Criminal Justice Practitioners

Law Enforcement Practitioners

In the United States, there are over 17,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Federal agencies administered by various branches of the government enforce federal criminal laws, investigate federal property crimes, perform specialized functions in criminal matters, and assist other law enforcement agencies. Departments include the Justice Department (for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration), the Treasury Department (for Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; Secret Service; and Internal Revenue Criminal Investigations Division), and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (for the Border Patrol).

The majority of police in the United States work for state and local agencies that employ 100 or fewer officers (Reaves, 2000). They are responsible for enforcing [Page 99]laws, apprehending criminals, protecting the public from criminal activity, and developing crime prevention programs. Those agencies employ civilian and sworn personnel, the latter having completed police academy training and having the authority to apprehend and arrest criminals. Civilian (or nonsworn) employees of law enforcement agencies generally support those agencies as dispatchers, crime scene investigators, community service officers, and clerical personnel.

State and local agencies include municipal police departments that employ police officers in incorporated cities; county and parish sheriff's departments that employ deputies and constables in rural and unincorporated metropolitan areas; and state police agencies that employ troopers, highway patrol officers, investigators in specialized units, and forensic science personnel. These agencies receive their authority from state and local statutes, engage in crime prevention and detection activities, and are sometimes called “first responders.” They are usually the first to be contacted by the public and the first to arrive at crime scenes. In this capacity, they are charged with first restoring the peace, providing aid to injured persons, apprehending criminals, and investigating crimes.

Whether they occur in federal or state jurisdictions, a basic tenet of criminal investigation involves building cases that are presented in court. This requires participation from various practitioners, especially in complicated investigations such as homicides. The following is a general example of the work groups involved in solving a homicide in most jurisdictions.

...