Law enforcement agencies break major criminal activity down into two groups: organized crime and terrorist organizations. Organized crime represents groups committing crime on a massive scale for the sake of profit. There are dozens if not hundreds of organized crime syndicates operating in the United States at the present. Many of these groups operate in New York City but all pay tribute to Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. Organized crime in Metropolis is almost entirely controlled by Intergang. Rumors whisper that the higher one rises in Intergang's ranks the more cult-like it becomes. Gotham is a battlefield with organizations from all over the world fighting a never ending turf war.
Terrorist organizations commit criminal acts to further an specific ideology. Examples include HYDRA, an off-shoot of the Nazi party of World War II; AIM, a group that seeks to forward the cause of science without ethical or moral boundaries; and Kobra, a cult that believes in the prophecy of Kali Yuga, the age of chaos.