“There’s a patch for that.” Making Sense of Law Enforcement in the United States
A Publication of the Junior Police Academy
Let’s try to make sense of law enforcement in the United States.
The first thing you will probably notice are the extraordinary number of agencies.
You may wonder why there are so many. Maybe it’s about how many different patches they can think up?
To truly make sense of law enforcement in the United States, you need to use your imagination.
Let's pretend for a moment that you are in charge of the planet.
No problem, right? After all, from space, the Earth appears calm and tranquil.
Up close, however, the world gets more complicated and dangerous.
While most of the Earth's inhabitants are peaceful...some are not.
Many do not respect the rights of others. They cheat, steal and prey on others.
Trouble springs out of no where. Seconds separate life and death.
Remember, you are in charge. When there’s trouble, you get the call.
And, if typical day here on Earth, the sun will be shining, the birds singing...
...and your will be phone ringing!
Thousands of calls for help pour in from every corner of the nation.
Homicide? You get the call. Burglary? You get the call. Assault? You get the call. Car crashes? You get the call.Wild animal attacks? You get the call. People go missing? You get the call. Fights erupts in a bar? You get the call. How will you respond?
Hey wait, that confusing collage that is American law enforcement...
...why it’s starting to look more like an intricate patchwork!
In fact, ...whatever or wherever the crisis, you are able to say... “Hey, there’s a patch for that! Help is on the way!”
Welcome to the world of American law enforcement. Spread out across the country, these are the people who are a lifeline to those peril and answer the call of justice. Behind all the acronyms, heavy equipment and cutting edge technology, public safety ultimately is about people helping people.
And we didn’t make that up about your being in charge. As our future leaders, this awesome force for justice will be yours. The Junior Police Academy is about understanding the challenges of a dangerous world.
Now, who you gonna call?