Overview of Federal Law Enforcement
Julie Barrows · 2025
In Fiscal Year 2020, there were 136,815 full-time federal law enforcement officers working in 90 federal agencies ( Brooks, 2022 ). Compared to the 788,000 full-time state and local law enforcement officers employed in 2018 by 17,541 state and local police agencies ( Gardner & Scott, 2022 ), it is easy to see why crime and crime problems are local, government is decentralized to best address such problems, and the general public knows relatively little about American federal law enforcement. This chapter provides a broad overview, offering insights into the history, people, job duties, current issues and future of American federal law enforcement.