Police Agencies and Operations

Police agencies are the local, state, and federal organizations with the power to enforce criminal law, and operations are how they organize their work. They include city police, sheriffs, state patrols, and federal agencies such as the FBI and postal inspectors. Each has its own jurisdiction and chain of command.

People usually ask which agency handles which kind of case, how agencies share information and work together across state lines, what federal agents can do, and how departments are funded and led.