Everest College
Intro to Criminal Justice
Abstract
Police agencies are shaped by the type of government under which they operate and our government consists of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. These agencies operate with a specific purpose and objective. This paper will focus on the similarities and differences between the FBI and the local police.
Police agencies operate at all levels of government, each being responsible for specific duties and functions. These agencies have the daunting task of protecting our nation from outside threats and preventing people from victimizing each other in the community. The FBI
The Mission
The mission of the FBI is to uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal criminal law; to protect the United States from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities; to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies; and to perform these responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the public and is faithful to the Constitution of the United States (Kessler, R., 1993).
The agency we now know as the Federal Bureau of Investigation was founded in 1908 when Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte appointed a force of Special Agents to be the investigative force of the Department of Justice. Prior to that, agents from the Secret Service were used to investigate federal criminal laws within its jurisdiction. From its inception, the FBI was mainly responsible for conducting internal security investigations, but their role was expanded in an effort to counter attempts made by foreign intelligence agencies to steal U.S. military and diplomatic secrets. Today, the Bureau has given top priority to five areas that affect society the most: Counterterrorism, drugs/organized crime, foreign counterintelligence, violent crimes and white-collar