Editing United States Forest Service (section)

=== Law Enforcement & Investigations ===
[[File:USA - Department of Agriculture Forest Service Patch.png|thumb|upright=0.6|Patch of the Law Enforcement & Investigations unit]]

'''U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement & Investigations''' (LEI), headquartered in [[Washington, D.C.]], is a [[List of law enforcement agencies|federal law enforcement agency]] of the U.S. government. It is responsible for enforcement of federal laws and regulations governing national forest lands and resources. All [[law enforcement officer]]s and [[special agent]]s receive their training through [[Federal Law Enforcement Training Center]] (FLETC).

Operations are divided into two major functional areas:
* Law enforcement: uniformed, high-visibility patrol officers
* Investigations: [[special agent]]s who conduct more complex investigations including drug trafficking, large scale wildfire/arson, and theft/damage of natural resources and government property

[[File:United States Forest Service Horse patrol.jpg|thumb|left|A horse patrol of the Law Enforcement & Investigations unit]]

Uniformed Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) enforce federal laws and regulations governing national forest lands and resources. LEOs also enforce some or all state laws on National Forest Lands. As part of that mission, LEOs carry firearms, defensive equipment, make arrests, execute [[search warrant]]s, complete reports, and testify in court. They establish a regular and recurring presence on a vast amount of public lands, roads, and recreation sites. The primary focus of their jobs is the protection of natural resources, protection of Forest Service employees and the protection of visitors. To cover the vast and varied terrain under their jurisdiction, they use modified 4x4 pickup trucks, [[Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor]]s, special service [[SUV]]s, horses, [[Police dog|K-9 units]], helicopters, [[snowmobile]]s, ATVs, ROVs, dirt bikes, and boats.

[[Special Agents]] are criminal investigators who plan and conduct investigations concerning possible violations of criminal and administrative provisions of the Forest Service and other statutes under the [[United States Code]]. Special agents are normally plainclothes officers who carry concealed firearms, and other defensive equipment, make arrests, carry out complex criminal investigations, present cases for prosecution to [[U.S. Attorneys]], and prepare investigative reports. All field agents are required to travel a great deal and usually maintain a case load of ten to fifteen ongoing criminal investigations at one time. Criminal investigators also conduct internal and civil claim investigations. An example of the latter would be large scale wildfire liability cases in which the government is seeking civil restitution for major damage to National Forest Lands.

As of 2025, 8 special agents and 1 K9 of the LEI have been killed in the line of duty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, US |url=https://www.odmp.org/agency/3949-united-states-department-of-agriculture-forest-service-law-enforcement-and-investigations-us-government |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref>

LEI is also responsible for the oversight, training, and administration of the Forest Protection Officer (FPO) program. FPOs are unarmed, non-law enforcement, field going employees who have been granted the authority to enforce class B misdemeanors within Title 36, Part 261 of the Code of Federal Regulations (the day to day laws primarily governing the use of forests by the public). They do this by writing citations and mandatory federal court appearances. They must volunteer to become FPOs, pass an additional background check performed by LEI, and attend an initial training plus yearly recertification to maintain their authority. FPO is a “collateral duty” one performs in addition to their primary job; because of this, the majority of FPOs are Recreation Technicians, Wilderness Rangers, or Fire Prevention Patrol Technicians, but the program is open to any field going employee who meets the requirements. Since they are unarmed and not LEOs, FPOs do not engage in enforcement contacts in situations that have a high probability for violence including those involving excessive alcohol intoxication, illegal substances, domestic disputes, assault, gang activity, etc instead disengaging and calling law enforcement immediately in such situations.