Preventative policing used by law enforcement is a method of controlling and then preventing all possible new crimes. This approach used by law enforcement tries to prevent wrongdoers’ illegal attempts from taking place. The main goal of preventing policing is to penalize, punish or sentence a wrongdoer to a severe penalty, thus manifesting possible harsh punishment a criminal might have before their complicity. It is a case of deterring issue that implies restraining people from similar crime commitments.
Preventative policing is administered by law enforcement that implies institutes and agencies conducting peace and order at local, state, and federal levels. Gaines and Miller (2016) stated that these agencies “have their own organizational structures and tend to operate independently of one another.” As to law enforcement at a local level, agencies are divided into counties and municipalities with a county sheriff at the head. Local police are in charge of resolving minor crime affairs, such as domestic violence, and child abuse.
Such responsibilities as traffic and crowd control and criminal apprehension are primary liabilities of local law enforcement agencies. At a state level, there are two types of state law enforcement agencies, such as “state police” and “highway patrols,” that are in charge of the investigation into the causes of acquiring fires, and public education and consultation on how to prevent fires. As to federal law enforcement, these agencies are aligned with terrorism prevention, drug, and gun distribution. The major agencies are:
- The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation);
- DEA (the Drug Enforcement Administration);
- ATF (and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives);
- The US Secret Service.
