34 USC § 12541 - Rural Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t34/s12541"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "34 USC § 12541 - Rural Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces"
title_number: 34
title_name: "CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT"
section_number: "12541"
section_name: "Rural Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces"
chapter_number: 121
chapter_name: "VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT"
subchapter_number: "VI"
subchapter_name: "RURAL CRIME"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 103–322, title XVIII, § 180102, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2045.)"
---


# § 12541. Rural Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces

**(a)** **Establishment** The Attorney General, in consultation with the Governors, mayors, and chief executive officers of State and local law enforcement agencies, may establish a Rural Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force in judicial districts that encompass significant rural lands. Assets seized as a result of investigations initiated by a Rural Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force and forfeited under Federal law shall be used, consistent with the guidelines on equitable sharing established by the Attorney General and of the Secretary of the Treasury, primarily to enhance the operations of the task force and its participating State and local law enforcement agencies.

**1** **Task force membership** The Task Forces [^1] established under subsection (a) shall be carried out under policies and procedures established by the Attorney General. The Attorney General may deputize State and local law enforcement officers and may cross-designate up to 100 Federal law enforcement officers, when necessary to undertake investigations pursuant to section 873(a) of title 21 or offenses punishable by a term of imprisonment of 10 years or more under title 18. The task forces—

So in original. Probably should not be capitalized.

**(1)** shall include representatives from—

**(A)** State and local law enforcement agencies;

**(B)** the office of the United States Attorney for the judicial district; and

**(C)** the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the United States Marshals Service; and

**(2)** may include representatives of other Federal law enforcement agencies, such as the United States Customs Service, United States Park Police, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Bureau of Land Management.

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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 103–322, title XVIII, § 180102, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2045.)

## Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to , The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Transfer of Functions

For transfer of functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury, including functions of the Secretary of the Treasury relating thereto, to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 203(1), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified, set out as a note under . For establishment of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security, treated as if included in  as of , see , as amended generally by , and , set out as a note under .

For transfer of authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, including the related functions of the Secretary of the Treasury, to the Department of Justice, see , Domestic Security, and , Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

### Abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service and Transfer of Functions

For abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service, transfer of functions, and treatment of related references, see note set out under , Aliens and Nationality.