LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE USA

Read the text to understand what information is of primary importance or new for you.

TEXT 2

Notes:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Федеральне бюро з розслідувань.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) – Міністерство юстиції (в США); федеральний виконавчий департамент Сполучених Штатів, відповідальний за застосування закону та відправлення правосуддя, дорівнює Міністерству юстиції або Міністерству внутрішніх справ інших країн.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Управління з боротьби з наркотиками; федеральний правоохоронний орган, завданням якого є боротьба з контрабандою та вживанням наркотиків на території Сполучених Штатів.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) – Бюро з боротьби з незаконною торгівлею та використанням алкогольних та тютюнових виробів, вогнепальної зброї та вибухових речовин.

The United States Marshals Service – Служба федеральних маршалів США.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Міністерство внутрішньої безпеки СШA.

The federal government of the United States established a wide range of law-enforcement agencies to maintain law and public order related to matters affecting the country as a whole.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is the most prominent group of law-enforcement agencies, and handles most law-enforcement duties at the federal level. It includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals Service, and others. The Marshals Service isthe oldest federal law-enforcement agency. It is a part of the executive branch of government, and the enforcement department of the United States federal courts, and is responsible for the protection of court officers and buildings and the effective operation of the judiciary. The service assists with court security, protects federal witnesses, transports federal convicts, and seeks fugitives.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a law-enforcement and domestic intelligence agency charged with protecting and defending the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats; upholding and enforcing the criminal laws of the United States; and providing leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners. The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime. Its motto is "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity" – FBI.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibility of protecting the territory of the U.S. from terrorist attacks. It now includes the United States Secret Service, which protects the President and the Vice President of the United States, their families as well as investigating counterfeiting crimes involving U.S. currency and monetary instruments; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and others.

An agency that maintains order, prevents and detects crime is the Police. Federal law-enforcement officers have the power to enforce various laws not only at the federal level, but also state, county, and local in many circumstances. The federal government is prohibited from exercising general police powers due to restrictions in the constitution, because the United States is organized as a union of sovereign states, which each retain their police, military and domestic law-making powers. Police functions are as follows: crime fighting; order maintenance; first aid rendering. Because police agencies are traditionally available year-round, 24 hours a day, citizens call upon police departments not only in times of trouble, but also when just inconvenienced. As a result, police services may include roadside auto assistance, finding lost pets or property, or checking locks on vacationers' homes.

In the United States, a sheriff is a county official and is typically the top law-enforcement officer of a county. Historically, the sheriff was also a commander of the militia in that county. Distinctive to law-enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected. The political election of a person to serve as a police leader is an almost uniquely American tradition. The law-enforcement agency headed by a sheriff is typically referred to as a sheriff's office or sheriff's department.