Text. The Court System of the USA

The American court system is complex, mainly because of the federal system of government in the USA. Each state runs its own court system, and no two are identical. In addition, there is a separate system of federal courts which coexists with the state courts.

The structure of state courts varies from state to state. Usually there are minor trial courts for less serious cases, major trial courts for more serious cases, intermediate appellate courts and courts of last resort. The state’s minor trial courts have various names: justice courts, small-claim courts, traffic courts, police courts, municipal courts. The judges in these courts are usually quite professional, but some states still have Justices of the Peace – men and women who have never gone to law school and never taken the bar exam.

Individuals fall under jurisdiction of two different court systems, their state courts and federal courts. They can sue or be sued in either system, depending mostly on what their case is about. The vast majority of cases are resolved in the state courts.

The federal courts are organized in three tiers, like a pyramid. At the bottom of the pyramid are the US district courts, where litigation begins. There are about ninety four district courts in different parts of the United States. The district courts are the lowest ones in the Federal court system. Most of the criminal and civil cases are tried by these courts. The district court is the only Federal court where trials are held, juries are used, and witnesses are called. There are about two hundred district judges in the USA. In the middle are the US courts of appeals. At the top is the US Supreme Court. To appeal means to take a case to a higher court. The courts of appeals and the Supreme Court are appellate courts, with few exceptions, they review cases that have been decided in lower courts. Most federal courts hear and decide a wide array of cases; the judges in these courts are known as generalists and they are appointed for life.

The Supreme Court hears cases in which someone claims that a lower court ruling is unjust or in which someone claims that Constitutional law has been violated. The U.S. Supreme Court has only nine justices, headed by Chief Justice. The decisions of this Court are final and become legally binding.

Литература

1. Английский язык:учеб. Пособие (2 семестр)/ сост. С.В. Кулинская. – Краснодар: Краснодар. Ун-т МВД России, 2012. – 184 с.

2. Справочник по грамматике английского языка для юристов // Смирнова М.И. – Симферополь, 2016

3. Словари: англо-русский, русско-английский.

Тема 10. Полиция США, функции и задачи.

Грамматика. Пассивный залог

Текст «Работа полиции США»

 

New Words

Agency – агентство, организация, орган

sheriff - шериф

bridge – мост

tunnel – тоннель

all in all – всего

separate – отдельный

to finance – финансировать

finance - финансы

respective - соответствующий

weapon - оружие

club - дубинка

Text. The Police of the USA

The modern police departments in the USA came into existence in the years following World War I. Since 1920 municipal police agencies have increasingly grown in personnel and responsibilities. Special training and more selective recruitment practices have been developed to go hand in hand with the use of such technological developments as the automobile, the individual police radio, and the computer. The great part of police work does not involve crime-fighting situations but rather consists of both service and peace-keeping activities.

Service functions include directing traffic and enforcing traffic regulations, answering accident calls, aiding the sick, helping find a lost child or rescue a lost pet, recovering stolen property, and reporting fires. These are all services performed to assist the public.

There are five main types of police agencies operating in the USA:

- police agencies of the Federal government (Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Park Service, Border Patrol, US Postal Inspector and so on);

- state police forces (highway patrol, drug control agency, investigative bureaux and so on);

- sheriffs in counties (county sheriffs’ offices);

- the police forces of cities and towns (municipal or city police);

- the police of villages (constables and village police departments).

Municipal police departments are the heart of the entire police system. They have their own organization with several different divisions, each with specific functions. In most departments there are four major divisions:

- field operations (patrol, investigation, traffic, youth divisions, special operations etc.);

- administrative services (community relations, planning);

- technical services (communications, records,etc.) and

- inspectional services (internal affaires, intelligence, etc.).

Besides there are such special police forces as parks police, bridge and tunnel administration police forces, and police organizations for special tasks. All in all, there are about 40,000 separate police agencies in the United States of America.

The federal police agencies are financed from the Federal Fund. Other police forces are financed from the respective authorities’ funds.

Policemen have weapons, such as revolvers, clubs and gas pistols.

Литература

1. Английский язык.Учебное пособие по английскому языку (3 семестр)/ сост. С.В. Кулинская. – Краснодар: Краснодар. ун-т МВД России, 2012. – 163с.

2. Справочник по грамматике английского языка для юристов // Смирнова М.И. – Симферополь, 2016

3. Словари: англо-русский, русско-английский.

Тема 11. Федеральное бюро расследований

New Words

Headquarters главное управление, центр, штаб-квартира

Advance прогресс, развитие

To set standards устанавливать стандарты

Field officer офицер, курирующий определенный район

Extortion вымогательство

Larceny воровство, хищение

Fraud мошенничество

Robbery грабеж

Burglary кража со взломом

Motor vehicle транспортное средство

Treason государственная измена

Espionage шпионаж

 

Text. About FBI

The most famous Federal Government Agency in the United States is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (the FBI). It was established in 1908 by Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte in response to President Theodore Roosevelt’s need for an investigative agency to handle «land thieves» in the West and big business «trusts» in the East. The agency began as a small group of investigators in the Department of Justice.

In 1924, when the Attorney General Harlan Fiske Stone appointed 29-year-old J. Edgar Hoover as the director of the bureau, a major advance began. Hoover instituted an immediate reorganization, setting new standards of qualifications for appointment as special agent and a system of specialized training for all personnel.

Under Director Hoover’s leadership, by the end of the 1960’s, the FBI, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., had field offices in 59 major cities and 526 resident offices serving 50 states. There were offices in 11 major foreign cities. The investigative work was performed by more than 16, 000 employees: 7,200 special agents and 9,100 clerical, stenographic, and technical personnel.

The FBI investigates over 180 different matters, including espionage, sabotage, treason, federal criminal violations and other activities affecting internal security; kidnapping, extortion, bank robbery, burglary and larceny in federal institutions; bribery, interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles, aircraft, or property; fraud against government or theft of government property and any other matters in which the Government has an interest.

The largest collection of fingerprints in the world is maintained in the Identification Division of the FBI. A dangerous fugitive, wanted in one state, may be located through fingerprint identification after his arrest on a minor charge under a different name by a police agency in another state. Fingerprints often are the only means of identifying victims of various crimes.

The FBI Laboratory is the greatest criminological laboratory in the world. During the first 35 years of its existence, this laboratory made approximately 4.000.000 scientific examinations. Today, this laboratory is a large complex of scientific equipment, staffed with over 300 employees most of whom have technical training. Included in this group are over 100 Special Agents with specialized training in a wide range of scientific fields. Many crimes are solved and many defendants convicted on the basis of material evidence submitted to the laboratory for examination. Laboratory examinations on many occasions have proved the innocence of persons suspected of having committed crimes.

The FBI fights against all elements which pose a threat * to the security of the people in the United States, to the Nation’s security.

Often some of the most valuable leads in an investigation result from information already contained in the files of law enforcement agencies.

A teletype network provides constant twenty-four-hour contact between FBI headquarters and all Field Divisions. In addition, the FBI has a radio network, completely independent of commercial facilities.

The personnel of the Crime Records Department has the task of carefully studying the information on crime poured into the Headquarters from the FBI’s field officer *, local police agencies and other sources.

All FBI Agents are trained at facilities in Washington, D.C., and at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Today, the new Agents receive fourteen weeks of instruction. Two week retraining courses are held periodically for all Agents. Although the theory of the various Law enforcement arts and sciences is taught, the greater emphasis is placed on those practical skills and techniques demanded by day-to-day investigations.

The courses range from the Constitution and Federal Criminal Procedure to Investigative Techniques and the Collection, Identification and Preservation of Physical Evidence. Thorough training is given in firearms and defensive tactics in order that an agent may defend himself in those extreme situations where life may be in danger. The Training Division also provides instructors for thousands police schools conducted by local enforcement agencies in communities across the Nation.

Organized crime is a lawless empire involved in gambling, narcotics, prostitution, extortion, etc. where easy money can be made. For years organized crime operated behind a nearly impenetrable wall * built on fear, intimidation, bribery, and force.

Squads of highly trained FBI Agents are devoting their full efforts to bringing the crime lords to justice *. The objective is to collect sufficient evidence to build a strong prosecutive case so gang leaders can be brought to justice swiftly. Cooperation is vital in the fight against organized crime. The FBI works closely with state and local enforcement agencies.

The Division also supervises investigations under the Security of Government Employees programme.

Fugitive investigations often involve a great deal of manpower.

In addition to FBI fugitives, this Division directs the efforts of FBI Agents to locate and apprehend escaped Federal prisoners, deserters from the Armed Forces.

Литература

1. Английский язык.Учебное пособие по английскому языку (3 семестр)/ сост. С.В. Кулинская. – Краснодар: Краснодар. ун-т МВД России, 2012. – 163с.

2. Справочник по грамматике английского языка для юристов // Смирнова М.И. – Симферополь, 2016

3. Словари: англо-русский, русско-английский.