Law enforcement in the usa

The men who wrote the US Constitution believed in individual freedom and in cutting the power of the central government. Because of this the United States has the most decentralized police system in the world. There are 50 state systems, which are broken into county, city and township police forces, plus various federal Law Enforcement agencies. Because there is no federal government control to ensure uniform standards, every community is entitled to run its own police department but cannot exclude federal or state officials from investigating offences over which they have jurisdiction.

There are five major types of police agencies:

• At national level there are a number of federal agencies whose task is to enforce federal laws. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose special agents investigate crimes across the US, is an agency within the Department of Justice, as is the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Internal Revenue Service, enforcing tax laws and investigating tax evasions, is within the Treasury Department. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is another agency of the Treasury Department. It enforces and administers laws covering the production, taxation, and distribution of alcohol and tobacco products, as well as laws relating to the use of firearms and explosives. It inspects plants, issues licenses, oversees tax collections on alcohol and tobacco, and investigates violations. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture also enforce some laws.

• At state level, state police departments are established by each of the 50 states of the union and their officers are called state troopers. State police is headed by a commissioner or superintendent who is usually appointed by the governor of the state.

• Each county within a state has an elected sheriff and the people who work in the sheriff’s office, deputies, are responsible for investigating crimes. The sheriff and his deputies have the power of police officers to enforce criminal law and may summon private citizens to help maintain the peace. The sheriff is also responsible for prisoners kept in the county jail.

• Cities have their own police departments. They may be very large in cities like New York, but those in small towns have only a few officers. Town and city police are municipal agencies.

• Most colleges and universities have their own small police forces. There are also village and township police forces. To this list must be added special categories, such as the police of the District of Columbia; various forces attached to authorities governing bridges, tunnels, parks and some units for policing special districts formed for fire protection, soil conservation, and other purposes.

These police forces are controlled in different ways. The federal bodies are responsible to the federal authorities, and the state forces to the governors of their states. At local levels there are variations. States are divided into counties, and every county has its sheriff with responsibilities for the investigation of crime and the supervision of the custody of prisoners. In some states there are county police forces under the control of county boards. In some places county police forces are completely independent of the sheriff’s office.

TEST YOURSELF

Which of the verb forms can complete the sentences below? Tick all possible answers and explain them:

1. The man now known as Mr. Brown … called “Grey” in the criminal circles.

a. used to be b. would be c. was d. have to be

2. The burglar is identified now. She has blonde wavy hair but she … dark-haired when she was first detained and remanded in police custody.

a. would have b. had c. used to have d. was having

3. He … armed robberies but then he was seized by the police.

a. used to assist b. would assist c. was assisting d. assisted

4. When I was a newly-trained officer, I … till late every night looking through the police archives.

a. worked b. used to work c. was worked d. would work

5. According to his previous criminal record, he … other people.

a. used to blackmailing b. used to blackmail c. would blackmail d. blackmailed

6. Police … measures against antiglobalists’ demonstrations and then began using tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

a. would undertake b. used to undertake c. undertook d. were undertaking

7. She never … mace spray in her handbag before.

a. brought b. would bring c. used to bring d. was bringing

8. … act as one gang?

a. Did they use to 2. Did they c. Would they d. Were they

9. Steven … smoke pot and hash and now he is a hash addict.

a. would not b. didn’t use to c. didn’t d. was not used to

10. French President Jacques Chirac … Holland for its drug troubles.

a. blamed b. used to blame c. was to blame d. would blame

UNITS 14-15