What Exactly is INTERPOL and How Does it Work?

INTERPOL has been in the news quite a bit recently as a result of several high profile cases involving child pornography and child abduction. You've heard the acronym all your life, but do you know what INTERPOL actually stands for, or what it does? The name stands for International Criminal Police Organization, and it came into being in the early 20^th century specifically to crack down on the international counterfeiting trade. INTERPOL began life in Monte Carlo in 1914 as an attempt to bring together the investigative skills and resources of fourteen different European countries. The close proximity of those countries meant that criminals could routinely cross borders and law enforcement jurisdictions with practically no fear of being caught. The red tape that created this confidence was created out of a lack of standardized laws, treaties, and recognition of sovereignty. In addition, nationalist feelings often meant that one country would overlook the commission of a crime in another country by a resident of the first nation.

INTERPOL is not, as is commonly assumed, an independent law enforcement agency with officers endowed with powers in every country. Rather than attempting to create a controlled and governed international police force, the architects decided to attempt to cooperate internationally while also recognizing the sovereignty and rights of each country. INTERPOL agents work within their own country and must abide by their own national laws. In addition, INTERPOL cannot launch an investigation within a country without getting permission and assistance from the authority of that country. The purpose of this international organization is to assist the national law enforcement agencies at all levels: local, state and federal. One of the primary functions of INTERPOL is to facilitate what is sorely missing in many investigations at all those levels: coordination. The agency acts to get information obtained at one level to all the other levels involved and to focus on the concern of solving the crime rather than establishing jurisdiction.