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Investigative Agencies There are a number of investigative agencies that are tasked with solving crimes in the United States. Each operates at a different level of jurisdiction, from local police departments to state and federal investigative bodies. Local police usually take on the initial steps in a criminal investigation, including securing and assessing the scene, gathering and analyzing evidence, and submitting such evidence and accompanying notes to prosecutors. Local police hold jurisdiction over a specific municipality, county, or region and derive their authority from the local governing body. At the county level, most states grant authority to sheriff’s offices, tasking deputy sheriffs with enforcement of state and federal law. Sheriffs’ responsibilities may also include the response to emergency calls for areas that lay outside local police jurisdictions. At the state level, criminal investigations proceed under the jurisdiction of either the state police or highway patrol. Each state in the United States has a state bureau of investigation that oversees the operation of all state police and highway patrol units. While state police can investigate on their own, they often collaborate with local police in situations where the needed resources or jurisdictional boundaries exceed those of local police. Some police agencies hold special jurisdiction, even within other agencies’ jurisdictions. For example, government buildings, parks, and schools often have police who hold special jurisdiction only over those areas. They provide the same services as local police and sometimes coordinate with local police in terms of resources or personnel. Multiple investigative agencies exist at the federal level, many of which are overseen by different government departments. For example, the United States Secret Service and United States Customs and Border Protection both operate under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operates under the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Many federal agencies focus on criminal activity that threatens aspects of national security, such as terrorism, counterintelligence, or organized crime. They may assist in state or local investigations if agencies at those jurisdictional levels request assistance or if a case proves to be high profile. Each branch of the U.S. military possesses its own investigative agency that focuses specifically on crimes related to or affecting servicemembers. These agencies are the Naval Criminal Investigative

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Crime Scene