Public Police Agencies and Fragmentation

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to police agencies, fragmentation, and public safety from the lecture notes.

Local Control

Authority over police services exercised at the local (city/town) level rather than by state or federal authorities.

Fragmentation

Presence of many separate police agencies within a region, leading to coordination challenges and inconsistent policies.

Local/Municipal Police

Police agencies that operate at the city or town level; constitute the majority of US agencies; perform order maintenance and law enforcement.

Big City Agencies

Large municipal police departments; emphasis on order maintenance and law enforcement; handle a large share of violent crime.

Order Maintenance (OM)

Police activities aimed at keeping public order, preventing minor disturbances, traffic control, and providing services.

Law Enforcement (LE)

Traditional crime-control activities including investigation, arrest, and prosecution of offenders.

County Police Departments

County-level policing; provide LE across counties; include some of the largest US agencies.

Sheriff

Elected law enforcement official in most states; may perform LE, court security, and jail operations; responsibilities vary by jurisdiction.

State Police

State-level agency handling traffic regulation and criminal investigations; sometimes organized into separate divisions like Highway Patrol and Investigations.

Highway Patrol

State-level police focused on enforcing traffic laws and investigating incidents on state highways.

Federal Agencies

National law enforcement agencies with sworn officers; focus primarily on investigations; many under DHS or DOJ.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

U.S. federal department created in 2002 that houses multiple security and law enforcement components.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

Federal department responsible for enforcing federal laws; oversees federal agencies like the FBI and U.S. Attorneys.

CALEA Accreditation

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies; voluntary process to set and maintain professional police standards.

Minimum Standards for Police Organizations

Baseline requirements (Supreme Court decisions, state training mandates, and CALEA) for professional policing.

Consolidation

Merging two or more police departments (often from neighboring towns) into a single agency; relatively rare.

Contract

A service-delivery arrangement where a town pays a neighboring agency to provide police services.

Private Security

Non-government security personnel (about 900k in the US); issues include equity, standards, and coordination with public police.

Public Safety

Integrated approach combining police, fire, and other emergency services under a unified public-safety framework.

Fragmentation Problems

Coordination difficulties, duplication of effort, and gaps in coverage due to many small police departments.