Contrast the Differences and Similarities Between the Federal, State, and Local Levels of Law Enforcement.

Unit 5: Midterm Essay Exam

Lindsay Rieck

Kaplan University

CJ211: Police Operations

Contrast the differences and similarities between the federal, state, and local levels of law enforcement.

The Federal Law Enforcement agencies standard functions are the prevention, detection, and investigation of crime and the apprehension of alleged offenders (OLP.USDOJ.gov. May 23, 2011). They address crime-fighting at the national – United States - level (PoliceOne.com. 2011). Some agencies associated with the federal level are the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Each of these departments specializes in a particular area but has the right to govern its department throughout the United States. For instance, the FBI polices terrorism, cyber and organized crime, civil rights and public corruption while the DEA focuses on the growing, manufacture and distribution of controlled substances (fbi.gov and justice.gov.dea).

State Law Enforcement agencies are a territorial police force that has the authority to conduct law enforcement activities and investigations within a designated state (Iowa, New York, Nevada, etc) in the United States (Wikipedia.org. May 19, 2011). The state officer’s focus is based on savings lives through traffic enforcement however it can also provided support to local agencies during special events or natural disasters (dps.state.ia.us. February 7, 2006). The State Law Enforcement agency particularly enforces laws on state roadways as well as patrols the state capital building and protects the governor (Wikipedia.org. May 19, 2011). Speeding and drunk driving continues to be the primary focus for state officers (dps.state.ia.us. February 7, 2006).

Local Law Enforcement agencies can be in various capacities. Typically you think of “local” meaning the city or town that you live in. However, local can also mean a...