<P> The criminal justice system consists of three main parts: (1) Law Enforcement (police officers, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, etc ...); (2) Courts (attorneys, judges, etc ...); and (3) corrections (jails, prisons, probation and parole). In the criminal justice system, these distinct agencies operate together both under the rule of law and as the principal means of maintaining the rule of law within society . </P> <P> For the purposes of section 8 (6) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and section 194A (6) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, the criminal justice system includes, in particular, the investigation of offences and the treatment of offenders . </P> <P> The first contact a defendant has with the criminal justice system is usually with the police (or law enforcement) who investigate the suspected wrongdoing and make an arrest, but if the suspect is dangerous to the whole nation, a national level law enforcement agency is called in . When warranted, law enforcement agencies or police officers are empowered to use force and other forms of legal coercion and means to effect public and social order . The term is most commonly associated with police departments of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of responsibility . The word comes from the Latin politia ("civil administration"), which itself derives from the Ancient Greek πόλις, for polis ("city"). The first police force comparable to the present - day police was established in 1667 under King Louis XIV in France, although modern police usually trace their origins to the 1800 establishment of the Marine Police in London, the Glasgow Police, and the Napoleonic police of Paris . </P> <P> Police are primarily concerned with keeping the peace and enforcing criminal law based on their particular mission and jurisdiction . Formed in 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began as an entity which could investigate and enforce specific federal laws as an investigative and "law enforcement agency" in the United States; this, however, has constituted only a small portion of overall policing activity . Policing has included an array of activities in different contexts, but the predominant ones are concerned with order maintenance and the provision of services . During modern times, such endeavors contribute toward fulfilling a shared mission among law enforcement organizations with respect to the traditional policing mission of deterring crime and maintaining societal order . </P>

What is the role of law enforcement in the criminal justice system