U.S. law enforcement

U.S. maritime counterdrug practice has typically involved interdicting suspected drug-smuggling vessels and charging crew members in federal court rather than using military strikes that bypass criminal prosecution.

U.S. law enforcement agencies commonly deploy chemical agents such as tear gas and kinetic impact munitions such as pepper balls as non-lethal tools to protect officers and manage hostile crowds.

Obtaining telephone toll records pursuant to a subpoena is a routine and lawful investigative step used by U.S. law enforcement and is generally regarded as not violating an individual's expectation of privacy.

A widely observed unwritten norm in U.S. law enforcement is that officers respond to calls for assistance from fellow officers who are in danger.

U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, may use undercover operatives who pose as foreign agents, record meetings, and intercept shipments as investigative techniques in suspected illegal export or diversion cases.

U.S. federal and local law enforcement agencies commonly use surveillance, obtain access to encrypted chat content and other communications, analyze social media posts, and execute searches of residences and storage units during terrorism investigations.