Enforcement 



Law enforcement agencies afloat or ashore share the built-in frustra- 

 tion of police work in every land and every period of history : there 

 are always more violators than can be prevented from breaking a law 

 out of ignorance or carelessness, and also more with criminal intent 

 than can be caught. There are never enough men, equipment, or 

 money to do the job they are charged with, and the regulations they 

 must enforce are often obsolete or conflicting. 



The Coast Guard is no exception, especially since law enforcement 

 is only 1 of its 10 major missions. Its responsibility is broad: en- 

 forcement of all Federal laws upon the navigable waters of the United 

 States and its possessions, and on the high seas. In the latter in- 

 stance, jurisdiction applies generally to U.S. merchant vessels, and 

 to vessels of other nations in conservation enforcement. 



These laws were described in the report under four main categories 

 relating to : 



1. Safety and law enforcement at sea or on navigable waters. 



2. Harbor safety and regulation. 



3. Conservation. 



4. Enforcement activities in cooperation with other Federal 

 agencies. 



Since most of the enforcement work is preventive and educational 

 rather than pursuit of criminals, the Coast Guard more nearly re- 

 sembles a national Department of Public Safety than an ordinary 

 police force. 



The growth of this important Coast Guard function has been on 

 the same basis as many of its other missions : broad general authority 

 without any policy statements by the Secretary or formal departmental 

 guidance. 



Of the many agencies queried by the study group, not one provided 

 a suitable yardstick by which adequacy of enforcement could be 



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