Functions of Police Essay

Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of investigating (FBI) non only(prenominal) betroth across the entire nation, but the agency also has agents serving abroad. In addition to this, the FBI is not a practice of law agency, but an agency with jurisdiction to investigate any and all matters in which the unite States is, or maybe an interested party (The Scope of Present Federal Activity, 1968). The Federal Bureau of Investigation limits its jurisdiction to truths pertaining to national statues, including all federal statues not primarily assigned to other agencies. These include statues traffic with espionage, sabotage, treason, civil rights violation, the assault and murder of federal legal philosophy enforcement officers, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, mail fraud, federally insured banks, and interstate expat of stolen vehicles, and property (Hill, 1999).In addition to these laws, some federal agencies offer helpful services to other topical anesthetic natural l aw agencies, including use of its vast fingerprint file, and a sophisticated horror laboratory that avails topical anesthetic police in testing and identifying evidence, such as hair, fiber, drugs, blood, and tire tracks. The FBIs National Crime education Center is a computerized network linked to local police departments by terminals. Through it, information vehicles report stolen, wanted persons, guns reported stolen, and so on be made readily available to local law enforcement agencies (The Scope of Federal Activity,1968). The following agencies atomic number 18 also part of federal law enforcement1. Drug Enforcement deputation (DEA). Investigates illegal drug use and carries out independent surveillance and enforcement activities to control the importation of narcotics (Hill, 2009).2. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Has jurisdiction over the sales and distribution of firearm, explosives, alcohol, and tobacco products (Hill, 2009).3. U.S. Marsha lls. Court officers who help implement federal judicature rulings, transportation system rulings, transport prisoners, and enforce court orders (Hill, 2009).4. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Enforces violations of income, exise, stamp, and other tax laws. Its intelligence disagreement active voicely pursues gamblers, narcotic dealers, and other violators who do not report their illegal financial gains as ratable income (Hill, 2009).Federal police agencies do not brook the order maintenance or peacekeeping duties exemplary of a local police department, which oftentimes causes controversy and sometimes civil disturbances. Last, the jurisdictions of some federal law enforcement agencies are extremely narrow. The United States Supreme Court Police for example provide protective and investigatory services for the Supreme Court only (Framework for Assessing the Acquisition Function at Federal Agencies, 2006).State police provide traffic and criminal law enforcement, as well as othe r services that are bad-tempered to the needs of that state government. Some of the functions of state police includes controlling traffic on the bridle-path system, tracing stolen automobiles, and aiding in disturbances and crowd control (Pavone,1942). In states with large, powerful county sheriffs departments, the state police functions are usually restricted to highway patrol. In others, where the county sheriffs law enforcement role is limited, state police usually maintain a more active investigative and enforcement role and aid city and t own police departments in criminal investigations Misner, 1960).The local police are the workhorses of the law enforcement system in America. They perform umpteen functions and tasks including, but not limited to (1) Law enforcement-examples include burglary investigations, apprehending criminal perpetrators, serving warrants, or giving court testimonies, (2) Peacekeeping and order maintenance-examples include preventing fights or disturb ances between individuals, or peacefully resolving domestic disputes earlier they spiral out of control, (3) Service- examples include hospital and funeral processions escorts, or delivering mail for city officials (4) Information gathering-examples include ascertain neighborhood reactions to a proposed liquor license in the community, investigating cases of missing children, or investigating and report dangerous road conditions (Mathis & Zech, 1985).Other duties and responsibilities of the local police include protecting life and property- patrolling a particular jurisdiction at night, keeping citizens from a fire scene, or recovering and returning stolen items or illogical property. Enforcing the law-ensuring traffic laws are adhered to, filing police reports and complaints, or seizing illegal weapons. Preventing criminal activity-patrolling high crime areas. Maintaining the peace- showing high police visibility and presence, or intervening in neighbor disturbances. Arresting violators-apprehending fleeing suspects, or giving citations to alcohol permit holders who sell to minors. Serve the public trust- giving directions to travelers, delivering emergency messages, administering first aid ((Mathis & Zech, 1985).County law enforcement as it relates to police functions involves the sheriffs department. These individuals perform various functions ranging from investigations to supervision of sentenced offenders. Furthermore, they provide courtroom earnest as well as confining and transporting prisoners, serve summons, and warrants, enforce traffic, and criminal laws. Sheriffs departments frequently operate the county jail, which houses hundreds and even thousands of prisoners, depending on the particular county. In certain counties, the sheriffs department shares law enforcement duties with a dissever police department.Furthermore, the sheriffs law enforcement functions today are carried out only in unincorporated areas deep down a county or in response to city departments request for aid in such matters as patrol or investigations (Misner, 1960). Sheriffs generally have more leniency over police chiefs when it comes to running their own agencies. The local police, in many counties, operate the sheriffs department. In many counties, local police governs the operations of the sheriffs department, and the sheriff must operate as a partisan politician to remain in office. The part to institutionalise special duties and to award patronage jobs contributes to the sheriffs power and influence in a county (Misner, 1960).Identify and visit possible future changes in laws and the overall impact these changes will have on the field of policing. The governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal signed the new Illegal Immigration restore and Enforcement Act of 2011 into law May 13. licit challenges facing the Atlanta Police Department are expected and might delay implementation, but it is plan otherwise to take effect July 1st. Possible changes to the new law, the Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011, will have a significant and chilling effect on the Atlanta Police Department. One of the challenges presented is that crime coverage will go unnoticed and unreported in communities and jurisdictions where immigrants are predominant (Moya & Shedlin, 2008).Fear of deportation and bugger off would give illegal immigrants an even greater incentive to stay under the radar and avoid mechanical drawing attention to themselves. Doing this would undercut and undermine the Atlanta police departments overall crime-fighting efforts which will finally impact unreported crime for their police officers. The greatest impact these new changes in the Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act will have on the Atlanta police department is that in the absence of federal policy, the Atlanta police department will be forced to take a very active role in dealing with issues pertaining to immigration, although they dont have the authority and resources to tackle immigration issues. Furthermore, their authority still hasnt been made clear as of yet and federal resources are not fit to support them (Moya & Shedlin, 2008).