Law enforcement in the United States

Law enforcement in the United States is the responsibility of the 18 member States of the Confederacy, each of which operate State police. Counties and some municipalities also operate their own law enforcement agencies, those of the former styled "Sheriff's Office" or "Sheriff's Department", while those of the latter are usually styled "police department", "police bureau", or "police service".

The Federal government provides specialized liaison services to State police agencies of the respective States.

Federal
The Federal government do not run any law enforcement agency. Federal-level law enforcement coordination is provided by a council of State police chiefs.

The Department of Interstate Public Safety Affairs coordinates international operations and serves as a liaison between States for police and public safety matters.

State


The 18 State police agencies and numerous Sheriff's Offices and local police departments are the sole law enforcement agencies in the United States with actual investigative, preventative, and enforcement authority. They are not subordinate to the Federal head. Their commanding officers report to the head of the respective State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency. However, in emergencies, the Executive Authority of a State has the authority to take personal command of all law enforcement and military forces in the State for the duration of the emergency. As the Federal Government do not have law enforcement authority, the responsibility of enforcing Federal law rests exclusively with State-level law enforcement; State police agencies may also choose to delegate this responsibility, either fully or concurrently, to local law enforcement.

County


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Municipal


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Other


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Police functions
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Styles of policing
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Entry qualifications
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Powers of officers
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Police weapons
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Firearms
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Less-than-lethal weapons
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Body armor
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Police equipment
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Vehicles
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Aircraft
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Boats
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Police communications
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Salary
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