A law enforcement agency (LEA) has powers, which other government subjects do not, to enable the LEA to undertake its responsibilities. These powers are generally in one of six forms:
- Exemptions from laws
- Intrusive powers, for search, seizure, and interception
- Legal deception
- Use of force and constraint of liberty
- Jurisdictional override
- Direction
The types of powers and law exemptions available to a LEA vary from country to country.
They depend on the social, legal, and technical maturity of the country, and on the resources available to LEAs generally in the country. Some countries may have no laws regarding a particular type of activity by its subjects at all, while other countries might have very stringent laws on the same type of activity. This will impact significantly on the legal structures, if any, that govern how an LEA can operate, and on how the LEA's use of powers is overviewed.
Law enforcement agency powers are part of a broad range of techniques used for law enforcement, many of which require no specific legislative support or independent overview.
- See law enforcement techniques for a list of other law enforcement techniques.