Modern law enforcement involves much more than uniformed officers patrolling a beat. Agencies create specialized units to handle any number of unique problems that confront the police. These focused and highly sophisticated units have proven to be effective in controlling crime, diffusing tense situations and saving lives. Explore personal stories from various specialized units to learn how they work to stay ahead of criminals:

K-9 Units consist of a police officer handler and a highly trained dog, whose keen sense of smell can be used to detect people, explosives and narcotics. Police canines also track and help apprehend suspects.

Air Support flight officers pilot helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for a number of useful functions including surveillance, rescue operations and officer transport.

A life-saving resource for law enforcement, SWAT teams are specially trained and equipped to respond to heavily armed and barricaded suspects. They are called upon to handle relatively rare, but incredibly intense circumstances. Learn how the 1999 Columbine school shootings changed the procedures for SWAT teams across the country.

Used to acquire proof of suspected wrongdoing, surveillance units provide unique insight, intelligence and documented evidence of a suspect's activities. Their success relies on the art of watching without being noticed, as well as knowing how to use and detect sophisticated equipment.

Tasked with assuming and living a completely alternate identity, undercover officers have one of the most dangerous jobs in law enforcement. They are called upon to interact with criminals and to pretend to engage in criminal activities.

Meet Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, who participated in one of the most famous undercover operations in FBI history. In 1975, Pistone volunteered to go undercover with the Bonnano family, a major organized crime family in New York City. His testimony led to the arrest of 121 members of the Bonnano family and shut down their drug operations in New York.

Vice and narcotics divisions concentrate on crimes involving prostitution, pornography, gambling, illegal drugs and alcohol. These crimes are challenging to combat because there is usually no complainant to come forward. Learn how these investigations rely on the effective use of wiretaps, informants and undercover/ surveillance operations.

Bomb squad officers need to be able to quickly evaluate the level of danger of a bomb threat and make the right decisions about evacuation of an area and the best way to contain or disarm a bomb.

Interact with a virtual robot used to defuse bombs, use a miniature infrared camera to peek inside a threatening briefcase and take a look at various types of bombs and bombproof clothing. Learn more about the Unabomber, one of America's most devious and deadly serial killers.

An ever-growing concern in our wired society, cyber crimes focus on the growing trend of adapting new technologies for criminal purposes. Computers, the Internet — even cell phones — have become the tools and the targets of today's high-tech criminals. Join a computer crime task force to track down a hacker involved in a "phishing" scam.