US LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES' PRACTICE OF IMPLEMENTING OPERATIONALLY IN SOLVING CRIME FIGHTING PROBLEMS

The article is devoted to current issues of the theory and practice of operational investigative activi-ties. It analyzes the legal and organizational basis for operational penetration into the criminal environment, carried out by US law enforcement officers in solving problems of ensuring public safety. The author studied the practice of using this special method in the USA, describing individual fea-tures of its implementation, based on the materials obtained. Special attention is paid to the issues of legislative definition of criteria for classifying undercover work as illegal police penetration. The experience of conducting operational penetration by US law enforcement agencies can contribute to the improvement of domestic operational investigative legislation and can be useful both for scientific and educational purposes, and for practitioners of agencies and units carrying out operational investigative activities.