United State Type

of Government
• The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a
vast swath of North America, with Alaska in
the northwest and Hawaii extending the
nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean.
Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a
global finance and culture center, and capital
Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis
Chicago is known for influential architecture
and on the west coast, Los Angeles'
Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.
 Federal government of the United States

• The United States government is based on the principles

of federalism and republicanism, in which power is shared between
the federal government and state governments.
• One of the theoretical pillars of the U.S. Constitution is the idea of
"checks and balances" among the powers and responsibilities of the
three branches of American government: the executive, the
legislative, and the judiciary. For example, while the legislative
branch (Congress) has the power to create law, the executive branch
under the president can veto any legislation—an act which, in turn,
can be overridden by Congress.[4] The president nominates judges to
the nation's highest judiciary authority, the Supreme Court, but those
nominees must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court, in
turn, can invalidate unconstitutional laws passed by the Congress.
These and other examples are examined in more detail in the text
below.
 Types of Police Organization
There are 17,985 U.S. police agencies in the United States which
include City Police Departments, County Sheriff's Offices, State
Police/Highway Patrol and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.

• Independent.
• Highway patrol.
• Park police.
• Campus police.
• Capitol police.
• Armed forces.
• Indian police.
• Mint police.
 Police Function
• Order maintenance. This is the broad mandate to keep the peace or otherwise prevent
behaviors which might disturb others. This can deal with things ranging from a barking dog to
a fist-fight. By way of description, Cole and Smith note that police are usually called-on to
"handle" these situations with discretion, rather than deal with them as strict violations of law,
though of course their authority to deal with these situations are based in violations of law.
• Law enforcement. Those powers are typically used only in cases where the law has been
violated and a suspect must be identified and apprehended. Most obvious instances
include robbery, murder, or burglary. This is the popular notion of the main police function,
but the frequency of such activity is dependent on geography and season.
• Service. Services may include rendering first aid, providing tourist information, guiding the
disoriented, or acting as educators (on topics such as preventing drug use). Cole and Smith
cited one study which showed 80% of all calls for police assistance did not involve crimes,
but this may not be the case in all parts of the country. 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, providing referrals to other agencies, finding lost pets or
property, or checking locks on vacationers' homes.
 Police Ranking
1. Police technician
This entry-level position involves assisting sworn personnel in follow-up
investigations of assigned cases, enforcing parking laws and issuing
citations, directing traffic at accident and crime scenes—and a myriad of
other tasks that support police departments.
These professionals also prepare paperwork for incident reports, provide
general citizen assistance and keep records organized and up to date.
Most police technicians need a high school diploma or equivalent. No
experience is typically necessary.
2. Police officer/patrol officer/police detective
This “rank” is the most well-known. While police officers, patrol officers and
police detectives may have differing job descriptions depending on who
employs them, these law enforcement officers often respond to emergency
and nonemergency calls, patrol assigned areas, obtain warrants, arrest
suspects and testify in court, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
3. Police corporal
The title of corporal is a common next step on the hierarchy of a law
enforcement career. Police corporals often act as supervisors and watch
commanders in small agencies, but the title can also apply to nonsupervisory
members of a specialty unit. This position is typically the first in a supervisory
role, placing officers in some measure of authority over other officers.Officers
who become leaders and differentiate themselves on the job might be
promoted to corporal as an official way to acknowledge their leadership on the
force.
4. Police sergeant
A police sergeant’s job duties depend on the size of their employing agency. Some agencies skip
certain rankings
and assign those tasks to other positions. But in the case of this generalized overview of police
sergeant duties
from the Minneapolis Police Department, a sergeant is expected to interpret and apply
ordinances to a wide
variety of situations, supervise and train personnel, weigh in on disciplinary situations, help
develop new policies and act as a liaison between upper management and subordinates.
Sergeant responsibilities are often a step up from the general supervision tasks of a corporal,
as they also investigate internal complaints and envision ways to improve their department.
These positions require law enforcement experience. Expect to serve about five years of
employment as a minimum in your police department before you become eligible for this
promotion.
5. Police lieutenant
The work of a police lieutenant is sort of like a middle-management role for law enforcement. They take broad
direction from superiors and turn them into a plan of action for sergeants all the way to the front-line officers and
detectives.In this role, lieutenants may select and assign staff, ensuring equal employment opportunity in hiring
and promotion and set the work schedule and priority tasks for employees. They evaluate officers and other staff
in performance reviews and identify development and training needs for the department. On top of these
precinct duties, police lieutenants work with other law enforcement agencies in the area and also act as
ambassadors of the police department in civic meetings, schools and other community efforts. Promotion to
this rank will likely involve many years of experience as well as a demonstrated ability for leadership and
strong public relations skills.
6. Police captain
Yet another step up, police captains report direct to police chiefs—or in the case of large departments, deputy
police chiefs, as they
manage and direct activities of the department. Captains train personnel, prepare and monitor programs and
budgets and enforce
department policies. They are relied on to maximize citizen involvement in community policing, make smart
hires and
promotions,represent the department in the community and local government and to step in when situations
become critical
or when the department requires a pinch hitter.
7. Deputy police chief
Often found in large municipal law enforcement agencies, deputy police chiefs are responsible for the
effective administration of a bureau or division of police and technical staff personnel. They do
everything a police captain might do, but also stand prepared to assume control of the divisions as acting
police chief, should the need arise.
They have a huge part to play in designing programs like crime prevention that the department or local
organizations will implement. These officers also typically oversee budget decisions and all important
choices related to the department’s resources. Deputy police chiefs also keep a constant eye on
compliance issues, ensuring that their departments stay up to date with current laws and regulations.
Becoming a deputy police chief is likely to require several years of service in a law enforcement
management position. A Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice is typically required, and some agencies
may prefer additional training or education like completion of the FBI National Academy.

8. Chief of police
The chief of police is usually the top authority of the police department. These officers oversee all operations of the
department, develop procedures and programs to increase effectiveness and safety and assign officers to special
investigations.
Most police chiefs are appointed by elected officials. As the public head of a law enforcement agency, they work closely
with mayors and city government officials. They implement law enforcement programs for their cities and review
criminal cases to look for trends and patterns. They handle the department’s budget, direct the systems that maintain
records and legal documents, handle grievances and address the public in the event of crisis incidents.
As the high-profile leaders of a public law enforcement agency, the buck stops with them. They are ultimately
responsible for any issues or incidents in the agency under their watch. Because of this, they often face criticism from
public leaders, activists and local politicians if things aren’t going well. This means most successful police chiefs are
educated, articulate and at least a little politically savvy.
 Police Requirements
Nearly all U.S. states and the federal government have by law adopted minimum-standard
standardized training requirements for all officers with powers of arrest within the state. Many
standards apply to in-service training as well as entry-level training, particularly in the use
of firearms, with periodic re-certification required. These standards often comply with standards
promoted by the US Department of Justice. These standards typically require a
thorough background check that potential police recruits

• Be a United States citizen (waived in certain agencies if the applicant is a

lawful resident).
• Must have a high school diploma or a GED and if necessary a college
degree or served in the United States military without a dishonorable
discharge;
• Be in good medical, physical, and psychological condition;
• Maintain a clean criminal record without either serious or
repeated misdemeanor or any felony convictions;
• Must have a valid driver's license with a clean driving record and that is not
currently or has a history of being suspended or revoked;
• Be of high moral character;
• Not have a history of prior narcotic or repeated marijuana use or
alcoholism;
• Not have a history of ethical, professional, prior employment, motor
vehicle, educational, or financial improprieties;
• Not have a history of domestic violence or mental illness;
• Not to pose a safety and security risk;
• Be legally eligible to own and carry a firearm.
 Type of Police System
Given the broad mandates of police work, and
yet have limited resources, police administrators
must develop policies to prioritize and focus
their activities. Some of the more controversial
policies restrict, or even forbid, high-speed
vehicular pursuits.
• Watchman. Emphasizes maintaining order, usually found in
communities with a declining industrial base, and a blue-collar, mixed
ethnic/racial population. This form of policing is implicitly less pro-
active than other styles, and certain offenses may be "overlooked" on a
variety of social, legal, and cultural grounds, as long as the public order
is maintained. Cole and Smith comment the broad discretion exercised
in this style of policing can result in charges of discrimination when it
appears police treatment of different groups results in the perception
that some groups get better treatment than others;

• Legalistic. Emphasizes law enforcement and professionalism. This is

usually found in reform-minded cities, with mixed socioeconomic
composition. Officers are expected to generate a large number of arrests
and citations and act as if there were a single community standard for
conduct, rather than different standards for different groups. However,
the fact that certain groups are more likely to have law enforcement
contact means this strict enforcement of laws may seem overly harsh on
certain groups;
• Service. Emphasizes the service functions of police work,
usually found in suburban, middle-class communities where
residents demand individual treatment. Police in homogeneous
communities can view their work as protecting their citizens
against "outsiders", with frequent but often-informal
interventions against community members. The uniform make-
up of the community means crimes are usually more obvious,
and therefore less frequent, leaving police free to deal with
service functions and traffic control.