Wiktionary
n. 1 Insuring obedience to law. 2 The various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals.
WordNet
n. insuring obedience to the laws
Wikipedia
Law enforcement is any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. Although the term may encompass entities such as courts and prisons, it is most frequently applied to those who directly engage in patrols or surveillance to dissuade and discover criminal activity, and those who investigate crimes and apprehend offenders, a task typically carried out by the police or another law enforcement agency. Furthermore, although law enforcement may be most concerned with the prevention and punishment of crimes, organizations exist to discourage a wide variety of non-criminal violations of rules and norms, effected through the imposition of less severe consequences.
Usage examples of "law enforcement".
By 1993, law enforcement agencies in the United States were becoming increasingly aware of the grim statistical link between child abuse and child homicide.
That he'd registered for a permit at all suggested that either his pursuits were innocent or, given he was well versed in the ways of crime and law enforcement, he knew in obeying the minor rules one was far more apt to get away with the major infractions.
If it should turn out to be a malicious or self-serving act on the part of an employee in her district or local law enforcement, it would give her a heads-up on who to avoid.
Being cagey and mysterious was an occupational hazard in law enforcement.
All of us react more viscerally to the shooting of a law enforcement officer, and we should.
If she'd bothered to call him at the law enforcement office from the phone at MIO.
I do a rapid scan through law enforcement databases and criminal court records, including the P-Squad master files, which they do not know I can read.