Organizing Police Security in the United States

Centralized Model of State Law Enforcement

Combines the duties of major criminal investigations with the patrol of state highways.

Decentralized Model of State Law Enforcement

Makes a clear distinction between traffic enforcement on state highways and other state-level law enforcement functions.

Joint Federal and Local Task Force

Use of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents in a focused task force to address particular crime problems.

LEMAS

Statistical reports on law enforcement personnel data issued by the National Institute of Justice under its Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics program.

Local Control

The formal and informal use of local or neighborhood forms of government and measures to deter abhorrent behaviors.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)

A national clearinghouse of criminal justice information maintained by the National Institute of Justice.

National Instutute of Justice (NIJ)

The research arm of the U.S. Justice Department.

Straw Buyers

People with no criminal record who purchase guns for criminals or illegal immigrants who cannot legally buy them.

Sworn Law Enforcement Employee Average

Number of sworn law enforcement employees for every 1,000 residents.

Walking

The practice of having weapons move across the border illegally.