Law enforcement

Merriam Webster Dictionary defined law enforcement as the department of people who
enforce laws, investigate crimes, and make arrests.

Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized
manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people
who violate the rules and norms governing that society.
1. Although the term encompasses police, courts, and corrections, it is most frequently
applied to those who directly engage in patrols or surveillance to dissuade and discover
criminal activity, and those who investigate crimes and apprehend offenders, and
2. A task typically carried out by the police, sheriff or another law enforcement
organization.

Modern state legal codes use the term peace officer, or law enforcement officer, to include
every person vested by the legislating state with police power or authority, traditionally,
anyone "sworn or badged, who can arrest any person for a violation of criminal law, is
included under the umbrella term of law enforcement.
Although law enforcement may be most concerned with the prevention and punishment of
crimes, organizations exist to discourage a wide variety of non-criminal violations of rules
and norms, effected through the imposition of less severe consequences such as probation.
 Organizations
Most law enforcement is conducted by some
type of law enforcement agency, with the
most typical agency fulfilling this role being
the police. Social investment in enforcement
through such organizations can be massive,
both in terms of the resources invested in the
activity, and in the number of people
professionally engaged to perform those
functions.
Law enforcement agencies tend to be limited
to operating within a specified jurisdiction. In
some cases, jurisdiction may overlap in
between organizations; for example, in the
United States, each state has its own
statewide law enforcement arms, but the
Federal Bureau of Investigation is able to act
against certain types of crimes occurring in
any state. Various specialized segments of
society may have their own internal law
enforcement arrangements.
PRINCIPLES OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT
It would be nice if the effectiveness of
law enforcement could be measured by
Principles of Law Enforcement
a single dimension, but this is not the
case. In fact, over the years researchers
● Prevention of crime is the basic mission of the police.
have proposed differing views of what
● Police must have the full respect of the citizenry.
constitutes the roles and
● A citizen’s respect for the law develops respect for the
responsibilities of law enforcement
police.
agencies. The functions performed by
● Cooperation of the police decreases as the use of force
law enforcement agencies have a
increases.
thread of consistency for many years,
● Police must render impartial enforcement of the law.
one of earliest was the Principles of
● Physical force is used only as a last resort.
Law Enforcement promulgated by Sir
● The police are the public and the public are the police.
Robert Peel in the 1800s and it is
amazing how many of the principles ● Police represent the law.
are applicable today.
● The absence of crime and disorder is the test of police
efficiency.
 In another instance, V. A. Leonard in
In more recent times, the above list would 1951 proposed a list of objectives:
possibly include visions, values,
or missions. They are remarkable for their ● The protection of life and
time, and include a consideration of property.
philosophy and ethical principles. They are ● Maintenance of the peace and
clearly viable today and are food for public order.
thought. ● Control and prevention of crime
and vice.
● The regulation of traffic.
● Enforcement of regulatory
responsibilities.
At that time, the Leonard role for the police was traditional in nature and represented
the state of the art in the middle of the last century. These objectives are hierarchical
with “the protection of life and property” at the top of the list. The latter two objectives
were a reflection of the changing times.
Leonard believed that the law should guide police agencies as well as the needs and
expectations of the community (More, 2008).

In 1980, the American Bar Association released a study of criminal justice and
set forth the major current responsibilities of the police and while traditional in
nature, addressed such features as the need to create a feeling of security in the
community, provide other services on an emergency basis and assist those who
could not care for themselves. These are a broadening of the changing mandate
of police services (American Bar Association,
1980).

More recently, Mark H. Moore proposed that the
balanced scorecard for law enforcement agencies
had seven distinctive elements:
● Reduce criminal victimization.
● Call offenders to account.
● Reduce fear and enhance personal security.
● Guarantee safety in public spaces.
● Use financial resources fairly, efficiently and
effectively.
● Use force and authority fairly, effectively, and
efficiently.
● Satisfy customer demands/achieve legitimacy with
those policed (Moore et al., 2002).
The above scorecard is one of the first attempts to
move into a consideration of police measurement
and its application to a series of objectives. It
refers to the public as a “customer” suggesting an
effort to stress the importance of the core business
objectives of police administration and is a
product of the desire to hold law enforcement
accountable for its efforts. A very important
reference is the inclusion of an objective that
acknowledges the need to satisfy customer
demands. The objectives of law enforcement set
forth in the above examples illustrate the
evolution of principles over the years and
provides a beginning of a framework for an
integrated management performance system.
Herman Golden aptly suggested that “the police
need to focus on how they use our freedom and as
well as how they use our money” (Moore &
Broga, 2003).