Outline of law enforcement

Law enforcement is the activity of any law enforcement agency, which is any organization that enforces the laws of one or more governing bodies, or an organization that actively and directly assists in the enforcement of laws. In doing so, law enforcement agencies assist governments in maintaining the peace between and safety of their subjects. A person authorized to enforce the law is some times generally referred to as a law enforcement officer, and they can also be referred to as agents. When the law enforcement officer is also responsible for public safety and social order, the person is typically called a police officer or constable. The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to law enforcement.

Essence of law enforcement

 * Criminal law


 * Law enforcement agency


 * Law enforcement officer

Law enforcement agencies

 * Police department
 * Federal police


 * Military police


 * Secret police

Law enforcement officers

 * Constable
 * Marshal
 * Peace officer


 * Police officer
 * Ranger
 * Sheriff


 * Special agent
 * Trooper

History of law enforcement

 * Main article: History of law enforcement and History of criminal justice


 * Police box

Basic law enforcement concepts

 * Criminal intelligence
 * Criminal justice
 * Criminal law
 * Crowd control
 * Evidence
 * Fingerprint


 * Indictment
 * Law enforcement agency
 * Law enforcement officer
 * Police academy
 * Police accountability
 * Police brutality


 * Police corruption
 * Public security
 * Riot control
 * Surveillance
 * Suspect
 * Warrant

Law enforcement equipment

 * Armor
 * Ballistic vest
 * Shield
 * Ballistic shield
 * Riot shield
 * Police dog


 * Police duty belt
 * Police radio
 * Police vehicle
 * Policeware


 * Weapons
 * Club
 * Taser
 * Firearm
 * Handgun
 * Riot gun
 * Uniform

Law enforcement techniques and procedures

 * Bait car
 * Baton charge
 * Body cavity search
 * Crime analysis
 * Crime mapping
 * Crowd control
 * Dawn raid
 * Deadly force
 * Defendo
 * Dignitary Protection
 * Door breaching
 * Double tap
 * Dragnet


 * FBI method of profiling
 * Facial composite
 * Forcible entry
 * Hunting strategy
 * Immediate Action Rapid Deployment
 * Lawful interception
 * Mail cover
 * Manhunt
 * Mozambique Drill
 * Mug shot
 * Offender profiling
 * Pain compliance
 * Police diving


 * Police lineup
 * Re-creation
 * Riot control
 * Search of persons
 * Sobriety checkpoints
 * Speed trap
 * Stakeout
 * Sting operation
 * Strip search
 * Telephone tapping
 * Traffic break
 * Tueller Drill
 * Vehicular accident reconstruction

Law enforcement-related lists

 * Main article: List of law enforcement topics


 * Law enforcement by country
 * Law enforcement jargon
 * List of law enforcement agencies


 * List of basic criminal justice topics
 * List of intelligence agencies
 * List of protective service agencies