Municipal Law Enforcement

Abstract Law enforcement in America occurs mainly at the local, or municipal, level of government. Stemming from the British policing experience, in the mid 1800s, American policing developed in large, New England cities and quickly spread across the United States. The roles and functions of municipal law enforcement have changed over time, from being predominantly reactive police forces to include more proactive policing strategies, as a result of technological innovations and increasing globalization. Such changes create challenges for local police agencies to incorporate crime analysis techniques and specialized units or task forces to combat particular crime types, and to collaborate with county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.