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Policing in the U.S.A., UK, and Germany
The way law enforcement and the criminal justice system does its work in the United States has more similarities than differences with the way in which law enforcement and criminal justice is conducted in the UK and in Germany. This paper points to the similarities and the differences in approaches to policing and criminal justice in those three countries.
Criminal Justice in the United States
The USA has a presidential system of government, with one federal constitutional institution (with three branches, judiciary, legislative and executive), and 50 separate states with their own constitutions. In terms of the criminal justice system in the U.S. -- and law enforcement's role in that system -- there are four kinds of policing: a) federal policing (U.S. Dept. Of Justice -- and several agencies within the DOJ -- the Dept. Of Homeland Security (Secret Service, Immigration, and the Coast Guard among others); b) state policing (most states have "state troopers" that cover highway safety, investigations, juvenile justice, etc.); c) city or local policing (in the roughly 30,000 incorporated cities in the U.S., each has a policing component; 61% of the sworn officers in the U.S. are local police); and d) county policing (virtually all U.S. counties have a sheriff's office -- 24% of all sworn officers in the U.S. are sheriff's deputies) (pp. 15-17).
Technologies Aiding Law Enforcement in the United States
Technology has made great strides over the last few years enabling law enforcement in the U.S. To apply "…a new generation of genetic technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, laser technology, satellite technology, sensors...
These advances -- including digital technology/computers -- have helped law enforcement make huge strides in policing, crime control, sharing crime data, crime analysis, and the use of DNA technologies have provided the U.S. law enforcement community with remarkable tools. Indeed "computerized crime mapping" has become an enormous help to law enforcement in the U.S. And an estimated one-half of law enforcement agencies with 100 or more police officers are using computerized crime mapping to solve and even prevent crimes (23-24).
Neighborhood Policing in the United Kingdom
Unlike the U.S., there are no state or local police departments in the UK; in England the central government (a parliamentary system of government) handles all law enforcement responsibilities out of a centralized base. There are three law enforcement components in the UK: "Metropolitan Police Services" (based on London and called "Scotland Yard"; MPS covers 620 square miles); b) the Territorial Police Forces (these officers cover England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and while there are local governing bodies, they all report to the British Home Office and parliament); and c) the Special Police Forces (including Royalty Protection Branch, Anti-Terrorist Branch, Central Intelligence Agency; Counterterrorism Command, Aviation Security, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, among others) 34-36.
That having been pointed out, there is a movement in the UK to decentralize the law enforcement programs. There may be changes in the wind that will incorporate more community policing into the national system; and in that system, locally elected police…
On pages 47-50, the author emphasizes the growing number of violent sex crimes that have been committed against children. About one-third of the "organized pornography rings around the world" are located in the United States and hence, since the 1990s, several pieces of legislation dealing with child molesters / sex offenders. Along with the "Wetterling Act" (the law that mandates sex offenders must be included on the national registry of sexual predators) and the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act (2006), the federal government provides funds for states to upgrade law enforcement and to provide sex offender information and registries. In the UK, the Violent and Sex Offender Register (VISOR) is very much like the National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) in the U.S. The Sex Offences Act of 2003 describes more than 60 different kinds of sex crimes -- including possession of "indecent photographs of children" and the trafficking of children for sex purposes -- and like the U.S., sex offenders must register their residences and notify the government within 3 days (60-61).
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many similarities between the criminal justice systems in the UK, the U.S., and in Germany. The similarities can be explained because all three democratic countries basically face the same kinds of criminal issues -- terrorism, white color crime, crimes against children, violent crime, among other aspects of criminal activity -- and in all three countries police and federal agents are ultimately accountable to the citizens who pay the taxes to keep law enforcement well staffed and up-to-date vis-a-vis technology. In the UK, there is a movement to decentralize police services away from total federal control, but decentralization is already reflected in the U.S. And Germany.
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