Law Enforcement Degree Program and Career Education
Law enforcement is the branch of criminal justice charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. The central function of law enforcement professionals is to insure obedience to and conformance with the law. This includes the prevention, control and investigation of crime.Education, Training and Degrees in Law Enforcement
A sample of available law enforcement degrees applicable to a career includes:AAS in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement
BS in Criminal Justice Administration
BS in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement
MS in Administration of Justice and Security
MS in Criminal Justice - Law
MS in Criminal Justice - Policing
Find more information about online Criminal Justice degrees, certificates, and diplomas.
Explore Career Opportunities in Law Enforcement
The general term "law enforcement" can be broken out into several areas of specialty, each of which covers numerous careers and career opportunities. Among these areas of specialty are:- Crime Prevention and Control
- Crime Investigation
- Forensics
- Federal Law Enforcement
- Security
- Private Investigator
Crime Prevention and Control
"Crime prevention and control" is a blanket term covering any profession that deals specifically with maintaining law and order and ensuring obedience with the law. Law enforcement agencies and professions exist at every level of government: city, county, state, regional, and federal. Local agencies include police departments and their personnel, such as police officers, S.W.A.T. squads, and other uniformed law enforcement officers. Other agencies dedicated to crime prevention and control include Sheriff's departments at the county level, local or regional Game Wardens, and Highway Patrol officers in each state.Explore Career Opportunities in Crime Prevention and Control
Numerous career opportunities are available in the field of crime prevention and control. Below is a summary of a few of the most popular professions.
Police Officer
A police officer's primary responsibilities are to serve the community by enforcing federal, state and local laws; to protect life and property; and to preserve the peace.
Sheriff
A sheriff is a uniformed law enforcement official who works at the county level of state government. The responsibilities of a sheriff are defined by the state and the county in which he holds office. A sheriff might be the top-ranking officer in one area, or might have relatively few tasks in another.
S.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T. teams are highly-trained paramilitary squads that operate within many police departments. SWAT stands for Special Weapons And Tactics, and team personnel are trained and equipped to carry out dangerous missions such as rescuing hostages, serving arrest warrants under fire, deterring terrorist attacks, and subduing criminals who are armed beyond the capacity of regular police officers to challenge them.
Bounty Hunter
A bounty hunter is an unofficial law enforcement agent who operates independently to track down and return fugitives from justice for a commission or payment, which is referred to in this case as a bounty.
Game Warden
A game warden is a uniformed law officer whose mission is to protect wildlife and the environment in wilderness areas. Game wardens work at the state or local level to ensure that hunters, trappers and fishermen obey all game and environmental laws.
Private Investigator
Read about the education and career steps involved in achieving a profession as a private investigator or private detective, including schooling, training, and experience requirements for becoming a PI. You'll also learn about state testing and licensing prerequisites for private investigators, and typical PI salaries and specializations.
back to top
Crime Investigation
This category includes those professions that specialize in crime solving rather than prevention and control. It includes police professionals such as homicide investigators, field investigators and detectives, as well as people whose efforts take place partly or mainly in laboratories, such as crime scene investigators and forensic specialists employed by police departments and federal agencies like the FBI, the CIA and the Treasury Department.
Explore Career Opportunities in Crime InvestigationNumerous career opportunities are available in the field of crime investigation. Below is a summary of a few of the most popular positions.
Investigator
The term "investigator" is broad and covers many different jobs and functions. Police investigators are typically responsible for investigating crimes which do not demand the attention uniformed police personnel. A police investigator might act as a crime scene technician, for instance, collecting evidence from the site of a crime, or might be assigned to work on a missing person or runaway juvenile case. The police investigator might also be called on to perform skilled, detailed and confidential investigative police work.
Private Investigator
Private investigators are general problem-solvers who handle a wide variety of predicaments dependent upon on their clients' needs. These can include, but are not limited to, personal, legal, or financial problems. The core nature of the private detective's job is not law enforcement but uncovering and pulling together information from various sources for their clients.
back to top
Forensics
This category includes those professions that specialize in analyzing evidence rather than in preventing or solving crimes. It includes people whose efforts take place partly or mainly in laboratories, such as crime scene investigators and forensic specialists employed by police departments and federal agencies like the FBI, the CIA and the Treasury Department.
Explore Career Opportunities in ForensicsNumerous career opportunities are available in the field of forensics. Below is a summary of a few of the most popular positions.
Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
The Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) is responsible for gathering evidence at the scene of a crime, and for the scientific investigation and evaluation of this evidence in the lab. At the scene of a crime, the CSI seeks out and secures physical evidence, such as hair, fingerprints and DNA samples, and writes reports consisting of detailed observations of the site scene. In the lab, the CSI subjects the evidence to various tests to uncover information useful to investigators assigned to the case. The CSI also testifies during trials, explaining the significance of the evidence and the methods by which it was obtained.
Crime Scene Technician
Also known as Forensic Technician or Crime Scene Analyst, this is often the entry level position for eventual promotion to full CSI. A Crime Scene Tech responds to crime scenes and performs a variety of investigative tasks to document a crime including taking photographs, recovering evidence, processing latent fingerprints, and other tasks assigned by superiors.
back to top
Federal Law Enforcement
A significant portion of the crime prevention and control aspect of law enforcement is controlled by federal agencies like the FBI, the CIA, the DEA, the Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the U.S. Marshals Service (part of the Department of Justice), and various Department of Homeland Security offices, including Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, and Immigration and Custom Enforcement. Even U.S. Postal Inspectors can be considered contributors at the federal level to the growing field of crime prevention and control.
Explore Career Opportunities in Federal Law EnforcementNumerous career opportunities are available in many federal law enforcement agencies. Below is a summary of a few of the most popular career areas.
Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security's mission is to secure our borders, airports, seaports and waterways; research and develop the latest security technologies; respond to natural disasters or terrorist assaults; and analyze intelligence reports.
Immigration
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees enforce immigration and customs laws, safeguard U.S. commercial aviation, and protect federal facilities.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice chartered to perform investigations and gather intelligence. The mission of the FBI is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the laws of the U.S., and to provide assistance and criminal justice services to other law enforcement agencies at the municipal, state, federal, and international levels.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the highest-level intelligence-gathering agency of the federal government. Its foremost function is to obtain and analyze information about activities of foreign governments, corporations, groups and individuals, and to report this information to various branches of the Government.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
The DEA is a single-mission agency charged with enforcement of drug laws. Special Agents play an essential and exclusive role in contributing to our nation's war on drugs and terrorism by working to dismantle drug trafficking organizations, prosecute drug traffickers and destroy the financial infrastructure of these organizations.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)
The primary responsibility of the ATF is the enforcement of federal firearms statutes and laws regarding alcohol and tobacco, as well as the investigation of non-terrorist arsons and bombings. Special Agents and Investigators play a key role in this critical mission.
back to top
Security
Crime prevention and control extends well beyond police and other uniformed peace officers. The private sector plays an increasingly large role in this field, in areas as diverse as private security personnel, security consultants, independent forensic consultants and analysts, private investigators...even bounty hunters!
Explore Career Opportunities in SecurityNumerous career opportunities are available in the security field. Below is a summary of a few of the most popular positions. For detailed information, degree requirements, and salary ranges, simply choose a job function:
Private Security
The private sector has an ever-increasing demand for security of numerous types, including loss prevention in retail establishments; industrial security, which provides private guards for factories and office buildings; institutional security, including school and prison guards; and numerous other commercial security positions ranging from bank guard to computer security specialist, fraud examiner and security management.
