FAQ Listing

In 2022, persons ages 18 to 24 were more likely than persons in other age groups to experience any contact with police (25%). White residents (20%) experienced a higher rate of contact with police than black (16%), Hispanic (16%) or Asian (12%) residents in 2022.

A higher percentage of males (8%) than females (7%) experienced police-initiated contact in 2022.

White persons (20%) were more likely than black (16%), Hispanic (16%), or Asian (12%) persons to experience police contact.

White persons (8%) were more likely than black (7%), Hispanic (7%), or Asian persons (4%) to experience police-initiated contact.

White persons (13%) were more likely than black (9%), Hispanic (9%), or Asian persons (7%) to initiate contact with police.

Among all age groups measured, persons ages 18 to 24 were most likely to experience police-initiated contact (17%) or contact as the result of a traffic accident (5%).

During 2022, an estimated 49.2 million U.S. residents age 16 or older, or 19% of the population, had one or more contacts with police. This includes contacts initiated by the police, contacts initiated by residents, and traffic accidents. See Contacts Between Police and the Public, 2022.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) 2003 survey, state and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more sworn personnel, employing 59% of officers nationwide, received nearly 27,000 citizen complaints about police use of force during 2002. About 8% of these force complaints were sustained; that is, there was sufficient evidence to justify disciplinary action against the officer or officers. See Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Law Enforcement and Management Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) 2003 survey, local police departments operated about 243,000 cars, or 52 cars per 100 officers. Sheriffs’ offices operated 118,000 cars, or 66 per 100 officers; and the 49 primary state law enforcement agencies operated 49,000 cars, or 85 per 100 officers.

In 2005 estimated $6 billion in compensatory and punitive damages was awarded to plaintiffs who won in civil trials. The median amount awarded to plaintiff winners in all trial cases was $28,000. Contract trials garnered higher median awards ($35,000), compared to tort trials ($24,000). About 10% of plaintiffs who won in general civil trials were awarded over $250,000 in total damages while about 4% were awarded $1 million or more.

The National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) Program produces annual national- and state-level data on the number of prisoners in state and federal prison facilities living with HIV. Findings are released in the HIV in Prisons and Jails series.

The NCVS measures violent and property crime experienced by victims in the United States. This includes—

• violent crimes of rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated or simple assault
• personal theft
• property crimes of burglary/trespassing, motor vehicle theft, and other theft.

Routine supplements address identity theft, financial fraud, stalking, school crime, and contacts between the police and the public.

Applicants are limited to senior-level social science researchers and/or statisticians in the fields of statistics, survey methodology, mathematics, criminology, demography, economics, behavioral science, and other related fields. Applicants should have an established research record in their field and considerable expertise in their area of proposed research. Applicants must be willing to commit a substantial portion of their time (typically 6 to 18 months) to undertake analyses of existing BJS data and produce a report that both summarizes their analyses and meets BJS publication and data quality standards.

Fellowship applications are awarded based on the qualifications of the applicant and the intrinsic value of the proposed research. When evaluating proposed research, BJS typically uses the following criteria to weigh project cost against anticipated output:

• relevance of the research to the criminal justice field (research should address significant substantive issues facing the criminal justice system)
• methodological validity of the proposed plan
• rationale for analysis of BJS data (or BJS data in combination with other relevant local, state, or national data)
• degree of interest that BJS or BJS data users might have in the topic
• value relative to other ongoing research (the possibility of exploiting, expanding, or enhancing the value of other studies)
• validity of the application’s problem statement and whether the proposal is reasonable, understandable, and consistent with the current solicitation.

For more information about the selection process and specific requirements for applications, please review the annual solicitations on the BJS website. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact BJS prior to applying to discuss their research concepts.