ABSTRACT
This chapter explores one of the 'sub-systems' of the criminal justice system, law enforcement. Order-maintenance and crime-control functions may overlap and even merge. Police officers may be performing crime control on a domestic disturbance call if someone has been injured, or order maintenance if no criminal charges are warranted. In 2015 policing came to dominate public discourse and even enter into the presidential campaign platforms. Information about police departments is available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Police departments that serve large cities have larger percentages of female officers than small town police departments. Law enforcement in the United States is composed of a complex network of overlapping jurisdictions and agencies. There are federal, state, and local police agencies as well as special jurisdictional agencies. There are also special or limited jurisdiction municipal law enforcement agencies. Community policing is based on a belief that police should partner with communities to prevent and reduce crime.
