Law Enforcement Agencies

Law Enforcement Agencies

By: Jackie James

March 21, 2007

AIU Online

Law enforcement agencies need to have a mission statement, it give their officers the drive to protect our country and the people in it. For example my agency's mission statement is: As officers of the law it is our duty to serve and protect our law abiding citizens and to protect our country.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the first large law enforcement agency that I chose. Since 9/11 the FBI have done a make over. Protecting our country from terrorist attacks is at the top of their list. Their mission is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners. Compared to my agency's mission statement the FBI's statement covers every thing that a law enforcement agency should do. My agency's mission statement should have covered more on enforcing the laws. My mission statement could have been explained better. Instead of just stating to protecting our law abiding citizens, I could have put more detail into that thought.

The FBI is a well organized law enforcement agency, and they need to be because FBI agents are leaders to the lower level law enforcement agencies. Since 9/11 the FBI has made changes to their counterterrorism plan. Since 9/11 the FBI has:

(1) shifted its counterterrorism culture and organization from reactive to proactive and "threat-based"; (2) developed a nationally-driven, fully integrated Intelligence and Investigative Program; (3) improved information sharing with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and international counterterrorism partners; (4) enhanced operational capabilities within FBI Headquarters and the field; and (5) evaluated lessons learned to better equip the nation in preventing terrorism.

These are only some of the changes that the FBI has made to better organize the agency or so they are ready of the next attack. On May 29, 2002, less than a year after 9/11 Director Mueller announced the priorities of the FBI to let citizens, FBI agents, and other law enforcement know how their wide range of responsibilities will be handled. The priority lists consists of ten of the FBI's most important pritoties and are as followed:

1. Protect the United States from terrorist attack;

2. Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage;

3. Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes;

4. Combat public corruption at all levels;

5. Protect civil rights;

6. Combat transnational and national criminal organizations and enterprises;

7. Combat major white collar crime;

8. Combat significant violent crime;

9. Support federal, state, local, and international partners;

10. Upgrade technology to successfully perform the FBI's mission.

The FBI currently has an office in almost every state in the United States. Certain states like New York and Pennsylvania has more than one. I do think that their allocation is adequate. The FBI has made sure that there is at least one office in every state and more than one in the states that they believed need more than one. Each office also has a Special Agent in charge, except for LA, NY, and DC. Due to their large size these offices have Assistant Directors in charge. By the FBI putting hirer up agents in charge in the larger cities, if attacks happen again the ADC will know what to do.

The U.S Customs & Border Protection is my second large law enforcement agency. Their mission statement is:

We are the guardians of our Nation's borders.

We are America's frontline.

We safeguard the American homeland at and beyond