
What are the different types of law enforcement in the United States? There are basically three types of law enforcement agencies, local, state, and federal. Local law enforcement agencies include police and sheriff departments. State agencies include the state or highway patrol. Federal agencies include the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.
What are the different careers in law enforcement?
Law Enforcement Careers
- Uniformed Officers. A uniformed police officer has general duties that include responding to emergency calls and maintain a regular patrol.
- Investigators. A detective is a plain clothed investigator that has the job of collecting the evidence surrounding criminal cases.
- Support Positions. ...
- Becoming a Police Officer. ...
- Requirements. ...
What are the three major levels of law enforcement?
What kind of law enforcement jobs are there?
- Police officer.
- Deputy sheriff.
- State trooper.
- Border patrol agent.
- Special jurisdiction police officer.
- Game warden.
What are the best jobs in law enforcement?
Jobs in law enforcement
- Air marshal. Primary duties: An air marshal protects people from harm on airplanes. ...
- Animal control officer. Primary duties: An animal control officer protects the community by ensuring human care for animals and implementing animal licensing laws.
- Substance abuse counselor. ...
- Surveillance officer. ...
- Park ranger. ...
- Private investigator. ...
What are the jurisdiction of different levels of law enforcement?
What are the jurisdiction of different levels of law enforcement? So, local police usually have jurisdiction over crimes within that city, sheriffs have jurisdiction over the county, state troopers have jurisdiction over state roads and state-wide crimes, and federal policing agencies have jurisdiction over federal level crimes.

What are the types of law enforcement?
There are five major types of police agency: (1) the federal system, consisting of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service, the Postal Inspection Service, and many others; (2) police forces and criminal investigation ...
What are the four main levels of law enforcement in the United States?
Federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement agenies.
What type of law enforcement has the US?
Law enforcement operates primarily through governmental police agencies. There are 17,985 police agencies in the United States which include city police departments, county sheriff's offices, state troopers, and federal law enforcement agencies.
What is the highest law enforcement in the US?
Known for being on the cutting-edge of forensic technology, and innovative investigative techniques, the FBI is America's principal law enforcement agency. Established as the Bureau of Investigation in 1908, and later changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935, the FBI is headquartered at the J.
What is the difference between police and law enforcement?
Law enforcement it is an effective way to maintain public order and focuses on requiring compliance with the community members. As for good policing by using physical force is last resort, to protect and serve the public, and providing services.
Which law enforcement has the most power?
The Department of JusticeThe Department of Justice is the law enforcement agency with the most power in the United States. In fact, its job is to enforce federal laws. The Department of Justice is led by the attorney general, a cabinet-level official who is appointed by the president. The FBI is part of the Department of Justice.
How many levels of law enforcement exist in the United States?
There are basically three types of law enforcement agencies, local, state, and federal. Local law enforcement agencies include police and sheriff departments. State agencies include the state or highway patrol. Federal agencies include the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.
How many law enforcement are there in the United States?
Number of full-time law enforcement officers in the United States from 2004 to 2020CharacteristicNumber of law enforcement officers2019697,1952018686,6652017670,2792016652,9369 more rows•Oct 5, 2022
Is the FBI considered law enforcement?
The FBI is the nation's lead federal law enforcement agency for investigating and preventing acts of domestic and international terrorism.
Who is higher FBI or Homeland security?
US Department of Homeland Security is most highly rated for Compensation and benefits and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is most highly rated for Compensation and benefits....Overall Rating.Overall Rating3.84.3Management3.23.8Culture3.54.03 more rows
Who has the most authority in the US?
The President is both the head of state and head of government of the United States of America, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Under Article II of the Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress.
What are the main levels of law enforcement quizlet?
There are three distinct levels of law enforcement in the United States: federal, state, and local.
What are the 5 levels of policing?
8 police ranks you may encounter in your law enforcement careerPolice technician. ... Police officer/patrol officer/police detective. ... Police corporal. ... Police sergeant. ... Police lieutenant. ... Police captain. ... Deputy police chief. ... Chief of police.
Which of the following make up the levels of law enforcement?
In the United States, there are three general levels of law enforcement: federal, state, and local.
What are the four responsibilities of the police?
Police typically are responsible for maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities.
What is Law Enforcement?
The term " law enforcement " refers to the collection of agencies that are charged with protecting the citizens and communities, maintaining the peace, and enforcing the laws of the different states and municipalities around the United States.
Levels of Law Enforcement
There are different levels of law enforcement depending on the type of crime and where it was committed.
Types of Law Enforcement Jobs
Within each level of law enforcement, there is a wide variety of different types of personnel and job positions:
What does CALEA stand for?
CALEA, which stands for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, is the international authority on law enforcement standards. The Commission offers several prestigious credentialing programs for public safety agencies, including Law Enforcement, Public Safety Communications, and Public Safety Training Academy Accreditation. ...
What is a CALEA accreditation?
CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation is a voluntary program open to all types of law enforcement agencies. Accreditation involves the systematic review of an agency’s policies and procedures against CALEA’s internationally accepted Standards for Law Enforcement Agencies©.
What is a special jurisdiction police?
Special jurisdiction police are generally full-service departments, offering the same services as local police. Deputy Sheriffs – Generally sheriff’s offices are granted authority by the state to enforce state law at the local county level.
What is the job of a state police officer?
State Police / Highway Patrol – State police often perform police duties to include highway patrol and statewide investigations. Some states have only highway patrol with investigative functions covered by a separate entity such as a state bureau of investigation.
What is the purpose of local police?
The primary purpose is to uphold the laws of the jurisdiction, provide patrol, and investigate local crimes.
What are the duties of a federal officer?
Federal officers’ duties include police response and patrol, criminal investigation and enforcement, inspections, security and protection, court operations, and corrections.
What was the largest employer of federally employed officers in 2008?
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2008 the largest employers of federally employed officers were U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Bureau of Prisons, the FBI, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, each with over 15,000 full-time law enforcement.
What is the GBI in Georgia?
Many of Georgia’s small police departments allow the GBI to handle all the criminal investigations within their jurisdiction. Federal Agencies are the next major type of law enforcement organization. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, ...
What is a state police department?
These agencies handle large cases that might require investigation throughout the entire state. State police departments also could be called in to investigate local police agencies for corruption or use of force complaints. In many jurisdictions, if available, a state agency will investigate officer involved shootings involving county or city police officers. State police departments are also responsible for traffic enforcement on interstates and state highways.
What is the Georgia Bureau of Investigation?
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is the agency that conducts large criminal investigations that might involve multiple cities or counties. The GBI also assists small agencies in investigating serious crimes such as rapes, murders, and large drug investigations. Many of Georgia’s small police departments allow the GBI to handle all the criminal investigations within their jurisdiction.
What are the agencies that are part of the federal law enforcement system?
The United States Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Secret Service are other agencies that are also part of the federal law enforcement system. These agencies and others are under the control and oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. Each federal police department has ...
What is the role of state police?
State police departments are also responsible for traffic enforcement on interstates and state highways. Other states, such as Georgia, for example, have a different system.
What are the three agencies under the control of the Department of Justice?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the three that most people are familiar with. These agencies and others are under the control and oversight of the Department of Justice. The United States Marshals Service, ...
What is the primary law enforcement agency in a county?
In counties, especially rural counties that do not have a county police department, the sheriff’s office is the primary law enforcement agency for that area. They will handle all of the above mentioned responsibilities, as well as answering citizen requests for police services including 911 calls.
What are some examples of local policing?
Some examples of law enforcement include arresting perpetrators and investigating crimes.
What are the different levels of law enforcement?
There are three different levels of law enforcement, local, state and federal. Each of which level does a wide variety of different things varying from taking people to the hospital to arresting terrorists. The first level I will talk about is local policing. Local policing and its duties include law enforcement, order mainetence or peacekeeping, ...
Which state does not have a state patrol?
Hawaii is the only state without a state patrol agency. Federal law agencies including FBI, U.S. Secret Service, DEA, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security are some of the largest. Yet, they do not have the same responsibilities per say as the local police do.
Does Hawaii have a state police?
Although even highway patrols can and will intervene on drug cases, for example if a suspect is carrying drugs across state lines, or is about to. Hawaii is the only state without a state patrol agency.
Do federal police have peacekeeping?
First, Federal agencies such as the FBI operate across the entire nation and even have agents serving abroad. Second, federal police agencies do not , as a rule, have the peacekeeping or order maintenance duties typical in local policing.
What is an armorer?
Armorer: Armorers do preventative maintenance and repair of firearms used by their agency’s officers. Being an armorer in a law enforcement agency is usually the collateral duty or a regular officer, meaning you have a regular assignment and do the armorer chores as time allows.
What is the role of a police chief?
Chief: The chief of police or sheriff is the top executive in a law enforcement agency . Chiefs are usually appointed by the local government’s council, where sheriffs are elected. This role is usually attained toward the end of an officer’s career, and after being promoted multiple times. Dive deeper: So, you want to be a police chief?
What is a motor officer?
Motor Officer: Motor officers are assigned primarily traffic enforcement, as the motorcycles are more maneuverable and capable of higher speeds than patrol cars. They may do escorts of funeral processions or parade participants. Most aspiring motor officers must first complete a difficult motorcycle training course. Motor officers have the added perk of being able to take their motorcycles home and ride them to and from work.
What is a police investigator?
Investigator: Most police investigators are called “detectives,” but there are other investigative assignments in law enforcement. Background investigators review the histories and qualifications of people who are applying for employment. Internal affairs investigators investigate complaints of misconduct and other suspicious activities occurring within their agencies. Most police investigators will have substantial experience in patrol and investigations before they are assigned to one of these specialized areas.
What is a constable in Texas?
Constable: Constable is the job title for most line police officers in the United Kingdom and Canada, but there are also constables in the United States. They most often work as process servers for the courts, delivering subpoenas, criminal complaints, and lien notices on people involved in an ongoing case. In Texas, some constables work in uniform and drive patrol cars with police lighting and sirens, performing traffic enforcement and drug interdiction.
What is a bike patrol?
Bike Patrol: Cops on bicycles can often respond to emergencies more quickly than those in cars when traffic is congested, or the location of the call is far from the pavement. Bike patrol requires a high level of physical fitness. It’s a popular assignment in a city or county law enforcement agency, and competition for a bike patrol slot can be intense.
What is the job of a law enforcement instructor?
Instructor: A career in law enforcement entails frequent training in new techniques and policy and refresher training in old ones. Most instructors are drawn from the ranks of the agency, or “borrowed” from other local departments. Most training assignments are collateral, meaning the instructor has another regular job when he is not training someone. Larger agencies may have full-time trainers, and state training agencies may employ people who instruct full time. Trainers are expected to have both academic preparation and practical experience in their area of expertise.

U.S. Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies
- There are more than 17,000 state and local law enforcement agencies in the United States, ranging in size from one officer to more than 30,000. Many of these are municipal police departments operated by local governments, but there are actually several types of law enforcement agencies. 1. Local Policeincludes municipal, county, tribal, and regiona...
Law Enforcement Accreditation
- While not a type of law enforcement agency, one designation to look for when evaluating departments is CALEA Accreditation. CALEA, which stands for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, is the international authority on law enforcement standards. The Commission offers several prestigious credentialing programs for public safety agencies, includ…