Law Enforcement in the United States

In 2004 the United States had over 800,000 full time sworn officers, in Law Enforcement. There are three levels of law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI), the State Police, and the Local Police. These levels of law enforcement have many similarities and differences, the main being the duties of each. They all take a oath to enforce the criminal laws of the United States, each in their own way.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is a domestic law enforcement agency. There mission is "To protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners." The FBI gathers domestic intelligence, and works to put a stop to threats from within the United States. As the premier law enforcement agency in the United States, the FBI assists local police in handling major cases, and also has a sophisticated evidence lab. Law enforcement agencies can send material for analysis to the FBI if their local labs are not equipped to handle it. Major murder cases, crimes which cross state boundaries, and kidnappings are all under the jurisdiction of the FBI. If someone within the United States was planning to do something that threatened American security, it would be under the jurisdiction of the FBI. FBI agents are distributed around the country in local bureaus to assist local law enforcement in enforcing the laws of the United States and to neutralize threats to American security.