Law Enforcement Out of Control?

Federal Law Enforcement organizations:

FBI

FBI Police

U.S. Dept. of Justice

Homeland Security

Secret Service

U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division

BATFE

TSA

DEA

CIA

NSA

NCIS

U.S. Marshals

U.S. Immigration and Customs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

CBP Office of Field Operations

U.S. Border Patrol

Bureau of Prisons

U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service

U.S. Postal Inspection Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Bureau of Diplomatic Security

Financial Crimes Enforcement

Dept. of Defense Police

U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Police

Air Force Office of Special Investigations

Bureau of Industry and Security

Office of Export Enforcement

Federal Reserve Police

Smithsonian Police

Supreme Court Police

Pentagon Force Protection Agency

Bureau of Indian Affairs Police

Amtrak Police

Hoover Dam Police

U.S. Treasury Police

Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs

National Nuclear Security Administration

It takes several breaths to recite the whole incredible list, and I’m sure I left a few out.

Add to all this the thousands of state and local police agencies nationwide. In my home state of North Carolina, for example, all 100 counties have individual sheriff’s departments with deputies, all cities of any size have their own police departments, we have a statewide agency called the N.C. Law Enforcement Division, and of course we have a N.C. Highway Patrol. All other states have similar multi-tentacled law enforcement structures. And in case there’s not enough exiting law enforcement the National Guard can always be called in anywhere on special occasions.

As an example of just how ridiculous law enforcement in America can get, for the 2019 Superbowl in the Atlanta Mercedes Benz Stadium 50 different agencies were involved in security. Fifty. For a football game. Does anybody besides me question how that could possibly have been an effective, efficient, and economical application of law enforcement?

With such a mammoth collective law enforcing structure permeating every aspect and level of our society, why do we still have so much higher per capita crime rates, so many more murders, so many more gang and drug related crimes and ODs compared with, say, the Scandinavian countries where they manage to get along with far shorter lists of law enforcement agencies? When I was in Chile, for another example, I was impressed with their efficient nationwide Carabinieri, who seem to do just fine handling everything from protecting their national leaders to local infractions.

In considering American law enforcement and our sprawling government with its myriad agencies and our vast and expensive global military complex, is there a point when we should maybe ask when does enough become far too much?

This difficult year has exposed major cracks in our system of government on several levels and also in our society. We can learn from this and work to improve ourselves, or we can watch the cracks become irreparable fractures.

Phil