kerberos wrote:
Boss Out of Town wrote:
This is reflective of the long-standing American tradition of not having a national police force. Like a standing army, aristocracy, and most economic or political monopolies, a national police agency is a constant threat to democracy.
What's the difference between the FBI and a national police force? Also while being off topic, I'm a bit unsure if you believe what you just wrote or if you were just descriping the long standing American tradition?
I said it because it is true, and because I have a life-long, pre-Internet habit of giving complete answers when I respond to a question. Even if it pushes me over the border of madness and pedantry.
Inherent power to create police forces and prosecute crimes against life and property derives from state constitutions in the United States. County and muncipal police forces derive their authority and jurisdiction from state charters and laws. Federal police agencies can investigate only crimes for which they have been granted jurisdiction under federal law, the law---and yes, this distinction
has been blurred in recent years---having been constitutionally justified when it was passed by congress.
Consequently, we have a plethora of competing agencies and bureaucracies handling federal crimes under different government departments: the Secret Service is part of the Treasury Department, the US Marshals are administered by the Attorney General to serve the judiciary branch, while customs and immigration enforcement is handled by the Department of Commerce. The BATF has been part of the Treasury Department for most of its bureaucratic life. The FBI, a younger agency, is directly charged with investigations under the Department of Justice. However, as I noted, it is only empowered to investigate federal crimes.
This means that, in theory and most often in practice, the FBI has no authority to interfer in crime investigations on a whim or on vague instructions by their bosses.* Local officials can, and will, telll them to go f*** themselves if they try to bully their way into local jurisdiction or boss around local cops. If there is some doubt about jurisdiction, usually the agencies involve try to cooperate until the issue is legally clarified.
While the bureaucratic infighting between agencies can cause trouble catching bad guys, but it also makes it harder for corrupt federal officials to abuse their authority. In the most famous instance, the Nixon administration was able to use CIA assets to support their Dirty Tricks and political espionage efforts. However, the FBI balked at getting involved, and one FBI official betrayed the entire operation to the Washington Post, under the psuedonym "Deep Throat."
Exactly how national police forces work in other countries I couldn't say in detail. However, the more centralized the structure, the easier it is to use it to subvert the rule of law. This is an inherent problem in creating a working government and keeping it free.
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* . . . Even if there were UFOs or supernatural terrors involved. Sorry, Agent Muldar.