Major Functions of the Four Agencies of the Department of Justice Essay

The United States department is composed of four agencies and it has designated functions within them, with great responsibilities to uphold. They include the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).

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The main functions of the Federal Bureau of Investigations include combating counterterrorism including neutralizing the terrorist cells and operatives in the United States and also to help other bodies to dismantle terrorist networks worldwide (Justice Management Division, 2018). The other function includes counterintelligence which includes exposing, preventing and also investigating all the intelligent activities in the United States. The third function is dealing with all kinds of espionage that target the heart of national security thus impacting political, military as well as economic strength (Justice Management Division, 2018). The department achieves the function by utilizing highly specialized equipment and technique to analyze any forensic evidence.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was created in 1862, and it is a federal law enforcement as well as a regulatory agency that dates to the tax-collecting bureaucracy of the 1800s (Justice Management Division, 2018). The agency has three main functions. First, it is responsible for enforcing the federal laws that involve firearms, and it's also known as Brady Act. The law requires all the firearm dealers to perform an official background check before transfer of a firearm to another person (Justice Management Division, 2018). The agency is also in charge of arson and explosive enforcement. It is fully responsible for enforcing all the federal laws as well as regulations concerning destructive devices, and arson and it also investigates crime scenes associated with the bombing, to detect the use of explosives among other materials (Justice Management Division, 2018). It is engaged in the enforcement of alcohol and tobacco laws including targeting, identifying and dismantling criminal enterprises with ties to violent crimes that traffic illicit liquor and tobacco; seize and deny access to assets and funds and also prevent encroachment into legitimate alcohol and tobacco industries (Justice Management Division, 2018).

Drug Enforcement Administration is another agency that is responsible for preventing the distribution of illegal narcotics in the United States. The functions of the agency include preventing the distribution of illegal narcotics in the United States, under the supervision of the Department of Justice (Justice Management Division, 2018). It also enforces all the federal laws pertaining the illegal sale, distribution and the manufacture of drugs, including enforcement of the Controlled Substance Act, which is the main drug policy under which the manufacture, possession, use as well as the distribution of drug substances is regulated. It also investigates all drug operations within the United States and international drug operations that infiltrate or affect the U.S. It works with the Border Patrol and Customs Enforcement agents to intercept illegal drugs brought to the United States (Justice Management Division, 2018).

U.S. Marshals Service is the oldest and the most versatile law enforcement agency serving the country since 1789 (U.S. Marshals Service, 2018). They occupy a uniquely central position in the federal justice system. Some of their functions include protection of the judicial officials that include judges, attorneys, and jurors. They also oversee aspects of courthouse construction projects from design to completion (U.S. Marshals Service, 2018). They also work with authorities at the federal, state and local levels in apprehending fugitives, both locally and internationally. They also provide security, health, and safety to government witnesses and their immediate dependents. They are also involved in prisoner operations. They are also involved in tactical operations, service of the court process, asset forfeiture and involved in justice prisoner and alien transportation systems (U.S. Marshals Service, 2018).

The FBI has the greatest responsibility as it relates to federal law enforcement because as an agency coordinates with other agencies to detect, identify and solve crimes in the country at the national level.

The Uniform Crimes Reports (UCR) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) have specific purposes in the department of justice. The Uniform Crime Reporting was established in 1929 and it is a major source of data related to criminal activities, published each year ("Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)", 2018). It was created by the Federal Bureau of Investigations in response to an alarming increase in crime. It provides law enforcement with data for use in planning, budget formulation, resource allocation, assessment of police operations among others to address the problems related to crime. The body provides crime statistics to the media, who inform the public regarding the state and situation of crime ("Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)", 2018). It is also used for recording crimes and also making critical policy decisions.

The National Crime Information Center or NCIC was also created by the Federal Bureau of Investigations in 1967 provides criminal justice investigators to apprehend fugitives, locate missing persons, recover stolen property, recover stolen property and also identify terrorists ("Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)", 2018). It also assists law enforcement officers in undertaking their duties more safely and it also provides information that is necessary to protect the public. It provides American forensic science department with search information involving crime offenders.

Mintzberg Model on Role of Police Chief Executive Officer

According to Mintzberg Model of police executives, the CEO has three roles. The first role includes the liaison, leadership and figurehead duties (Mastrofski, 2018). This implies that the CEO is the face of a precinct, and he/she attends parades, graduations, speeches, swearing in new recruits and also meeting with foreign dignitaries.

The other role is information monitoring (Mastrofski, 2018). The CEO must ensure that information flows smoothly as possible, as well as disseminating information to all members of the department and the public.

The other critical role is decision making, and as a decision maker, the CEO serves as an entrepreneur, resource allocator, negotiator and disturbance handler (Mastrofski, 2018). They should be quick and divisive when handling situations as they arise to ensure that minor problems are prevented from becoming a problem or preventing it from getting worse.

I believe that the most important role of a chief executive officer's success is being a liaison, a leader and a figurehead in the agency. Exercising these three roles successfully implies that the other two roles will follow suit. Effective leadership would ensure that the department not only succeeds in solving crimes but also ensures that all the employees are satisfied with their jobs.

Legislative Enactments to Combat Terrorism

Legislative Enactments that are in place to help combat terrorism. Provide your opinion on the effectiveness of these enactments in regards to combating terrorism

Several enactments have been put in place by the United States government to combat terrorism. These enactments have ensured that terror attacks are minimized and that all the point sources are identified (Kraft & Marks, 2016). The two legislative enactments include the Homeland Security Act, which was enacted in November 2002, after the September 11 attacks and the mailings of the anthrax spores. It contains several provisions that identify specific duties (Kraft & Marks, 2016). Title V and Title II provide outlines on how the department uses funds for intelligence and threat analysis of the terrorist capabilities in areas where the threat is greatest. It also mandates the states to provide the Federal Government with the Emergency Response Plans thus ensuring that the department coordinates the priorities both regionally and nationally (Kraft & Marks, 2016). The effectiveness of the Homeland Security Act is highly dependent on the coordination of the various departments within the agencies to effectively fight terrorism. It is also highly dependent on the application of the modern tools and ensuring that information is highly secured thus preventing external threads.

The other enactment is the Patriot Act that deters and also punishes terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad through enhanced law enforcement and also strengthen money laundering prevention (Kraft & Marks, 2016). The act ensures that investigative tools for crime and drug trafficking prevention are applied in terrorist attack prevention (Kraft & Marks, 2016). The Patriot Act is an effective legislation that provides blanket protection and can be used for almost any threat against the United States effectively based on the perspective which implementers are targeting along with how the details of the acts are applied.

Problems related to determining the actual numbers of hate crimes and what makes hate crimes different from other crimes

Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI's Civil Rights Program because of their nature with regards to how it devastates families and the communities, and the fact that individuals that preach hatred and intolerance can also plant seeds of terror in the country (Freilich & Chermak, 2018). Challenges exist with regards to determining the actual number of hate crimes because of the following: first, hate crime count is based on the reporting system and many local police jurisdictions refuse to support. A majority of people do not report attacks to the police because police may not help (Freilich & Chermak, 2018). Victims with disables are also not known to report because of fear that tormentors could retaliate, or their dependence on those individuals.

Hate crimes are different from other crimes because they are likely to be violent as compared to non-hate crimes, and almost 85% of hate crimes result in violence (Freilich & Chermak, 2018). Also, reporting of such crimes is low because it is highly dependent on the perception of the victim. They also target mainly minorities, and it has been a great challenge in the United States to eliminate issues such as racial and ethnic discrimination.

References

Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS). (2018). Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis

Freilich, J., &Chermak, S. (2018). Center for Problem-Oriented Policing | Problem Guides | Hate Crimes. Retrieved from http://www.popcenter.org/problems/hate_crimes/

Justice Management Division. (2018). Organization, Mission and Functions Manual: Drug Enforcement Administration | DOJ | Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/jmd/organization-mission-and-functions-manual-drug-enforcement-administration

Justice Management Division. (2018). Organization, Mission and Functions Manual: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives | DOJ | Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/jmd/organization-mission-and-functions-manual-bureau-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives

Justice Management Division. (2018). Organization, Mission and Functions Manual: Federal Bureau of Investigation | DOJ | Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/jmd/organization-mission-and-functions-manual-federal-bu...