Federal law enforcement in the United States

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers going aboard a ship to examine cargo CBP female officers going aboard a ship.jpg
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers going aboard a ship to examine cargo

The federal government of the United States empowers a wide range of federal law enforcement agencies (informally known as the "Feds") to maintain law and public order related to matters affecting the country as a whole. [1] [2]

Contents

While the majority of federal law enforcement employees work for the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, there are dozens of other federal law enforcement agencies under the other executive departments, as well as under the legislative and judicial branches of the federal government.

Federal agencies employ approximately 137,000 full-time personnel authorized to make arrests and/or carry firearms in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, [1] out of the more than 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States. [3]

Overview

Federal agencies work with other law enforcement during events, such as presidential visits to the UNGA in NYC. Pictured: USSS, DSS and ATF DSS at UNGA 72 - Motorcade arrivals (27402524719).jpg
Federal agencies work with other law enforcement during events, such as presidential visits to the UNGA in NYC. Pictured: USSS, DSS and ATF

Federal law enforcement in the United States is more than two hundred years old. For example, the Postal Inspection Service can trace its origins back to 1772, [4] while the U.S. Marshals Service dates to 1789. [5] Other agencies, such as the FBI, are relatively recent, being founded in the early twentieth century. Other agencies have been reformed, such as the ATF which was formed only in 1972, but had its origins in 1886.[ citation needed ] Some federal law enforcement agencies have been formed after mergers of other agencies, over the years. This includes the CBP, ATF, and the DEA.

Military law enforcement, although federal, consists of both military personnel and civilian officers. For example, "DoD Police" refers to any civilian engaged in police duties for the DoD or the US Armed Forces. Each branch also has a law enforcement agency responsible for the investigation of more serious crimes and incidents, such as the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division.

Different federal law enforcement authorities have authority under different parts of the United States Code (U.S.C.). Most are limited by the U.S. Code to investigating matters that are explicitly within the power of the federal government. There are exceptions, with some agencies and officials enforcing codes of U.S. states and tribes of Native Americans in the United States. Some federal investigative powers have become broader in practice, especially since the passage of the Patriot Act in October 2001. [6]

The United States Department of Justice was formerly the largest and is still the most prominent, collection of federal law enforcement agencies. It has handled most law enforcement duties at the federal level [7] and includes the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and others.

However, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became the department with the most sworn armed Federal law enforcement officers and agents upon its creation in 2002 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when it incorporated agencies seen as having roles in protecting the country against terrorism. This included large agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (created by combining the former agencies of the United States Border Patrol, United States Customs Service, and the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) into a single agency within the DHS). [2]

Statistics

List of federal law enforcement agencies and units of agencies

Agencies in bold text are law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Executive branch

Department of Agriculture

Seal of the United States Department of Agriculture Seal of the United States Department of Agriculture.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Agriculture

Department of Commerce

Seal of the United States Department of Commerce Seal of the United States Department of Commerce.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Commerce
US DOC Office of Security US DOC Office of Security.jpg
US DOC Office of Security

Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense Seal Seal of the United States Department of Defense.svg
United States Department of Defense Seal

Department of Education

Seal of the United States Department of Education Seal of the United States Department of Education.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Education

Department of Energy

Seal of the United States Department of Energy Seal of the United States Department of Energy.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Energy

Department of Health and Human Services

Seal of the United States Department of Health and Human Services US Department of Health and Human Services seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Homeland Security

Seal of the United States Department of Homeland Security Seal of the United States Department of Homeland Security.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Homeland Security
CBP Officers and Border Patrol Agents at a ceremony in 2007 CBP Officers pay tribute 2007.jpg
CBP Officers and Border Patrol Agents at a ceremony in 2007

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Seal of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Seal of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG)
  • Protective Service Division (HUD-PSD)

Department of the Interior

Seal of the United States Department of the Interior Seal of the United States Department of the Interior.svg
Seal of the United States Department of the Interior

Department of Justice

Seal of the United States Department of Justice Seal of the United States Department of Justice.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Justice

Department of Labor

Seal of the United States Department of Labor Seal of the United States Department of Labor.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Labor

Department of State

U.S. Department of State official seal U.S. Department of State official seal.svg
U.S. Department of State official seal

Department of Transportation

Seal of the United States Department of Transportation Seal of the United States Department of Transportation.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Transportation

Department of the Treasury

Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury.svg
Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury
A Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police (BEP) patrol car. Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police.jpg
A Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police (BEP) patrol car.
Two IRS-CI Special Agents conducting a search IRS-CI Special Agents.png
Two IRS-CI Special Agents conducting a search

Department of Veterans Affairs

Seal of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Seal of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.svg
Seal of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Legislative branch

Seal of the United States Congress Seal of the United States Congress.svg
Seal of the United States Congress

Judicial branch

Other federal law enforcement agencies

Independent Agencies and federally-administered institutions;

2016 Ford Police Interceptor Utility belonging to the US Postal Police, NYC 2016 Ford Police Interceptor Utility belonging to the US Postal Police, NYC.jpg
2016 Ford Police Interceptor Utility belonging to the US Postal Police, NYC

List of former agencies and units of agencies

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2020 – Statistical Tables". Bureau of Justice Statistics . 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  2. 1 2 "CBP Through the Years - U.S. Customs and Border Protection".
  3. "Law Enforcement Facts". National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. May 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  4. "History of the United States Postal Inspection Service" . Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  5. "U.S. Marshals Service". 19 June 2020.
  6. Hatcher, Jeanette. "LibGuides: Criminal Justice: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies".
  7. Langeluttig, Albert (1927). The Department of Justice of the United States. Johns Hopkins Press. pp. 9–14.
  8. "USDA Leadership and Offices".
  9. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11328 Archived 2020-05-12 at the Wayback Machine [ bare URL PDF ]