Various organizational police functions (local, state, federal) Essay

Various organizational police functions (local, state, federal) - Essay Example Local police officers: apprehend violators; preserve peace; prevent crime; enforce the law; protect human life and property; and serve the public (Johnson and Cox III, 2004). According to Shane (2010), the functions above differ from one another hierarchically [roles and powers are assigned to these levels hierarchically]. Federal police agencies enforce particular types of federal laws, state officers enforce state laws, and local police officers operate at the county level. In respect to the foregoing, a federal agent has jurisdiction over the entire country, while a local police agent has his jurisdiction limited to his town, city or county. A state police agent has jurisdiction over an entire state. There is no better solution to the way the present law enforcement system operates at each level because the hierarchical arrangement of the security systems allows for systematic distribution of roles and duties, and thereby helping extirpate confusion and superimposition of roles. Likewise, with this current system, law and order can be effectively and efficiently discharged, since there is flow of hierarchy. For instance, federal agencies such as the FBI can easily apprehend a criminal by acting on reports from state