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Arrests and seizures | Law enforcement operations
Arrests and seizures
Arrests
Federal, state, and local agencies share responsibility for enforcing the Nation's drug laws, although most arrests are made by state and local authorities. In 2007 the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) estimated that there were about 1,841,200 state and local arrests for drug abuse violations in the United States.
Description: Area chart with one line; total number of drug abuse violation arrests, 1980-2007.
For number of drug abuse violation arrests, the number began at 580,900 in 1980 and decreased to 559,900 in 1981. After 1981, the number increased to a high of 1,889,800 in 2006, before decreasing to 1,841,200 in 2007.
Click on the chart to view the data.
Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, annually.
According to the UCR, drug abuse violations are defined as state and/or local offenses relating to the unlawful possession, sale, use, growing, manufacturing, and making of narcotic drugs including opium or cocaine and their derivatives, marijuana, synthetic narcotics, and dangerous nonnarcotic drugs such as barbiturates.
More than four-fifths of drug law violation arrests are for possession.
Description: Line chart of the number of drug law violations arrests with two lines: possession and sales/manufacturing violations, 1982-2007.
For drug sales/manufacturing violation arrests, the number of arrests began at 137,900 in 1982 then it increased to 441,200 in 1989. In 1990, the number decreased to 344,300. From 1991 to 1999, the number fluctuated dropping to 298,800. In 2000, it increased to 337,900 before it dropped to 322,200 in 2007.
For drug possession violation arrests, the number of arrests began at 538,100 in 1982 then it decreased to 515,200 in 1983. In 1984, it increased to 552,600 and fluctuated reaching 920,500 in 1989. In 1990, it decreased to 745,200 then it increased to 990,600 in 1994. After 1994, it continued to climb reaching a high of 1,559,100 in 2006. The number decreased to 1,519,000 in 2007.
Click on the chart to view the data.
Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, annually.
The estimated number of arrests for drug abuse violations has been increasing. Arrests of adults increased in recent years, while arrests of juveniles decreased slightly. Juveniles are defined as persons under age 18. Adults are defined as persons age 18 or older.
In 1987 drug arrests were 7.4% of the total of all arrests reported to the FBI; by 2007, drug arrests had risen to 13.0% of all arrests.
Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, annually.
In 2007, according to the UCR, law enforcement agencies nationwide made an estimated 14 million arrests for all criminal infractions except traffic violations. Among the specific categories, the highest arrest counts were --
- 1.8 million for drug abuse violations;
- approximately 1.4 million for driving under the influence;
- 1.3 million for simple assaults; and
- 1.2 million for larceny-thefts.
Total arrests*
| Type of arrest | Number of arrests* | |
|---|---|---|
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| Total Arrests* | 14,209,400 | |
| Drug abuse violations | 1,841,200 | |
| Driving under the influence | 1,427,500 | |
| Simple assaults | 1,305,700 | |
| Larceny/theft | 1,172,800 | |
| Disorderly conduct | 709,100 | |
| Liquor laws | 633,600 | |
| Drunkenness | 589,400 | |
*Arrest totals are based on all reporting agencies and estimates for unreported areas. Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, annually. |
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From 1987 to 1995 more drug arrests involved heroin or cocaine than other types of drugs. Since 1996 the number of arrests involving marijuana exceeded that for other types of drugs.
Description: Line chart with four lines: the number of drug law violation arrests for heroin/cocaine, marijuana, synthetic drugs, and other, 1982-2007.
For heroin/cocaine violations arrests, the number of arrests began at 112,900 in 1982 then it increased to a high of 732,600 in 1989. After 1989, the number decreased to 558,500 in 1991 before it increased to 565,200 in 1994. In 1995, the number climbed to 627,300 before it dropped to 599,500 in 1996. After 1996, the number of arrests fluctuated before it decreased to 541,300 in 2007.
For marijuana violations arrests, the number of arrests began at 455,600 in 1982 then it decreased to 287,900 in 1991. After 1991, the number increased to 734,500 in 2000 before dropping to 697,100 in 2002. In 2003, the number increased to 755,200 and continued to rise reaching a high of 872,700 in 2007.
For synthetic drug violations arrests, the number of arrests began at 24,800 in 1982 then it decreased to 19,500 in 1985. After 1985, the number increased to 31,200 in 1988 and fluctuated until 1997 when it increased to 41,200. In 1998, the number increased to 45,200 and continued to climb to a high of 92,600 in 2006. The number decreased to 88,400 in 2007.
For other drug violations arrests, the number of arrests began at 82,900 in 1982 then it decreased to 82,700 in 1983. After 1983, the number increased to 88,300 and continued to climb, reaching 200,200 in 1989. Then the number decreased to 148,200 in 1990 before it climbed to 411,700 in 2005, and dropped to 338,800 in 2007.
Click on the chart to view the data.
Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, annually.
The Northeastern region had a higher proportion of sale/manufacturing drug arrests than the other regions.
| Percent of arrests for drug abuse violations | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Type of violations | U.S. total | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | ||||||
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| Total* | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | ||||||
| Sale/manufacture* | 17.5% | 22.5% | 18.3% | 17.1% | 15.0% | ||||||
| Heroin or cocaine and their derivatives | 7.9 | 14.2 | 6.2 | 7.9 | 5.5 | ||||||
| Marijuana | 5.3 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 | ||||||
| Synthetic or manufactured drugs | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.7 | ||||||
| Other dangerous nonnarcotic drugs | 2.8 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 4.2 | ||||||
| Possession* | 82.5% | 77.5% | 81.7% | 82.9% | 85.0% | ||||||
| Heroin or cocaine and their derivatives | 21.5 | 22.3 | 14.7 | 22.8 | 22.7 | ||||||
| Marijuana | 42.1 | 44.2 | 53.1 | 47.9 | 29.6 | ||||||
| Synthetic or manufactured drugs | 3.3 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 2.8 | ||||||
| Other dangerous nonnarcotic drugs | 15.6 | 8.6 | 10.7 | 7.8 | 29.9 | ||||||
*Detail may not sum to total because of rounding. Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, annually. |
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Drug seizures
Many federal agencies are involved in the removal of illicit drugs from the market. The Federal-Wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS) contains information about drug seizures made within the jurisdiction of the United States by the FBI, DEA, U.S. Customs Service (USCS), and U.S. Border Patrol as well as maritime seizures made by the U.S. Coast Guard.
| Seizures in pounds | |||||
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| Drug | FY 2000 | FY 2001 | FY 2002 | FY 2003 | |
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| Total | 2,894,200 | 2,917,796 | 2,648,068 | 2,952,797 | |
| Heroin | 6,640 | 4,378 | 6,874 | 5,643 | |
| Cocaine | 248,827 | 239,576 | 225,758 | 245,499 | |
| Marijuana | 2,614,746 | 2,673,410 | 2,415,243 | 2,700,282 | |
| Hashish | 23,987 | 433 | 193 | 1,373 | |
Note: Table constructed by staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal-wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS), Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, 2003, NCJ 208756, July 2005. |
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According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) --
- the federal government seized 16,270 illegal drug laboratories between fiscal years 1975 and 2003
- in fiscal year 2003, of the 420 labs seized, 409 (97%) manufactured methamphetamines
- in 2008 the DEA program for eradicating domestic marijuana resulted in the destruction of 8.0 million plants in 20,120 plots, 8,296 arrests, 5,305 weapons seized, and assets seized valued at $66 million.
Source: Data provided by U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration as reported in the BJS, Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online, Table 4.38, May 2008 revision and Drug Enforcement Administration's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, by State, 2008.
Law enforcement operations
Federal agencies
As of September 2004 federal agencies employed about 105,000 full-time personnel authorized to make arrests and carry firearms in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to data provided by agencies in response to a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) survey. Compared with data reported by agencies for 2002, employment of such personnel increased by 13%.
The DEA employed about 4,400 officers with the authority to make arrests and carry firearms as of September 2004. These DEA agents primarily investigate major narcotics violators, enforce regulations governing the manufacture and dispensing of controlled substances, and perform various other functions to prevent and control drug trafficking.
The FBI employed 12,242 full-time personnel with arrest and firearm authority. These agents investigate more than 200 types of federal crimes. The FBI has concurrent jurisdiction with the DEA over drug offenses under the Controlled Substances Act.
Source: BJS, Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2004, NCJ 212750, July 2006.
State agencies
Among those state agencies with 100 or more officers, 71% operated a full-time
drug enforcement unit in 2000.
Local agencies
Of those local agencies with 100 or more officers a large percentage operated a full-time drug enforcement unit in 2000.
| Type of agency | Agencies with 100 or more officers | |
|---|---|---|
| County police | 87% | |
| Municipal police departments | 79 | |
| Sheriffs' offices | 69 | |
Source: BJS, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers, NCJ 203350, April 2004. |
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In 2003 about 9 in 10 local police departments regularly performed drug enforcement functions. More than 90% of the departments in each population category of 2,500 or more had drug enforcement responsibilities, including all of those serving 250,000 or more residents. Departments with drug enforcement responsibilities employed 97% of all local police officers.
Source: BJS, Local Police Departments 2003, NCJ 210118, May 2006.
In 2003, 90% of sheriffs' offices regularly performed drug enforcement functions. More than 80% of the offices in each population category below 250,000 had drug enforcement responsibilities.
Source: BJS, Sheriffs' Offices 2003, NCJ 211361, May 2006.
| Type of agency and population served | Percent of agencies regularly providing drug enforcement | ||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Local police departments | |||
| All sizes | 91% | ||
| 1,000,000 or more | 100% | ||
| 500,000-999,999 | 100 | ||
| 250,000-499,999 | 100 | ||
| 100,000-249,999 | 99 | ||
| 50,000-99,999 | 96 | ||
| 25,000-49,999 | 94 | ||
| 10,000-24,999 | 95 | ||
| 2,500-9,999 | 92 | ||
| Under 2,500 | 87 | ||
| Sheriffs' offices | |||
| All sizes | 90% | ||
| 1,000,000 or more | 89% | ||
| 500,000-999,999 | 78 | ||
| 250,000-499,999 | 70 | ||
| 100,000-249,999 | 81 | ||
| 50,000-99,999 | 87 | ||
| 25,000-49,999 | 94 | ||
| 10,000-24,999 | 94 | ||
| Under 10,000 | 91 | ||
Source: BJS, Local Police Departments 2003, NCJ 210118, May 2006, and Sheriffs' Offices 2003, NCJ 211361, May 2006. |
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Multiagency task forces
In 2003 an estimated 23% of local police departments had one or more officers assigned full time to a multiagency drug enforcement task force. About 65% of all local police officers worked for a department that assigned officers to a task force. About 5,959 officers were assigned full time to a drug task force.
The average number of officers assigned full time ranged from 39 in departments serving a population of 1 million or more to 1 or 2 in those serving fewer than 50,000 residents.
Source: BJS, Local Police Departments 2003, NCJ 210118, May 2006.
In 2003 an estimated 47% of sheriffs' offices had one or more officers assigned full time to a multiagency drug enforcement task force. An estimated 3,477 officers were assigned full time to a drug task force. The average number ranged from 9 in sheriffs' offices serving a population of 1 million or more to 1 in those serving fewer than 10,000 residents.
Source: BJS, Sheriffs' Offices 2003, NCJ 211361, May 2006.
| Multiagency drug enforcement task forces | ||||||
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| Percent of agencies participating | Number of officers assigned full time | |||||
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| Population served | Total | Average* | ||||
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| Local police departments | ||||||
| All sizes | 23% | 5,959 | 2 | |||
| 1,000,000 or more | 75% | 484 | 39 | |||
| 500,000-999,999 | 89 | 277 | 8 | |||
| 250,000-499,999 | 95 | 261 | 6 | |||
| 100,000-249,999 | 80 | 557 | 4 | |||
| 50,000-99,999 | 75 | 802 | 3 | |||
| 25,000-49,999 | 59 | 881 | 2 | |||
| 10,000-24,999 | 38 | 1,000 | 1 | |||
| 2,500-9,999 | 18 | 1,132 | 2 | |||
| Under 2,500 | 8 | 565 | 1 | |||
| Sheriffs' offices | ||||||
| All sizes | 47% | 3,477 | 2 | |||
| 1,000,000 or more | 89% | 229 | 9 | |||
| 500,000-999,999 | 73 | 342 | 7 | |||
| 250,000-499,999 | 52 | 262 | 4 | |||
| 100,000-249,999 | 73 | 653 | 3 | |||
| 50,000-99,999 | 68 | 575 | 2 | |||
| 25,000-49,999 | 54 | 678 | 2 | |||
| 10,000-24,999 | 41 | 592 | 2 | |||
| Under 10,000 | 16 | 145 | 1 | |||
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In 1994, 46% of all prosecutors' offices indicated that at least one prosecutor has been a member of a multijurisdictional task force. Of offices on such a task force, 76% indicated drug enforcement to be the goal. In 1992, 30% of prosecutors' offices reported involvement with a multijurisdictional task force. Almost 80% of these offices also were involved with a drug task force.
Source: BJS, Prosecutors in State Courts, 1992 and 1994, NCJ 145319, June 1996.
Over 80% of full-time offices in large jurisdictions had at least one prosecutor who served as a member of a multijurisdictional task force. The percentages of full-time large offices with at least one prosecutor serving on a multi-jurisdictional task force were --
| Drug | 91% | |
|---|---|---|
| Gang | 54 | |
| Crime prevention | 41 | |
| Organized crime | 28 | |
Source: BJS, Prosecutors in State Courts, 1992 and 1994, NCJ 145319, June 1996. |
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Drug testing for applicants
State agencies
In 2000, 76% of state agencies with 100 or more officers use drug test screening
as one of their procedures for selecting new officer recruits.
Source: BJS, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officer, NCJ 203350, April 2004.
Local agencies
In 2003, at least 8 in 10 departments in each population category of 10,000 or more administered drug tests in the selection of new officer recruits. At least 7 in 10 departments serving a population of 2,500 to 9,999, and 6 in 10 departments serving fewer than 2,500 residents did also.
Source: BJS, Local Police Departments 2003, NCJ 210118, May 2006.
In 2003, sheriffs' offices serving a population of 100,000 or more were the most likely to administered drug tests in the selection of new officer recruits, with percentages in these categories ranging from 78% to 97%. Departments serving a population of under 10,000 (55%) were the least likely to test any officers for drug use.
Source: BJS, Sheriffs' Offices 2003, NCJ 211361, May 2006.