An Overview of Law Enforcement Agencies
George T. Patterson · 2022
This introductory chapter provides a brief overview of the historical development of law enforcement agencies in the United States and examines the law enforcement functions and policing strategies that address crime prevention and social problems. In order to better understand these law enforcement functions and policing strategies, numerous characteristics of law enforcement agencies are described. These characteristics include the significance of law enforcement as a component of the criminal justice system, and the mission and structure of law enforcement agencies. The structure of law enforcement agencies examined in this chapter include organizational factors such as the paramilitary structure, agency size, types of law enforcement agencies, law enforcement agency personnel, and a summary of police officer ranks.