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: 312-746-6000
Cleveland City PD, 1300 Ontario Street, Cleveland, OH 44114 Phone: 216-664-1234
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.

Links

Links to many other police departments and other organisations can be found at Law Enforcement Agencies on the Web

Information of a general nature is available from:
International Association of Chiefs of Police
515 N. Washington St
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel. 703-836-6767
Fax. 703-836-4543


The American Police Hall of Fame and Museum describes itself as the nation's only memorial and museum honoring all police in federal,state, county and local departments. The American Police Hall Of Fame & Museum is located at 3801 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33137

Law Enforcement in a Free Society, the November 1997 issue of USIA's Electronic Journal Issues of Democracy includes articles on the new transnational challenges facing law enforcement officials and the efforts being made by FBI officials to confront them, and on Community Oriented Policing Services, crime in American cities and the U.S court system.

back to top ^