Independent and regulatory agencies are government agencies that exist separately from the executive branch. These agencies serve many important purposes within the government. Some are responsible for serving the public interest and for carrying out government functions. Others are regulatory, ensuring that organizations comply with the laws pertaining to the specific independent agency. The Environmental Protection Agency, for example, directs actions to protect the environment and is backed by the full power of the United States government.

Most independent and regulatory agencies were created by Congress to manage issues that are the government's responsibility, but that have become so complex that they would take up an extraordinary amount of time and money to legislate using the executive branch (such as passing laws to protect the environment).

Amtrak Police

Amtrak is actually the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, a for-profit company that has never managed to realize a profit. As a result, it is owned exclusively by the U.S. Department of Transportation and receives large public subsidies. Of the 22,000 miles of track corridor that Amtrak uses, almost all of it is owned by other railroads that deal primary in cargo rather than passengers.

Investigation of crimes and protection of the infrastructure belonging to Amtrak is a difficult challenge. With the new extremely high-speed rails services between Washington and Boston, protection of the railway is even more critical than ever before. The Acela Express trains have chopped an all-day train ride into a trip of a few hours. In order to maintain that kind of speed, security along the corridors is paramount to the rail operations. Like the Metro Transit Police Department in Washington, Amtrak police need to maintain a competent understanding of the laws that regulate a number of jurisdictions and be able to deal effectively with local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies of all kinds.

U.S. Department of Energy

Among the leading concerns of the United States government is the protection and preservation of the nation's energy supplies. Given the fluctuating price of gas since the first Gulf War, providing this necessary security is no small task. The refineries needed to produce the petroleum products used by Americans are massive in scope and very costly to run efficiently. Oil companies rely mostly on private security forces to provide protection of these expensive resources.

Nuclear power plants present unique dangers to their immediate surroundings and are considered ideal targets for terrorists who seek to acquire and exploit fissionable materials, either on the site or away from it. To prevent such occurrences, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has mandated extremely tight regulations concerning plant security, and each plant operator must maintain these rigid security standards in order to remain licensed. Even the few solar-power installations in the southwest are protected by heightened security measures. Each of these unique forms of energy infrastructure requires a constant vigil to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy required to keep the country running.

The demands of the energy producers are unique to each installation, but the standard is somewhat universal. The removal of a single small electrical plant from the power grid can result in devastating consequences at even great distances, where the power draw is enormous. Although turbines driven by water power are not likely targets for vandalism or terrorist activity, they can still fall prey to mischief if left unattended.

Department of Transportation

Operating under the authority of the Department of Transportation, numerous enforcement elements exist that deal directly with the enforcement of laws involving the intermodal transportation system of the United States. These include the following eleven agencies:

• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

• Federal Rail Administration (FRA)

• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

• Maritime Administration (MARAD)

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

• Officer of the Inspector General (OIG)

• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

• Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)

• Surface Transportation Safety Board (STB)

Each of these separate agencies oversees segments of the nation's transportation system by enforcing laws and regulations that have evolved to meet the safety needs of the country. Not everyone affiliated with these agencies falls under our definition of a law enforcement officer, but all of these agencies have officials assigned to them that are included in this book's definition. Each has a set of tasks that are unique to the mission of that agency, and each requires the law enforcement professional assigned to those tasks to be trained in the specific area of concern in addition to their law enforcement training.

Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was founded during the Nixon administration, in conjunction with the passage of legislation that called for clean air, water, and soil. Assigned the tasks of cleaning up the damage already done by polluters, prosecuting offenders, and establishing preventive measures to minimize the impact against the natural environment in the future, the EPA had to quickly establish itself as a formidable law enforcement agency.

With a home base in the nation's capital and ten field offices across the country, the newly created Environmental Protection Agency was confronted with cunning adversaries that would often stop at nothing to avoid civil and criminal prosecutions under the prevailing laws. Enforcers not only had to contend with the threats that confront all law enforcement officials, they had to routinely deal with the threats associated with exposure to hazardous wastes and chemical contaminants. To combat these threats, EPA investigators are trained in the collection of physical evidence while minimizing their personal exposure to toxic hazards, through the use of protective equipment. Like any law enforcement agency that handles physical evidence for the prosecution of cases, the EPA maintains laboratories that can analyze and identify samples that are submitted for testing. Collection of evidence is done on land, by sea, and in the air, requiring that the EPA maintain the appropriate vehicles, vessels, and crafts to do the job.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for mitigating the damaging effects of natural and manmade disasters. Much attention is focused on the aspect of the mission that deals with subsidizing victims with federal funds, but that is a small part of the overall objectives of the agency.

At the beginning of any major event, coordinating search and rescue operations among a wide array of local, county, state, and federal agencies falls to FEMA. Later, when rescue efforts are abandoned and recovery becomes the mission, FEMA again must coordinate efforts between government and civilian entities involved in the process. Establishing safety zones and enforcing restricted areas often becomes a security nightmare amidst the nightmare of the disaster itself. FEMA officials must be competent and tactful when handling the high emotions that accompany disasters, and must stay focused on the main goals in order to minimize the damage and promote restoration of normalcy. Enforcing rules and regulations while standing in harm's way is commonplace for FEMA operatives.

National Transportation Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent agency tasked by the U.S. Congress with investigating all civil aviation mishaps, all major pipeline, rail, and marine accidents, and all catastrophic highway disasters. As an investigative body, the NTSB's primary goal is to find the probable cause in these mishaps and to take appropriate steps to see that a similar occurrence will not happen in the future.

Much of the preliminary training for investigators is conducted at the NTSP Academy on the campus of George Washington University in Ashburn, Virginia. Courses offered to investigators cover the full gamut of skills that are required to conduct the in-depth and technically challenging investigations handled by the agency.

U.S. Postal Inspector

The U.S. Postal Inspector's office was originally created by the first Postmaster General of the United States, Benjamin Franklin. Charged with the enforcement of some 200 different laws concerning the misuse of the mail system and security measures, officers and inspectors have much to handle. Investigations vary greatly and can include mail fraud, child exploitation, bomb threats, robbery, bombs that are mailed, and drugs that are sent parcel post.

Aside from the usual background, physical, and personal requirements necessary for becoming a member of the postal inspectors, applicants must possess a conferred four-year college or university degree from an accredited institution.

The U.S. Postal Service also has additional desired skills and experience that will give candidates a competitive edge in the hiring process. These desired characteristics are foreign language skills, experience with the postal service, some kind of specialized non-postal skill, and superior academic achievement.