Policing Functions

Policing Functions

Introduction

In the criminal justice system there are various police agencies that operate at different levels and have different perspectives and functions. There are the local, state, and federal agencies. There were 729,642 full-time law enforcement officers working in the local and state agencies in 2003, and an additional 105,000 law enforcement officers working in the federal agencies by 2004. As it changes from a local to a state agency or from a state to a federal agency the duties and responsibilities are greater. Local law enforcement agencies include Municipal police, County police, the County Sheriff, Special District police, and the Tribal police. State law enforcement agencies are the state police and the Highway patrol (Waller, 2009).

The federal agencies include the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Marshal Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This paper will go into depth about the various functions at the different levels and within the various agencies.

Local Police and Their Functions

Municipal police are also called the city police, and of American law enforcement they are the most important. When dealing with serious crimes the city police have the most responsibilities because they are usually the first responders, the city police officers are also responsible for order maintenance problems and provide a broad range of emergency services. In the United States there are six large city police departments which include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Those departments alone are responsible for “7.5 percent of the U.S. population but face 23 percent of all violent crime (Walker & Katz, 2008).

The Various Perspectives of Policing Functions on Each Level

The policing functions vary between the levels, or organizations in law enforcement. The organizations, and levels include the local, state, and federal police functions. The perspectives vary between local, state, and federal because each monitor a variety, and jurisdiction assigned to he or she. The discussion of local, state, and federal police functions, the perspective, and the possible future changes in laws that influence law enforcement addressed (Victor & Naughton, 2010). The police function in various attributes to protect, and serve the people; the policing functions existent through various organizations to continue protecting, and serving the people, and the country.

Policing Functions

The policing functions vary between each organization, and the local level focuses on the local area, and the jurisdiction assigned to he or she. The local police patrol with car, and foot patrols; also respond to emergency calls. The perspective of the local policing organization, and the functions requires the police to protect, and serve the community; acquire community assistance, and support. However, this does not always occur, in the larger communities the police require larger police forces; cannot afford more officers to patrol, and protect the community efficiently. The state organization operates at a slightly higher ranking ...