Outline of law enforcement

The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to law enforcement: Law enforcement – subsystem of society that promotes adherence to the law by discovering and punishing persons who violate rules and norms governing that society. Although the term may encompass entities such as courts and prisons, it most frequently applies to those who directly engage in patrols or surveillance to dissuade and discover criminal activity, and those who investigate crimes and apprehend offenders. The Thin Blue Line Criminal law Coming into force Unenforced law Law enforcement agency Law enforcement jargon Law enforcement officer Criminology Forensic science Penology The reasons law enforcement exists: Crime – breaking the law. Without crime, there would be little need for law enforcement. Law and order (politics) Criminal law Criminal justice Law enforcement agency (list) – government agency responsible for enforcement of laws. Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while some have other names (e.g. sheriff's office/department; investigative police services in the United States are often called bureaus (e.g. FBI, USMS, ICE, CBP, ATF, DEA, USSS etc.).