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Law Enforcement Agencies in the U.S.

Law enforcement agencies in the United States come under the jurisdiction of many different authorities at federal, state, county and municipal levels of government. There is no national police force, although there are several federal law enforcement agencies. The best known of these is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. It is charged with gathering and reporting facts and compiling evidence in cases involving federal jurisdiction. Also part of the Department of Justice is the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) which is the lead federal agency in enforcing narcotics laws and regulations.

Most states maintain police departments but state police force activities are usually concentrated on highway patrol and other traffic work. County governments, of which there are more than 3,000, maintain police forces under the command of a sheriff. There is much variation in the scope of the authority and the size of these forces. In some states, particularly those in the South and West, the county sheriff's office wields considerable power, but in others this power is restricted by the jurisdiction of the city police departments. At local or municipal level, city police departments encompass all areas of police work from traffic control and detection to laboratory and forensic.

Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20535
phone: (202) 324-3000
fax: (202) 324-4705

Drug Enforcement Administration
2401 Jefferson Davis Highway
Alexandria, VA 22301
phone: (202) 307-8000
fax: (202) 307-4778

National Sheriffs' Association
1450 Duke Street
Alexandria VA 22314-2490
phone: (703) 836-7827
fax: (703) 683-6541

Selected city police departments

    Anchorage City PD, 4501 S. Bragaw, Anchorage, AK 99507. Phone: 907-786-8500
    Atlanta City PD, 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue, N.E., 9th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30308. Phone: 404-853-3434
    Austin City PD, 715 E. 8th Street, Austin, TX 78701. Phone: 512-974-5000
    Baltimore City PD, 601 E. Fayette St., Baltimore, MD 21202. Phone: 410-396-2525
    Boston City PD, One Schroeder Plaza, Boston, MA 02120. Phone: 617 343 4200
    Chicago City PD, 3510 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653. Phone: 312-744-4000
    Cleveland City PD, 1300 Ontario Street, Cleveland, OH 44114 Phone: 216-623-5000
    Dallas City PD, 2014 Main St., Dallas, TX 75201. Phone: 214-670-3698
    Denver City PD, 1331 Cherokee Street, Room 406, Denver, CO 80204. Phone: 720-913-6527
    Detroit City PD, 1300 Beaubien St., Detroit, MI 48226. Phone: 313-596-2200
    Houston City PD, 1200 Travis Street, 16th Floor, Houston, TX 77002. Phone: 713-308-1800
    Indianapolis City PD, 50 N. Alabama Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Phone: 317-327-3282
    Kansas City PD, 1125 Locust Street, Kansas City, MO 64106. Phone: 816-234-5000
    Las Vegas City PD, 400 E Stewart Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89101. Phone: 702-795-3111
    Los Angeles PD, 150 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Phone: 213-485-3202
    Miami City PD, 400 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33128. Phone: 305-579-6565
    Milwaukee City PD, 749 W. State St., Milwaukee, WI 53233. Phone: 414-935-7200
    Minneapolis City PD, 350 S. 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Phone: 612-673-2853
    New Orleans City PD, 715 S. Broad St., New Orleans, LA 70119. Phone: 504-826-2828
    New York City PD, 1 Police Plaza, New York, NY 10038. Phone: 212-374-5000
    Orlando City PD, 100 S. Hughey Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. Phone: 407-246-2470
    Philadelphia City PD, One Franklin Sq., Philadelphia, PA 19106. Phone: 215-686-1776
    Phoenix City PD, 620 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003. Phone: 602-262-7626
    Pittsburgh City PD, 100 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Phone: 412-255-2814
    St. Louis City PD, 1200 Clark Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103. Phone: 314-444-5555
    Salt Lake City PD, 315 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. Phone: 801-799-3800
    San Diego City PD, 1401 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101. Phone: 619-531-2777
    San Francisco City PD, 850 Bryant St., San Francisco, CA 94103. Phone: 415-553-1551
    Seattle City PD, 610 3rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98104. Phone: 206-684-5577
    Washington, D.C. PD, 300 Indiana Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Phone: 202-727-4218

    Note: Employees of most American law enforcement agencies must hold U.S. citizenship.

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