Police Functions

Without this access, agencies would not be able to solve crimes that may have occurred in other jurisdictions, or crimes within their own without this available data.

Not only do these agencies get help from the F.B.I, they also have access to other federal agencies as well. Like Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Firearms. Or an agency may come across a case that maybe international, and they may have to call upon the International Criminal Police Organization, (INTERPOL), with the help of INTERPOL, departments are able to pass information from officer to officer across borders, time zones, language barriers and terrains in the name of justice. Without their assistance, the smaller agencies would not be able to solve certain crimes that may occur within their jurisdictions, or beyond.

Speaking of INTERPOL, they are a very unique agency themselves, for they have no police powers, in fact they are not a police force. However, they provide information to 176 foreign countries, and each country has their own National Central Bureau that is staffed by their own officers, which passes on information to their members and their headquarters which is in Lyon France. INTERPOL is most notable for solving art thefts, organized crime, certain religious groups, as well as the sex trade, money scams, and computer fraud.

Nevertheless, policing to some seems to be very disorganized, either the size whether large or small. But through this disorganization, departments have bridge the gap on communicating with one another, overcame jurisdictional problems in order to serve justice. Even today, there is some that feels that smaller departments need to be done away with and taken over by larger departments in order to be more efficient and effective. However others feel that the current system of policing, local government can have some control over what type of policing that they want....