Federal
edit
At the federal level, there exists both federal police, who possess full federal authority as given to them under United States Code (U.S.C.), and federal law enforcement agencies, who are authorized to enforce various laws at the federal level. Both police and law enforcement agencies operate at the highest level and are endowed with police roles; each may maintain a small component of the other (for example, the FBI Police). The agencies have nationwide jurisdiction for enforcement of federal law. Most federal agencies are limited by the U.S. Code to investigating only matters that are explicitly within the power of the federal government. However, federal investigative powers have become very broad in practice, especially since the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. There are also federal law enforcement agencies, such as the United States Park Police, that are granted state arrest authority off primary federal jurisdiction.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for most law enforcement duties at the federal level.[1] It includes 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.[2]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is another branch with numerous federal law enforcement agencies reporting to it. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Secret Service (USSS), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are some of the agencies that report to DHS.[3] It should be noted that the United States Coast Guard is assigned to the United States Department of Defense in the event of war.
At a crime or disaster scene affecting large numbers of people, multiple jurisdictions, or broad geographic areas, many police agencies may be involved by mutual aid agreements.[4] For example the United States Federal Protective Service responded to the Hurricane Katrina natural disaster. Command in such situations remains a complex and flexible issue.
In accordance with the federal structure of the United States government, the national (federal) government is not authorized to execute general police powers by the Constitution of the United States of America. The power to have a police force is given to each of the United States' 50 federated states. The US Constitution gives the federal government the power to deal with foreign affairs and interstate affairs (affairs between the states). For policing, this means that if a non-federal crime is committed in a US state and the fugitive does not flee the state, the federal government has no jurisdiction. However, once the fugitive crosses a state line he violates the federal law of interstate flight and is subject to federal jurisdiction, at which time federal law enforcement agencies may become involved.
County
editCounty law enforcement is provided by sheriffs' departments or offices and county police.
County police
editCounty police tend to exist only in metropolitan counties and have countywide jurisdiction. For places that have both county police and county sheriff, responsibilities are given to each. The county police is in charge of typical police duties such as, patrol and investigations.[5] Whereas the sheriffs' department in this situation takes care of serving papers and providing security to the courts. County police tend to fall into three broad categories, full service, limited service, and restrictive service.[5] Full service provides full police services to the entire county. Limited service provide to the unincorporated and special districts. Restricted service provide security to the county owned parts of the county.[5]
Commonwealth of Virginia
editThe Commonwealth of Virginia does not have overlapping County and City jurisdictions, whereas in the other 49 states most municipalities fall within (and share jurisdiction and many other governmental responsibilities with) a County. In Virginia, governmental power flows down from the State (or in Virginia's case, Commonwealth) directly to either a County or an Independent City. Thus, policing in Virginia is more streamlined: the County Sheriff's Office/Department or County Police Department does not overlap with an Independent City Police Department. Unincorporated Townships remain part of their parent County, but may have Town Police Departments to augment their County law enforcement. Town Police Departments are often small, and may deploy a combination of paid and nonpaid, full and part-time law enforcement officers, including auxiliary officers who typically serve as part-time, unpaid volunteers. If present, Independent City Sheriff's Offices usually follow the Restrictive model shown below for Sheriff's Departments, with limited law enforcement authority including warrant service, jail bailiff, etc. Mutual assistance compacts may exist where neighboring law enforcement agencies will assist each other, however, in addition to State (Commonwealth) law enforcement resources.[6][7]
Sheriffs' offices
editSheriffs are not police and have many different responsibilities. Sheriff's are elected officials where the head of police is appointed, or hired in. Sheriffs are responsible for all three parts of the criminal justice system. They uphold the county jail, ensure safety within the courts, and have jurisdiction to enforce laws in the entire county.[8] They have more responsibilities such as, transporting prisoners, running crime labs, and collecting taxes.[8]
Controversies (1960-present)
editLaw enforcement, especially police, have had many controversies regarding brutality, use of force, and killings during arrests.
- 1960's - The sixties was the height of the Civil Rights Movement and a lot of police brutality came from protests that often turned violent. There were also planned attacks against police stemming directly from the force that was being used by the police, against the protesters. President Lyndon Johnson created the Office of Law Enforcement Assistance was developed in 1965. From that, much was done on the federal and local level such as enhanced training for police personnel. Police officers at that time were mostly made up of ex-military members that had little training and were left to learn their skills during their job experiences. Law enforcement personnel were also responsible to attend college as a result.[9]
- 1965 - The Watts Riot of 1965 lasted six days and the cause of the riot was the arrest of Marquette Frye by a white California Highway Patrol officer on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The riots killed 34 people and more than 1,000 injures resulted from it. The riots also cause over $40 million in damage.[10]
- 1991 - Rodney King was beaten and had excessive force used against him during an arrest in March 1991. 4 officers form the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) beat him after they say he was refusing arrest. A bystander video tapped the beating and it was broadcasted across the world. The officers were not charged for the beating and this led to city wide riots as police brutality and excessive force were more relevant.[9]
- 2006 - In 2006, Sean Bell was fatally shot on the night before his wedding. It was reported that the police had shot over 50 times at Bell and two of his friends that he was with.[11]
- 2014 - In 2014, Michael Brown was shot by a police officer after a struggling arrest. His killings prompted city wide riots and protests that lasted approximately 5 days.[11]
- 2016 - From the rise of social media and cell phones, it is now easy for people to broadcast police brutality that they see. It started with Rodney King and has grown. More specifically, the death of Philando Castile. Castile's girlfriend live streamed the death of him on Facebook after he was shot by a police officer. This video had approximately 3.2 million views the next day.[12]
Demographics
editHistorically speaking, law enforcement has been a male dominated profession. Approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies make up this country ranging from federal, state, and local police with more than 1.1 million people employed.[13] There are around 12,000 local law enforcement agencies, obviously the biggest out of the three types.[13] In the most recent of surveys done in 2013, the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics found that 72.8% of local police offices are made up of white people. Black or African American came in second with just 12.2% and Latino or Hispanic came in third with 11.6%. Women made up only 17% of full time sworn in officers.[13] This huge gap in gender and in race has set off a national trend for police departments to become more diverse. Law enforcement and more specifically police, has mad an effort to become more diverse in order to establish a better community relationship with police. This comes as a direct result from the police related shootings and riots that have occurred within the past decade as tension is growing between police and the communities that they serve.[13]
- ^ Langeluttig, Albert (1927). The Department of Justice of the United States. Johns Hopkins Press. pp. 9–14.
- ^ "Alphabetical Listing of Components, Programs, & Initiatives". 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
- ^ "Operational and Support Components". Department of Homeland Security. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
- ^ "Mutual Aid Agreements and Assistance Agreements". emilms.fema.gov. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
- ^ a b c "https://www.mypspa.org/article/more/interfacing-with-law-enforcement". www.mypspa.org. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ "Virginia County vs. Town vs. City". Virginia Places.Org. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ "Auxiliary Police and Part Time Law Enforcement Officer Training Standards" (PDF). Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. DCJS VA. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Kawucha, Soraya (2014). Sheriffs – The other police. pp. 10–17.
- ^ a b Albrecht, James (2017). Police Brutality, Misconduct, and Corruption. Springer. pp. 9–14.
- ^ "Watts Riots of 1965 | American history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ a b Library, CNN. "Controversial Police Encounters Fast Facts". CNN. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
{{cite news}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "Police Brutality". Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. 2018.
- ^ a b c d Gupta, Vanita (October 2016). "ADVANCING DIVERSITY
IN LAW ENFORCEMENT". U.S. Department of Justice Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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