Federal Reserve System Law Enforcement Officers derive their authority from Section 11(q) of the Federal Reserve Act, codified at 12 U.S.C. § 248(q). Similar to other federal agencies, Federal Reserve police officers are able to arrest without warrant for any federal felony or misdemeanor committed in their presence, or for federal felonies with probable cause anywhere within the United States.
Prior to designation as federal law enforcement officers, system protection personnel operated as protection or special police officers in their respective states and were generally regulated to exercising authority on Federal Reserve property, with variances dependent on specific district regulations. Prior to federal law enforcement designation, there were no plainclothes or specialized units in the System. [citation needed]
Functions
Each Federal Reserve law enforcement office in the twelve regional districts is an independent law enforcement unit, though governed loosely out of Washington, D.C..
The primary duty of uniformed division officers is to provide security and general law enforcement services for Federal Reserve facilities, personnel and operations. Each Federal Reserve district operates a 24/7 emergency communications (command) center. Some Federal Reserve districts employ sworn officer intelligence analysts while others utilize non-sworn civilians.
There are five Special Response Teams (SRT) based in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Richmond, as well as New York City, which are designed to respond nationwide. Additionally, Explosive Detector Dog teams are utilized at several facilities. Each district maintains Executive Protection personnel, capable of safeguarding Federal Reserve executives throughout the United States.
Each branch, or field office, also maintains officers authorized by federal or state agencies (POST) to provide defensive tactics, firearms, and general instructor capabilities to their respective units.
On October 12, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law S.B. 1132 "Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act Improvements Act", which states that law enforcement officers of the Federal Reserve are "qualified law enforcement officers" and thus are authorized to carry a firearm off-duty. This update to the Law Enforcement Safety Act, among other aspects, clarified that federal law enforcement officers working for Amtrak and the Federal Reserve (not funded by Congress) are specifically granted the same rights as publicly funded law enforcement officers as it relates to off-duty concealed carry.
Each district can choose the make, model and style of police vehicles, which vary based on location and weather. There are both marked and unmarked police cars in the Federal Reserve fleet.
Employment
Federal Reserve Law Enforcement Officers (FRLEOs) must complete a Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) approved Basic Law Enforcement Course, or BLEC, in addition to field training. FRLEOs are required to complete in-service training each year to maintain their Federal Law Enforcement designation. Some districts offer a lateral entry program that allows certification with minimal training for those with prior police training and experience.
Because the Federal Reserve System is independent of the federal government, Federal Reserve Law Enforcement Officers have a benefits system separate from, but very similar to, federal employees, offering both pension and retirement. Each district has a different pay scale based on the local cost of living index. The average entry level uniformed officer earns compensation comparable to a GS-9 on the public federal pay scale, which is variable depending on location of assignment. Officers typically receive shift differential, and in some cases specialized duty pay, such as canine, executive protection, SRT, background investigator, or FTO pay.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcement powers anywhere within the state. The California Highway Patrol can assist local and county agencies and can patrol major city streets along with local and county law enforcement, state and interstate highways, and is the primary law enforcement agency in rural parts of the state.
Security police usually describes a law enforcement agency which focuses primarily on providing security and law enforcement services to particular areas or specific properties. They may be employed by governmental, public, or private institutions. Security police are generally considered distinct from security guards as security police personnel typically hold some level of law enforcement authority. The exact powers held by security police vary widely between jurisdictions. Examples of these types of agencies include the U.S. FBI Police, the Indian Central Industrial Security Force, and the British Civil Nuclear Constabulary.
The Federal Protective Service (FPS) is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is also "the federal agency charged with protecting and delivering integrated law enforcement and security services to facilities owned or leased by the General Services Administration (GSA)"—over 9,000 buildings—and their occupants.
The United States Mint Police is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of the facilities, assets, and personnel of the U.S. Mint. It was founded in 1792, making it among the oldest federal law enforcement agencies in the United States.
The Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany is the federal investigative police agency of Germany, directly subordinated to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. It is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Hesse, and maintains major branch offices in Berlin and Meckenheim near Bonn. It has been headed by Holger Münch since December 2014.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is the state patrol for the state of Wisconsin and is a division of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The Wisconsin State Patrol enforces traffic and criminal laws, oversees the motor carrier safety and weight facilities (SWEFs), inspects and regulates motor carriers, school buses and ambulances, and assists local law enforcement agencies with traffic safety, civil disturbances and disasters.
As of 2020, more than 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers have been serving in the United States. About 137,000 of those officers work for federal law enforcement agencies.
Law enforcement in Bolivia is reliant on the 40,000-member Cuerpo de Policía Nacional responsible for internal security and maintaining law and order. Unlike many South American countries, the Bolivian police force always has been accountable to the national government rather than to state or local officials. The 1950 Organic Law of Police and Carabiniers officially separated the police from the military. Frequently, however, the national police call upon the military for assistance in quelling riots and civil protests.
The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), formerly known as the Dade County Sheriff's Office (1836–1957), Dade County Public Safety Department (1957–1981), and the Metro-Dade Police Department (1981–1997), is a county police department serving Miami-Dade County. The MDPD has approximately 4,700 employees, making it the largest police department in the southeastern United States and the eighth largest in the country. The department is still often referred by its former name, the Metro-Dade Police or simply Metro.
The New Jersey Transit Police Department (NJTPD) is a transit police agency of the New Jersey Transit Corporation in the state of New Jersey. As provided by NJS Title 27:25-15.1, New Jersey Transit Police Officers have "general authority, without limitation, to exercise police powers and duties, as provided by law for police officers and law enforcement officers, in all criminal and traffic matters at all times throughout the State and, in addition, to enforce such rules and regulations as the NJ Transit Corporation shall adopt and deem appropriate."
The Pentagon Police Division (PPD) is the uniformed division of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA).
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The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office is a law enforcement agency that serves Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and is the largest sheriff's office in the state. The ACSO serves as a local arm of the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System in a number of roles, including: court security, writ services, sales, prisoner transportation, issuing of firearm licenses and execution of warrants. A primary responsibility of the office is fugitive apprehension. The Sheriff's Office also assists local law enforcement agencies with emergency and incident response on an as-needed basis, most notably through the use of trained police dogs.
The United States Marine Corps Civilian Police is the civilian law enforcement agency of the United States Marine Corps. Officially called the "Marine Corps Law Enforcement Program" (MCLEP), the agency is composed of civilian (non-military) federal police officers.
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The Cocoa Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Cocoa, Florida, and is accredited through the state of Florida. The department services approximately 19,000 residents within 15.41 sq miles of the municipality. The department also serves roughly 2,500 daily non-residents who commute to the municipality for employment.
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