In federated nations, federal law enforcement is a type of law enforcement that has jurisdiction across the entire country. Nations with a federal government are divided into a number of subdivisions, each of which has its own set of laws and its own law enforcement agency or agencies, necessitating the use of federal law enforcement to deal with law violations that fall outside the jurisdiction of individual departments. A law enforcement agency with country-wide jurisdiction is known as a national law enforcement agency in countries without a federated government, and it may operate differently than federal agencies.
Individual law enforcement agencies in federated nations are in charge of public safety in their respective divisions. For example, in Canada, the Toronto Police Service is responsible for law enforcement in the city of Toronto, whereas the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is responsible for law enforcement in Canada’s national security, which crosses provincial borders, or which is escalated to the federal level law.
Border control, kidnapping, protecting heads of state, drug laws, domestic terrorism, crimes that cross internal borders, government fraud, counterfeiting, and other crimes that threaten national security are all handled federal law enforcement agents. Many countries with a federal government have strict laws that define the jurisdiction of various agencies, protecting local law enforcement agencies while allowing federal agencies to intervene when necessary.
Members of federal law enforcement agencies frequently collaborate with local and international law enforcement agencies. In countries where multiple federal agencies have been established, agencies must work together to achieve the common goal of protecting the national government’s integrity. Power sharing agreements between agencies can be shaky, especially when it comes to situations involving new or undefined types of criminal activity.
Federal law enforcement officers can work in a variety of capacities. They are all subjected to extensive background checks and training in order to qualify for duty, with some choosing to work in the field as agents and others preferring to work in offices as researchers, supervisors, intelligence coordinators, and so on. Federal law enforcement also heavily relies on the work of federal lab scientists, who do everything from analyzing evidence from crime scenes to assisting with intelligence analysis.