US police - fragmented system. It consists of 19 thousand police departments of general jurisdiction, as well as 21 thousand departments of special jurisdiction. They operate at both the local and federal levels. At the same time, about half of local administrations have only 10 employees.
The term "US police" as such is absent in America. Each state has its own police department, which is independent of the others. Their structure in different states can vary significantly. Nevertheless, the main common features can still be distinguished. State police, for example, control mainly highways or intervene upon request in individual cases when circumstances require it. But at the same time, the heads of departments, sheriffs and other heads of sections are not subordinate to her. In some states, the U.S. police have special units created by the type of environmental police, as well as similar ones. Their employees have the same rights as ordinary police officers. In some cities there are Auxiliary Police Officers. Speaking in our opinion, these are combatants. Consider in more detail the structure that the US police have.
US Police
The federal structure of the United States implies independence from local government. The former, in turn, operate independently of the federal government. Their own bodies of investigation are available at each level. Federal investigate crimes that are assigned by law to the jurisdiction and jurisdiction of the federal government. State-owned investigative agencies deal with offenses within the competence of individual state authorities. The American government has special departments - state security, justice. They are divided, in turn, into the Cabinet appointed by the president and into various bureaus. The FBI is a bureau located inside the Department of Justice. It is a nationwide federal agency. However, in the United States there is no common police throughout the state. A border patrol, for example, is a unit within the Department of State Security. It is connected with the immigration and customs services, the fight against smuggling and drug control. State police and road patrols operate in state governments. The United States is divided into counties. In some of them, a sheriff is elected for 2 or 4 years, while in others the police are appointed. Counties are entities consisting of cities, in each of which a head is appointed.
Law enforcement agencies
In the United States, the main agencies with federal status are the Federal Treasury, the Department of Justice, and the National Postal Service. Their task is to limit the activities of governors in relation to the regulation of interstate trade, taxation and compliance with laws. Agencies of the Ministry of Justice include the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). It deals with cases of kidnapping, bank robberies, and law violations. There are other agencies.
US Traffic Police
The main duty of patrol officers is to investigate traffic accidents and road law enforcement. These functions in the USA are not allocated to separate management, as in some other countries. Special patrols operating in megacities (Washington, New York) can deal with serious accidents and incidents, while monopatrols can be fined for traffic violations and regulate traffic. Officers on the frontier sections of the regions and states that are the busiest are entitled to regulate the movement of vehicles. These are the main responsibilities that the U.S. Traffic Police carries out. A photo of her officers is presented above.
Traffic police officers have extended jurisdictions that allow them to operate outside the state. Community freelance inspectors work in many cities. They monitor minor offenses, in particular, monitor compliance with parking rules.
Private Security Services
There are thousands in the USA. A large number of employees are involved in the activities of these services. They carry out police work. Their use is currently increasing. Large corporations often organize their own security services that deal with theft, fraud, robbery, and corporate espionage within the company.
Civil patrols are organized in some cities. They carry out mainly preventive activities, suppressing minor violations. They can be used during natural disasters, riots and performances, as well as in other cases when the personnel of the police department will be lacking.
Military police
Its creation began more than two hundred years ago. The US military police became an independent unit in September 1941. Taking into account the experience gained in the course of numerous modern armed conflicts in which the American military took part, the practical tasks solved by this unit were corrected and refined. Currently, it is being reformed and dynamically developing.
Police as a social service
The role of the American police as a social services service is growing every year. In the United States, it is practically the only emergency service working around the clock with broad authority. Sometimes they are discretionary in nature.
Legal consolidation of activities
The police institute is, of course, important for advanced state democracy. Nevertheless, at the federal-constitutional level, he received virtually no legislative consolidation. This institution is only indirectly mentioned in the constitutions of several states. Police units have found legal regulation in district and municipal legislative acts.
US Police Career
Work in the US police is prestigious, although not very well paid. Candidates are required to meet certain requirements. In order to become a policeman, you must have US citizenship, be between the ages of 21 and 35, have no criminal record, and it is also advisable not to have any offenses at all. You need to be trained at the police academy. Preference is given to those who have served in the army. After its completion, the policeman begins his work by patrolling the streets. Note that this moment is a must for everyone, so even the employees with the highest ranks once patrolled the streets. This is done to ensure that all police officers, from the rank and file to the general, know the specifics of the job well.
Let's talk a bit about what constitutes a weapon of the US police and the equipment of its employees. At the end of the academy, service weapons are issued . The choice can be made of four pistols. In New York, which is interesting, according to state law, a police officer has the right to carry any weapons, but only authorized ones can be used. Uniform in many departments, as a rule, is issued to police officers. However, in some it costs an employee $ 1,000 each. The uniform of the US police is quite convenient - a lot of pockets. It happens summer and winter. All US police are required to wear a special identification badge on which their personal number is written. If it is silver, an officer is in front of you, and if it is gold, an employee with a higher rank. US police cars come in several models and makes. The most common are Chevrolet Impala and Ford Crown Victoria (pictured below). Other U.S. police cars are Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Explorer, 15-seater Ford Econoline vans , etc.
About three years the period of work in the rank of officer continues (it is worth noting that everyone who managed to graduate from the police academy receives it). After that, an employee can become a detective or go to the department in one direction or another.
The service in the American police lasts twenty years. After that, the employee may retire. At the age of 55, there is a maximum limit for work. After retirement, a policeman can move to another state (often Florida) and get a job at the police department. However, he will continue to receive a pension from his old management.
Two types of police service
Two types of police service exist in the USA. The first is a general service. The duties of its employees are similar to those of local police departments. The second is a limited service. Its employees are mainly involved in patrol and search activities. In the US, police services consist of 3 main units: local police, state police, and federal police.
Local police
It is subordinate only to local authorities. Its powers extend only to the relevant county or other local unit. There are two types of local police: county police services and municipal city police. Their role is very significant. It is enough to note that the local police are the largest. About 90% of the US police force is precisely its share. Her responsibilities are as follows: the suppression of offenses, the investigation of crimes, the regulation of traffic, as well as administrative and police control and the exercise of the function of a morale police. The U.S. City Police Department is usually organized along the same lines as federal government departments. The prosecutorial service, supervision and control service, and courts are also included in the police system.
Sheriff in local government
At the local government, the police chief is accountable and subordinate to the mayor. The sheriff, who is elected by the population for 2 or 4 years, heads the county police services. His duties are to search for and detain criminals. The local prison is run by a sheriff. In rural parishes and counties, elected constables represent the police service. Their institution, like the institution of sheriffs, has its roots in the past of the country. To a large extent, today it has outlived itself, since the fight against crime, which is growing, requires professionalism. And elective constables and sheriffs usually do not possess it. Constables in many counties are being replaced by ordinary police forces.
Commissioner, Chef, Superintendent
A police commissioner, chief or superintendent is the executive head of a police body. He is usually appointed by the mayor, mayor, or local legislature. The head in large police departments is elected by popular vote, or he can take this post by making an official career (going from patrol officer to captain, and then becoming assistant head).
County Sheriff
The head of the police department in the county is usually called the sheriff. He is elected to this position and has the right to appoint his deputies. Functions that are unusual for the municipal police are performed by the sheriff’s administration. This is security during court hearings, the maintenance of the county jail, the publication of various legal laws, including court warrants and decisions.
Rank hierarchy
The ranks of the US police form a hierarchy — sergeant, lieutenant, captain, etc. It may vary slightly depending on the size of the department. Ranks in the US police are rarely granted by seniority. Approximately 90% of employees retire because of this, while still in the officer position. As you recall, in the United States this is the youngest position automatically assigned to a person who enters the police service. The word "officer" is not a military rank, as many believe. This is just a term that means "employee", "police officer." The title of detective, by the way, is essentially the same as an officer. Police officers who have served in the police for about three to five years can become sergeants if they pass a special exam. Then the ranks go on increasing: after the sergeant - the lieutenant, then the captain, etc. It is impossible to transfer between police departments just like that. In this case, a career will have to start from the very beginning.
US police codes
United States police officers use special codes to communicate with each other. Code 10 is known all over the world thanks to American films. It was coined more than 50 years ago. At that time, security officers had only one radio wave, so the second of air at that time was worth its weight in gold. That is why special conditional codes of the US police were developed, which reduced the talk time and made the work more efficient. However, there was a problem - in different departments the same codes sometimes meant different things. In the communication system, more than once attempts were made to restore order, but each time they ended in failure: it was not possible to achieve total standardization. The problem was compounded by the fact that codes changed meaning over time. For example, if in the early 1940s. the message "10-24" could be translated as "an attack on the site, it is urgent to arrive at the scene of all the crews", now now with this code in most states the police will notify you of the assignment. One more example. The code "10-82" once meant the need to reserve a room with a bath. Now it can be decrypted, depending on the situation, as a “dead traffic light” or an order to arrest and interrogate a suspect in place.
Until some time, however, few were bothered by all these discrepancies. Not so often large joint operations were carried out, and if they were carried out, they usually did not require immediate response from the employees, and the police therefore communicated with each other in plain English. However, on September 11, 2001, problems arose. Then the Pentagon building, located in Virginia, became the object of the attack. Police officers who arrived at the scene from various units found that they could not understand each other. In 2005, the situation with the famous code 10 reached the scale of a national catastrophe, when thousands of police officers from various states and cities were sent to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As a result, a campaign to eradicate the ill-fated code began. Virginia was the first state to ban its use.
So, you have learned the basic facts about the US police. As you can see, its system is significantly different from the system existing in our country. The more interesting it seems to our compatriots.