Uniformed Police Officers

• Uniformed police officers are local law enforcement. These officers patrol the city or township. Often, uniformed police officers will patrol on foot, horseback, cars or motorcycles. Training for uniformed police officers usually occurs at the local level, and the area of jurisdiction is primarily in a concentrated area.
  
  

Sheriffs

• Sheriffs are law enforcement officers who oversee the county law enforcement offices instead of the inner city municipality. For example, Oxford, Mississippi, has city uniformed police officers that patrol within the city limits. However, the sheriffs are the primary law enforcement for Lafayette County. Unlike uniformed police officers, sheriffs are usually elected by the people within the county and can be ousted by public vote.
  
  

Detectives

• Detectives undertake a lot of the dirty work within law enforcement. Detectives are usually hired by the local police authorities to investigate crimes. Their job consists of identifying and interviewing suspects to help bring a conviction and prosecute criminals. A detective’s job typically consists of visiting murder crime scene, gathering evidence and making inferences to bring the perpetrator of the crime to justice.
  
  

State Police

• State police officers often have the title of highway patrol. In situations where a town does not have the appropriate size or resources to support its own police force, state police officers step in and perform the duties. However, state police officers primarily patrol and enforce laws on highways, issuing traffic tickets, investigating accidents and administering first aid. In the situation that a motorist is stranded, state police officers radio for auto mechanics.
  
  

FBI

• Law enforcement officers with the FBI primarily investigate crimes against federal statues, and crimes that span across state borders. However, the FBI handles major crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, espionage, bank robbery, fraud and sabotage. To carry out their jobs, FBI officers talk to witnesses and observe the activities of their suspects. In addition, FBI officers conduct research and participate in raids.