One of the greatest strengths of the U.S. justice system is that our
police agencies are directly responsible to local elected officials.
Many parts of the world have only large national agencies controlled
by the federal government. In the United States, 800,000
police officers work in more than 17,500 distinct, autonomous agencies.
The reason for this structure is that many of those who immigrated
to America over the years were fleeing oppression enforced
by a national police organization. As a result, these immigrants and
their descendants wanted to ensure as much as possible that the
police were honest, apolitical, and responsive to the needs of the
average citizen.
This American system has largely been successful. Indeed, efforts
to duplicate many of our strategies and policies can be seen around
the world. Yet, despite the best efforts of talented police executives,
periodic incidents of corruption and abuse of force and authority
continue.