworn officers and 306,075 were civilian employees. According to the FBI UCR, the total number of agencies (including federal agencies) in the United States increased from 19,071 to 18,794 (excluding 277 federal agencies). [109] Law enforcement officers are given certain powers to carry out their duties. If there is a probable reason to believe that a person has committed a serious crime, an offence in his presence or a few offences that are not in his presence, a law enforcement officer may handcuff and arrest a person who is detained in a police station or prison pending bail or charges. A variety of national, regional, state, and local information systems are available to law enforcement agencies in the United States with different purposes and types of information. One example is the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS),[103] a state-owned intergovernmental justice and security network that supports state criminal background investigations, driver`s licenses, and vehicle registration systems, as well as investigations into federal systems such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security`s (DHS) Law Enforcement Support Center.
the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Drug Pointer Index (NDPIX), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Registry and the Canadian Government Police Information Centre (CPIC). [104] Another less lethal weapon that police often carry is a stun gun, also known as a Taser. The portable stun gun is designed to neutralize a single person from a distance by using electric current to interfere with voluntary muscle control. A person hit by a Taser experiences stimulation of their sensory nerves and motor nerves, resulting in strong involuntary muscle contractions. Tasers do not rely solely on pain adhesion, except when used in driving stun mode, and are therefore preferred by some law enforcement agencies over non-Taser stun guns and other electronic control weapons. Most states run national government agencies that perform law enforcement tasks, including state investigations and patrols. They can be called state police or highway patrol and are usually part of the state Department of Public Security. In addition, each state`s attorney general`s office has its own state investigation bureau, as in California with the California Department of Justice. The Texas Ranger Division fulfills this role in Texas, although it was formed in the pre-Texas period to become a state. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for most law enforcement tasks at the federal level.
[2] These include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and others. [3] A look at who controls these agencies highlights the power imbalances in the United States.