Law enforcement officer

A law enforcement officer (LEO), often known as a peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector professional whose primary responsibilities include enforcing the laws of the land. Police officers, prosecutors (who are law enforcement officers but are not peace officers), municipal law enforcement officers, special police officers, customs officers, state troopers, special agents, secret agents, special investigators, border patrol officers, immigration officers, court officers, probation officers, parole officers, arson investigators, auxiliary officers, game wardens, sheriffs, constables, corrections, marshals, deputies, detention officers, detention officers, detention officers, detention officers, detention officers (at public and private institutions). Unless they have been awarded authority to enforce specific laws, security guards are not considered law enforcement officials, unless they are certified under a community safety accreditation programme, in which case they are considered a security police officer.

Modern legal codes use the term cop (or, in some jurisdictions, law enforcement officer) to refer to any individual whose been vested by the legislating state with law enforcement authority—traditionally, anyone who is "sworn, badged, and armable" and who has the authority to arrest or refer an arrest to a criminal prosecution for a criminal offence. City police officers, county sheriffs' deputies, state troopers, and in certain states correctional officers are all vested with the same power within a specific jurisdiction, as is the case in many other jurisdictions. The enforcement of some laws and administrative rules by contract security personnel may involve detainment or apprehension power, which may include the ability to arrest. It is possible that peace officers will be able to do all of the responsibilities that a law enforcement officer is entrusted with, but they will not be required to carry a weapon.