Criminal justice policing systems and practices

Police Roles and Functions:

Similar to the teaching and medicine field, policing is a field that has close or intimate connections with social life, change, and progress. Police agencies are part of the complex network of law enforcement in the United States. While these agencies are distributed across the local, state, and federal governmental levels, they have varying degrees of specialty. Despite of these differing degrees of specialty across the police agencies, they work closely with each other and other elements of the criminal justice system. In the United States, police agencies have a variety of functions that range from protecting the society to intercepting the transportation of illegal drugs. However, the role and function of a specific police agency is basically dependent on its location and jurisdiction in law enforcement. Nonetheless, policing and police agencies generally originated as a means of social control, especially to respond to the need for crime prevention.

Functions of a Police Agency:

Since police officers and agencies are integral parts of the criminal justice system, these agencies have various functions that are broadly classified into patrol, community, investigative, and crime fighting categories. Under the patrol category, these agencies are responsible for preventive perambulation activities that are geared towards identifying law-breaking conditions and identification of threats to public safety. During their patrolling duties, the police officers are required to impose all applicable regulations and identify and arrest individuals who breach these laws. Through random or routine patrols, patrol officers have become the most visible representatives or ambassadors for the police (Grant & Terry, 2008, p.166).

Secondly, police agencies are also mandated with the responsibility of conducting follow-up investigations of all delinquent issues after detecting any violations of the law ("Police Department Functions," 2011). During this process, the agency develops and maintains the sources of intelligent information that are related to a specific criminal activity or issue. The investigations are opened after criminal activities are reviewed and related information is collected. The investigations help in processing arrested individuals, preparing written reports and documenting evidence that could assist in prosecution.

The community and crime fighting functions of police agencies entail conducting community projects aimed at enhancing security and safety and conducting crime prevention initiatives respectively. Crime fighting also involves enforcement of law and order throughout the entire community.

Local, State, and Federal Police Agencies:

As previously mentioned, police agencies basically differ at the local, state, and federal governments. The difference in the levels of government determines the functions and jurisdictions of the specific police agency. The difference in police agencies in each of these governmental levels is also evident in the different structures of these agencies. However, these agencies work at all levels to maintain order and protect citizens through enforcement of the law.

The functions of the local police agencies fall under the patrolling category since these bodies are established to offer regular patrol of the societies within the jurisdictions. These agencies basically play different roles at the community level including the provision of emergency services. The local police agencies also provide community services such as communications and public information regarding crime prevention. The other roles that these agencies can play include developing agendas for maintenance of security and safety in the community, planning and analysis, and carrying out criminal investigations.

In contrast, the state police agencies have differing functions because of the varying roles they have been mandated with. Notably, these agencies play their roles and fulfill their function of maintaining security in the wider state. Similar to the local police agencies, the state law enforcement agencies also carry out community initiatives and criminal investigations. However, their major difference is that their respective roles such as patrol in state highways focus on promoting and ensuring safety in the entire state.

Unlike the local and state police agencies, the federal police agencies are instituted to deal with specific types of offenses and criminal activities. In order to be effective in their functions, the federal police agencies work together with committees and task forces in investigating and prosecuting criminals. Generally, the federal police agencies are established to deal with problems that extend across state lines and affect various regions across the country. An example is the Federal Bureau of Investigation that deals with terrorism, cyber and organized crime, and white-collar offenses ("What Are Different Law Enforcement Agencies?" n.d.).

Impact of Limiting Various Functions and Roles of Police Agencies in a Community:

While there are different functions and roles of police agencies, they are all geared towards maintaining law and order and protecting citizens. If these functions and roles are limited in a community, there is likelihood of increase in crime within the community. Anarchy is likely to prevail and rule in the community as individuals take issues in their own hands.