Title: Police Organization Paper

Submitted by: Travis Hance

Course: CJS210

Due: October 23rd, 2011

Instructor: Jason Garner

There are various types of law enforcement organizations within municipal, state, and federal levels. Municipal agencies are unique. They not only enforce federal and state laws, they are also responsible for enforcing municipal codes as well. State agencies have a broader jurisdiction, and conduct a wide variety of activities. Federal agencies are tasked with a multitude of law enforcement agencies, and are enabled by a jurisdiction that covers the entire nation.

The United States Marshals Service, also referred to as the USMS has a variety of duties, including the execution of warrants for the federal courts and the handling of federal suspects and prisoners (Meyer and Grant, 2003, p15.)

The Federal Bureau of investigations, also referred to as the FBI, has a unique charter that covers the entire United States and includes the responsibility of investigating violations of federal criminal law and to assist local agencies in investigations. (Meyer and Grant, 2003, p15.)

In addition to these primary Federal agencies, there are a number of other agencies that are tasked with national jurisdiction, and yet whose primary role is the enforcement of Federal law, and the support of local agencies.

State and local agencies play a unique role. Because of the way our Constitution is designed, States retain their own powers over while working within the framework of Federal Government guidelines. This means that State agencies

maintain jurisdiction unless there are specific requirements met which escalate the case to the Federal level. Therefore the officers working for the State and Municipal departments must not only be professionally aware of both their State guidelines and legal codes, they must also enforce Federal guidelines.

The final word in Law Enforcement is the responsibility to uphold the law, both Federal and State. While there are bound to be jurisdictional problems from time to time, the ultimate expression of Law Enforcement is when multiple agencies work together to achieve a common goal, the apprehension of the suspects and bringing them before a magistrate or judge in the pursuit of justice.

Reference Page

A: Meyer, J. F., & Grant, D. R. (2003). The levels of Law Enforcement. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

B: Meyer, J. F., & Grant, D. R. (2003). The levels of Law Enforcement. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.