Law enforcement sensitive was a marking on unclassified information whose release could harm an investigation, a source, or an operation. It told a recipient to limit further sharing. It was not a classification level, and it did not by itself authorize a refusal under a public-records law.
In the current United States program that marking is handled as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The old banner named the audience. The current program names a category and a dissemination rule.
What the Marking Warned
- An open case. Details that would tip off a subject or expose a method.
- A source. Information that would identify someone who provided it.
- A limit, not a secret. The document stayed unclassified. Sharing was still restricted.
The Old Banner and the Current Category
| Compared | The Old Banner | The Current Category |
| Status | Unclassified, with a warning | Unclassified, with a category and a rule |
| Who could receive it | People with a law-enforcement need | People allowed by the dissemination rule |
| A public-records request | Not decided by the banner alone | Decided under the current program and the statute |