Law enforcement agency

A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers [en] and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement agency is the police, but there are also other types including organisations that focus on specific legal violation, or are run by a particular authority. They typically have various powers [en] and legal rights to allow them to enforce the law. Such as the power of arrest [en] and the use of force [en].

Scotland Yard, headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the law enforcement agency of London, England.

The exterior of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Area Police Station. The LAPD operates approximately 21 such stations divided across Los Angeles; this one covers policing in the San Fernando Valley.

Types of laws enforcement agency
local police
international law enforcement agency
multinational law enforcement agency
federal law enforcement agency
federal police
national law enforcement agency
national police
religious police
police
military police
provost
gendarmerie
civilian police
secret police
state police

International and multinational

Countries in Europe that are members of Europol [en]

Sometimes groups of countries team up to enforced the law. One examples of this is Europol.

Federal

Bundespolizei [en; de] officers with their police car.

FBI Police [en] cars outside a Federal Bureau of Investigation location.

Some countries are a federation of multiple states, the states team up to form a federal law enforcement agency [en].

Examples:

• Argentine Federal Police (Argentina)
• Australian Federal Police (Australia)
• Federal Police of Brazil (Brazil)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canada)
• Bundespolizei (Germany)
• Mexican Federal Police (Mexico)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Protective Service, United States Park Police (United States)
• Central Bureau of Investigation (India)

National

Ishikawa Prefectural police officers with their police cars. Japanese police are managed and coordinated by the National Police Agency [en], and divided into agencies for their respective prefectures.

State law enforcement agencies

Main article: State police

Chicago Police Department officers on horseback [en]

Military

Polish Military Gendarmerie [en] officers with their police car.

Military organizations often have law enforcement units. These units within armed forces are generally referred to as Military police [en]

Related pages

• Sheriff
• Police

Other websites

• Berlin: Metropolis of crime 1918 - 1933 Part 1 Archived 2019-02-12 at the Wayback Machine, Part 2 Archived 2019-02-12 at the Wayback Machine (warning: graphic depiction of murder and other violence), a Deutsche Welle English television documentary comprehensively depicting a major European police force and its methods, investigations, and political activities during the early 20th century