UNITED STATES POLICING SYSTEM
TYPES OF US POLICE
1. Municipal Police = includes village, township, city and county police departments, sheriff departments.
Types of Local Police
a. County Sheriff = in charged with the operation of county jail, civil function such as service of eviction
notices and other court orders and police responsibility.
b. City Police = most common local police organization. It has jurisdiction in matters that occur in an
incorporated municipality.
2. State Police = includes special investigative agencies that concentrate on statewide law enforcement
3. Federal Police = agencies operated by federal government at the national level
Some Federal Agencies Having Police Functions
Protection of Life, Property and Enforcement of Penal Statutes
1. Federal Bureau of Investigation (Department of Justice) = investigates all violations of federal law except
when the enforcement authority was given to other specific federal agency
2. United States Secret Service (Department of Treasury) = concerned with investigation of counterfeiting,
forging or altering of any of the money or other securities of the U.S. It is also in charged of the protection
of the president and his family, and of the executive mansion grounds
3. Bureau of Narcotics (Department of Treasury) = investigated all violations of federal law relating to
prohibited drugs
4. Immigration and Naturalization Service (Department of Justice) = investigates all violations of
immigration and naturalization laws, patrol boarders to prevent surreptitious entry of aliens,
b. Protection of the National Revenue
1. Intelligence Unit of the Bureau of Internal Revenue = investigation of violations of income tax laws
2. Alcohol Tax Unit of the Bureau of Internal Revenue = violations of internal revenue laws
3. Division of Investigation and Patrol, Bureau of Customs = investigates smuggling activities and enforces
customs and navigation laws.
4. Private Police = additional police protection made by employing sworn officers through contract when
they are not officially on duty
Two Basic Forms of Private Police
a. Proprietary Police = when a person wish to receive service, he hires and security personnel directly
b. Contract Security = services of an independent security company
U.S. Police Agencies
New York City = it is where the first full time police force was organized in the United States
▪ New York Police Department = the largest police force in the United States
▪ Texas Ranger = police force originally created in response to colonization
▪ Boston Police Department = first local modern police department established in the United
States
▪ Pennsylvania State Police = the first state police agency established
▪ Los Angeles Police Department = police force that hired the first female police officer named,
Alice Stebbins Wells
The United States police rank model is generally quasi-military in structure. Although the large
and varied number of federal, state, and local police departments and sheriff's office have different ranks,
a general model, from highest to lowest rank, would be:
➢ Chief of Police/Police Commissioner/Superintendent/
Sheriff
➢ Deputy Chief of Police/Deputy Commissioner/Deputy Superintendent/Undersheriff
➢ Inspector/Commander/Colonel
➢ Major/Deputy Inspector
➢ Captain
➢ Lieutenant
➢ Sergeant
Detective/Inspector/Investigator
➢ Officer/Deputy Sheriff/Corporal
CANADA
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) = colloquially known as Mounties and internally as “The Force”
= is the national police force of Canada and one of the most recognized of its kind in the word being a
national, federal, provincial and municipal policing body. It is founded in 1920 by the Merger of Royal
Northwest Mounted Police(1873) with the Dominion Police (1868).
= headed by the Commission under the direction of the Minister of Public Safety Canada.
RCMP – is responsible for a wide range of duties, the federal operations of RCMP include:
1. Enforcing the laws including commercial crime
2. Enforcing laws including drug trafficking, border integrity, organized crime, and other various matters.
3. Providing counter-terrorism and domestic security
4. Providing protection services to the Governor General, Prime Minister, Monarch, and other ministries
of the Crown.
5. Participating in the international Policing efforts.
According to the Canada Police Hierarchy the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is categorized into the
following ranks;
EAST
‘O’ Division- Ontario
‘A’ division – national Capital Region
National Capital Region
‘C’ Division – Quebec
‘J’ Division – New Brunswick
‘H’ Division – Nova Scotia
‘L’ – Prince Edward Island
‘B’ – Division – Newfoundland and Labrador
WEST
‘E’- Division – British Columbia
‘K’- Division – Alberta
‘F’ – Division – Saskatchewan
‘D’ – Division – Manitoba
‘M’ – Division – Yukon
‘G’ – Division – Northwest Territory
‘ V’ – Division - Nunavut
Commissioner = highest rank in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Police Constable 4th Class = lowest rank
Commissioner = highest rank in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Police Constable 4th Class = lowest rank
AUSTRALIA
Australia - is a Federal State, it has only one police force for each of six states as well as for the Northern
territory. There is also a commonwealth agency known as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) which police
services for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), consequently, there are eight (8) separate police forces
namely;
1. New South Wales
2. Victoria Police Force
3. Queensland Police Force
4. Western Australia Police Force
5. South Australia Police Force
6. Tasmania Police Force
7. Northern Territory Police Force
8. Federal Police
The (AFP) is involved in preventing and investigating crimes against the commonwealth . it was establish
by the Federal Police Act of 1979 and is under the Home Affairs Ministry, a responsibility of the minister
for Home Affairs.
Governance Framework
Ministerial arrangement
- the Australian Federal Police is a statutory authority established by the Federal parliament
under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979. it is part of the attorney General’s porfolio.
- the AFP Commissioner reports to the Minister for Justice.
AFP National Headquarters - Edmund Barton Building. (Trade Group Office) Sir Edward Barton , the first
Prime Minister of Australia and a founding judge of the high Court of Australia.
Operational Priorities
1. Serious and Organized Crime
2. Crime Operation
3. Intelligence
4. International deployment Group
5. Counter Terrorism
6. Protection
7. Aviation
8. High Tech Crime Operation
