U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#lpd Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin Local Police Department 1993 April 1995, NCJ-148822 The full text of this report is available through-- * the BJS Clearinghouse, 1-800-732-3277, * on the Internet at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ * on the BJS gopher: gopher://www.ojp.usdoj.gov: 70/11/bjs/ * on the National Criminal Justice Reference Service Electronic Bulletin Board ( set at 8-N-1, call 301-738-8895, select BJS). U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director Brian Reaves, BJS statistician, wrote this report. Tom Hester edited it. Pheny Z. Smith provided statistical review. It was produced by Marilyn Marbrook, assisted by Rhonda Keith, Priscilla Middleton, and Yvonne Boston. Sampledesign, selection, and weighting were provided by David Hubble and Carol Perseley of the Demographic Statistical Methods Division, Bureau of the Census. The data were collected and processed by Martha Greene, Etta Herrin, Linda Huang, Sheryl Jones, Charlene Sebold, and Charline Watz of the Governments Division, Bureau of the Census. Data utilized in this report are available from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; 1-800-999-0960. The dataset is archived as Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1993, (ICPSR 9749). An electronic version of this report and the data analyzed in the report may be found on the Internet at -- http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ Local Police Department 1993 ************ Highlights ************ * As of June 30, 1993, local police departments in the United States had an estimated 474,072 full-time employees, 3% more than in 1990. Among this total were 373,554 sworn personnel, including approximately 230,000 uniformed officers whose regularlyassigned duties included responding to calls for service. * About 80% of U.S. residents were served by a local police department at either the municipal or county level, and there were approximately 21 full-time local police officers employed for every 10,000 residents served. * For fiscal year 1993, local police departments had total operating expenditures of $24.3 billion, compared to $20.6 billion in 1990, a 6% increase after controlling for inflation. Operating expenditures averaged $62,600 per sworn officer, $48,200 per employee, and $131 per resident for 1993. * Women comprised 8.8% of all full-time local police officers in 1993, compared to 8.1% in 1990 and 7.6% in 1987. Black officers accounted for 11.3% of the total in 1993, compared to 10.5% in 1990 and 9.3% in 1987. The percentage of Hispanic officers was 6.2% in 1993, up from 5.2% in 1990 and 4.5% in 1987. * Twelve percent of local police departments required new officer recruits to have at least some college education in 1993, compared to about 6% in 1990. Eight percent of departments had some type of degree requirement, with 1% requiring a 4-year degree. * The average number of training hours required of new local police officer recruits in 1993 ranged from over 1,100 hours in departments serving a population of 100,000 or more to under 500 in those serving fewer than 2,500 residents. * Eighty-four percent of local police departments authorized their regular field officers to use semiautomatic sidearms in 1993, up from 73% in 1990. Departments authorizing semiautomatic sidearms employed 96% of all local police officers in 1993, compared to 91% in 1990. * In 1993, a third of all local police departments, including half of those serving a population of 1 million or more, required all regular field officers to wear protective body armor while on duty. Departments with such a requirement employed 41% of all local police officers in 1993, compared to 32% in 1990. * Nearly all local police departments authorized the use of one or more types of impact devices as a nonlethal weapon, most commonly in the form of a PR-24 baton (59%) or traditional baton (58%). Three-fourths of departments authorized the use of chemical agents, with pepper spray (59%) the type most commonly authorized. * Sixty-eight percent of local police departments participated in a 911 emergency telephone system during 1993, and 41% had an enhanced 911 system. Departments with a 911 system employed 89% of all local police officers in 1993, compared to 65% in 1990. *In addition to traditional law enforcement duties, some local police departments were responsible for court-related functions such as providing court security (19%) or serving civil process (11%), and 5% operated a jail. Among the numerous other special functions performed by local police departments were animal control (49%), and emergency medical services (20%). * Two-thirds of local police departments were using computers in 1993, compared to half in 1990. Department using computers employed 95% of all local police officers in 1993. Departments that used laptop computers or mobile terminals employed twice as many officers in 1993 (60%) as in 1990 (30%). During 1993, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) as a part of its Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) program surveyed a nationally representative sample of the more than 17,000 State and local law enforcement agencies operating nationwide. This report presents data describing the more than 12,000 general purpose local police departments operated by municipal or county governments in terms of their personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, equipment, computers and information systems, and policies. This report excludes sheriffs' departments (covered in a companion report), State police, and special police agencies (those with limited jurisdictions such as parks, transit systems, airports, or schools). ******************* The LEMAS survey ****************** The 1993 LEMAS survey questionnaire was mailed to all 854 State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more sworn officers and to a representative sample of 2,416 agencies employing fewer than 100 officers (see Methodology for a description of the sample). Of the 3,270 agencies receiving the LEMAS questionnaire, 3,028 (92.6%) responded. Detailed agency-by-agency tabulations from the 1993 LEMAS survey were previously published for State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers (see Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1993 NCJ-148825). This report and the companion report Sheriffs' Departments, 1993 summarize the data collected from agencies of all sizes. This is the third LEMAS survey. Data from the previous surveys in 1987 and 1990 are used for comparison purposes in this report. Law enforcement manpower data collected by BJS in 1992 are less comprehensive in content (they include only personnel counts) and therefore are not used for comparison. *********** Personnel *********** During 1993 an estimated 17,120 publicly funded State and local law enforcement agencies were operating in the United States. The estimated 12,361 general purpose local police departments accounted for 72% of this total. Municipal governments operated over 99% of these local police departments. Although county police departments comprised less than 1% of all local police departments, they employed about 7% of all local police officers. Local police departments employed an estimated 474,072 persons full time and another 58,146 on a part-time basis as of June 30, 1993. An estimated 373,554 (79%) of full-time local police employees were sworn officers, representing 60% of all full-time State and local sworn personnel nationwide. Local police departments had an estimated 100,518 full-time civilian employees in 1993, about half of all full-time State and local civilian law enforcement employees nationwide. The number of local police employees in 1993 was up by about 14,000, or 3.1%, from 1990 and by about 27,000, or 6.1%, compared to 1987. For all State and local law enforcement agencies, there was an increase of about 35,000, or 4.5%, over 1990 levels and 69,000, or 9.2%, compared to 1987. When only sworn personnel are considered, employment increased by about 11,000 (2.9%) for local police departments, and by 27,000 (4.5%) for all State and local law enforcement agencies from 1990 to 1993. Compared to 1987, there were about 19,000, or 5.4%, more local police officers in 1993, and 55,000, or 9.7%, more State and local sworn officers overall. The New York City Police Department, the largest police department in the United States, reported 35,480 full-time employees as of June 30, 1993, including 28,019 full-time sworn officers. Other municipal police departments with at least 2,500 full-time officers included those in Chicago (12,368 officers), Los Angeles (7,662), Philadelphia (6,076), Houston (4,627), Washington, D.C. (4,271), Detroit (3,861), Baltimore (2,945), and Dallas (2,810). County police departments with more than 2,500 officers were operating in Nassau County, New York (2,633), and Dade County, Florida (2,614). While 38 local police departments employed 1,000 or more sworn officers, nearly 6,400 (52% of all departments) employed fewer than 10 officers. Nearly twice as many departments employed only 1 full-time or part-time officer as employed 100 or more officers (7% versus 4%). Despite the large number of small police departments, they accounted for a small proportion of local police officers. Just 1 in 19 full-time local police officers were employed by a department with fewer than 10 sworn employees. In contrast, about 3 in 5 worked for a department with 100 or more officers, and nearly 1 in 3 worked for a department with 1,000 or more officers. About half of all full-time local police officers worked for a department serving a population of 100,000 or more, and a fifth were employed by the 12 departments that served a population of 1 million or more. About 1 in 7 officers were employed by the more than 9,000 departments serving a population under 10,000. On average, departments serving a population of 1 million or more had about 8,000 full-time employees, including about 6,300 full-time sworn officers. These departments did not employ any part-time officers. Departments in the smallest towns (under 2,500 in population) employed an average of 3 full-time sworn officers, and 2 part-time officers. On average, local police departments employed about 2.1 full-time officers for every 1,000 residents. By population category, this ratio ranged from 1.7 for departments serving 50,000 to 99,999 residents to 2.6 among departments serving a population of 1 million or more. When county police are excluded, the average officer-to-citizen ratio rose to 3.2 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents, 2.7 in those with 500,000 to 999,999 residents, and 2.3 in those with 250,000 to 499,999 residents. Average number of full-time local police officers per Population served 1,000 residents ------------------------------------------------ All sizes 2.1 1,000,000 or more 2.6 500,000-999,999 2.1 250,000-499,999 2.1 100,000-249,999 1.8 50,000-99,999 1.7 25,000-49,999 1.8 ----------------------------------------------- Race and sex of officers ------------------------ Women comprised 8.8% of all local police officers nationwide in 1993 . The percentage of women officers was highest in large jurisdictions, including 15% of officers in jurisdictions of 1 million or more in population, and 12% in jurisdictions with at least 250,000 residents but fewer than 1 million. About 3% of officers in departments serving fewer than 2,500 residents were women, as were about 5% of those serving a population of at least 2,500 but less than 50,000. The estimated 32,849 female local police officers employed in 1993 represented an increase of about 3,500 over the number in 1990 and about 5,800 over 1987. Women also comprised a higher percentage of the total local police force in 1993 (8.8%) than in 1990 (8.1%) or 1987 (7.5%). About 302,000, or 81%, of full-time local police officers were non-Hispanic whites in 1993. This represented a decrease from 1990 (83%) and 1987 (85%). The number of white male local police officers in 1993 was estimated to be 281,057, a decrease of about 20,000 from 1990 and about 22,000 from 1987. In contrast, the estimated 71,244 minority officers in 1993 was larger than the 61,710 in 1990 and the 51,872 in 1987. The estimated 42,212 black local police officers in 1993 represented an increase of about 4,000 over 1990 and about 9,000 over 1987. The percentage of local police officers who were black was 11.3% in 1993, compared to 10.5% in 1990 and 9.3% in 1987. Hispanics also comprised a larger percentage of local police officers in 1993 (6.2%) than in earlier years (5.2% in 1990, 4.5% in 1987). The number of Hispanic officers in 1993 (23,309) was 23% greater than in 1990 (18,876) and 46% greater than in 1987 (15,988). ************************************************* Duties of sworn personnel in local police departments ************************************************* Departments with 100 or more offficers ------------------------------------- About 10% of local police officers in deparments with 100 or more primarily performed duties outside the area of field operations. About half of these officers worked in administrative areas (5%), including finance, personnel, and internal affairs. Another 4% of the officers in these larger departments provided technical support services. These sworn personnel primarily performed duties related to dispatch, recordkeeping, data processing, communications, fleet management, and training. Depending on a particular department's responsibilities, some local police officers may have been assigned to jail or court operations. Departments with 100 or more officers reported about 1% of their full-time sworn personnel worked primarily in these areas. ----------------------------------------------- Departments with 100 or more officers ************************************** Primary area Percent of of responsibility full-time officers ---------------------------------------------- Field operations 90% Administration 5% Technical support 4% Other* 1% ---------------------------------------------------------- Among the 90% of officers classified as working in field operations, an estimated 3 in 4 were uniformed officers whose regularly assigned duties included responding to calls for service. The other fourth included supervisors and those whose primary duties were investigative in nature, such as detectives. Other examples of field operation officers whose primary duties did not include responding to calls for service included those assigned to special operations or traffic-related duties. All departments --------------- Overall, an estimated 252,000 local police officers, 67% of all such officers nationwide, were uniformed personnel whose regularly assigned duties included responding to calls for service. The percentage of full-time sworn personnel in local police departments who were uniformed officers assigned to respond to calls for service was highest in jurisdictions with fewer than 25,000 residents. For example, an estimated 75% of sworn personnel in departments serving a population of 10,000 to 24,999 were assigned to respond to calls for service. The percentage was even higher in departments serving a population of 2,500 to 9,999 (85%) or under 2,500 (95%). Possible explanations for this pattern include the fact that smaller departments have less need for administrative personnel such as those handling budgetary and personnel matters. Smaller departments also tend to be less technologically advanced and may need fewer employees for technical support duties related to computerized functions. Smaller departments also often rely on larger departments for their training needs rather than employ personnel to handle such duties. In some small departments it may also be more common for sworn personnel to handle multiple areas of responsibility, including but not limited to responding to calls for service. Education and training requirements for new officers -------------------------------------------- Nearly all (97%) local police departments had a formal education requirement for new officer recruits. (The typical minimum educational requirement for new local police officers was completion of high school (86%). In 1993, 12% of local police departments, twice as many as in 1990, required at least some college coursework. About 1% required new officers to have a 4-year college degree, and 7% required a 2-year degree. Ninety-nine percent of all local police officers were employed by a department that required at least a high school diploma of new recruits, and 15% worked for a department that required at least some college. In 90% of local police departments, employing 99% of all local police officers, new officer recruits were required to complete formal training. Nearly all (98%) of the departments serving a population of more than 2,500 required training, while 83% ofthe departments in towns of under 2,500 had a training requirement. On average, local police departments required 640 training hours of their new officer recruits, including 425 classroom training hours and 215 field training hours. Training requirements were more stringent in larger jurisdictions than smaller ones--ranging from over 1,100 total hours in departments serving a population of 100,000 or more to under 500 hours in jurisdictions with fewer than 2,500 residents. The average number of required classroom training hours was highest in departments serving 1 million or more residents (865 hours), while the most field training was required by departments serving a population of 250,000 to 499,999 (551 hours). When departments are weighted according to number of officers employed, it is estima- ted that the average new local police recruit in 1993 was required to undergo nearly 1,000 hours of training, with two-thirds of it in the classroom. Applicant and employee drug testing ----------------------------------- Twenty-eight percent of local police departments, employing 64% of all local police officers, required that all applicants for sworn positions be tested for illegal drug use. A majority of the departments serving a population of 50,000 or more required a drug test of all officer applicants, as did about half of those in jurisdictions with at least 10,000 but fewer than 50,000 residents. Departments in small jurisdictions were the least likely to test all officer applicants for drugs: 28% of departments serving a population of 2,500 to 9,999 and 15% of those serving fewer than 2,500 residents had such a requirement. Overall, about a fourth of local police departments had a drug testing program for their regular field officers, and a majority (58%) of local police officers were employed by a department that had some type of drug testing program for regular field officers. Unlike applicant testing programs, testing requirements for regular field officers were rarely mandatory. Just 3% of local police departments, employing 4% of all officers, had a mandatory requirement that all regular field officers be tested for drugs. Most common was a drug testing program that required testing of officers suspected of using illegal drugs--16% of local police departments employing 43% of all officers had such a drug testing program. Half this many departments had a random selection drug testing program (8%. Departments with random selection drug testing for regular field officers employed 28% of all local police officers. Civilian employees in local police departments were somewhat less likely than sworn personnel to be subjected to a drug testing program --19% of all departments, employing 42% of all nonsworn local police employees, tested such employees for drug use. As with sworn personnel, the most common type of drug testing program for civilian police employees was one based on suspicion of use. About 13% of departments, employing 36% of all nonsworn local police personnel, tested nonsworn employees suspected of using illegal drugs. Small percentages of local police departments had random selection (5%) or mandatory (4%) drug testing programs for civilian personnel. ********************* Expenditures and pay ******************** Operating expenditures ---------------------- The total annual operating expenditure by local police departments duringfiscal year 1993 was $24.3 billion, an increase of 18% over 1990. After controlling for inflation, the increase was about 6%. These figures do not include capital expenditures such as those for equipment purchases or construction projects. Local police accounted for 58% of the $41.9 billion in total operating expenditures for all State and local law enforcement agencies during fiscal year 1993. ----------------------------------------------- Billions ----------- Total operating expenditures 41.9 Local police 24.3 Sheriff 10.7 State police 4.2 ----------------------------------------------- Local police operating expenditures averaged about $2 million per department, ranging from an average of about $427,000,000 for departments serving a population of 1 million or more, to $107,000 in those serving fewer than 2,500 residents. Overall, the operation of local police departments for the year cost $131 per resident served. Departments serving a population of 1 million or more cost the most to operate, about $194 per resident, and those in the smallest jurisdictions (under 2,500 residents) cost the least, $88 per resident. Nationwide, local police departments cost about $63,000 per sworn officer to operate for the year, with departments serving a population of 50,000 or more costing more than this, and departments serving fewer than 25,000 residents costing less. Departments serving a population of 500,000 to 999,999 had the highest per-officer operating expenditure, about $77,000. This was more than twice the per officer expenditure for departments serving fewer than 2,500 residents ($29,400). After controlling for inflation, the per officer operating costs were up from $67,000 to $70,000 for departments serving a population of 250,000 or more. A similar increase was seen among departments serving 10,000 to 49,999 residents (from $57,000 to $59,000) and departments serving fewer than 10,000 residents (from $39,000 to $41,000). Departments serving a population of 50,000 to 249,999 experienced the largest increase, from $62,000 per officer in 1990 to $70,000 per officer in 1993. When local police operating expenditures are considered on a per employee basis rather than per officer, the national average for fiscal year 1993 was $48,200, ranging from a high of $58,600 per employee in jurisdictions with 500,000 to 999,999 residents to a low of $25,300 in the smallest jurisdictions. Overall, employee salaries and benefits accounted for about $6 of every $7 in local police operating expenditures. Salaries ----------- The average base starting salary offered by local police departments to entry-level officers was $21,300 in 1993. This was an increase of 12.6% compared with 1990, or 1.9% after controlling for inflation. Departments in jurisdictions with 10,000 or more residents had an average starting salary that was higher than the overall average, ranging from $24,600 (population served of 10,000 to 24,999) to $28,200 (population served of 1 million or more). The average for departments serving a population of 2,500 to 9,999 was about the same as the overall average, and departments serving a population under 2,500 paid entry-level officers an average starting salary of $17,400 per year, about $4,000 below the overall average. When departments are weighted according to number of officers employed, the average entry-level salary for local police officers in 1993 was about $26,000. Across population categories, salaries for the positions of sergeant and chief of police followed a pattern similar to that for entry-level officers. By department, the average starting salary for sergeants was $28,500, with sergeants in the largest jurisdictions starting at $44,600 on average, about twice as much as in departments in the smallest jurisdictions ($20,800). When departments are weighted according to size, the average base starting salary for local police sergeants was $37,400 in 1993. The overall average base starting salary for chiefs of local police departments was $34,600; however, the chief of departments in jurisdictions with 10,000 or more residents had an average starting salary that was considerably higher. The average starting salary for local police chiefs was highest in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents ($91,700) and lowest in departments serving a population of under 2,500 ($22,900). Special pay ------------ Some local police departments offered certain types of special pay to officers. For example, 28% of local police departments, employing 51% of all officers, offered education incentive pay to qualifying officers. A majority of departments serving a population of 10,000 or more had education incentive pay; however, just 8% of departments serving fewer than 2,500 residents offered this type of pay to officers. Roughly equal percentages of departments offered shift differential pay (16%) or merit pay (15%) to officers. About three-fourths of departments in jurisdictions with 500,000 to 999,999 residents had shift differential pay, and about two-fifths of those serving 250,000 to 999,999 residents had merit pay. Nearly half of all local police officers were employed by an agency that offered shift differential pay, and a fourth were employed by a department that had merit pay. Of the types of special pay included in the LEMAS survey, the one least likely to be available to officers was hazardous duty pay. This type of special pay was offered by just 3% of all departments; however, about half of departments serving a population of 250,000 or more offered hazardous duty pay. Nationwide, 22% of all local police officers were employed by a department that offered hazardous duty pay. Collective bargaining and union membership -------------------------------------------- Nationwide, 38% of all local police departments, employing 71% of all officers, authorized collective bargaining for sworn personnel. A majority of the departments serving a population of 10,000 or more authorized collective bargaining for sworn employees, including over 80% of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 or more. Just 10% of the departments serving a population of under 2,500 authorized collective bargaining for sworn personnel. Civilian personnel in local police departments were less likely to have collective bargaining rights than were sworn employees. Overall, 20% of local police departments, employing 60% of all nonsworn local police personnel, authorized collective bargaining for civilians. While a large majority of departments serving a population of 500,000 or more authorized collective bargaining for civilian employees, just 2% of departments serving a population under 2,500 did so. About a third of local police departments allowed police union membership, including a majority of those in jurisdictions with 10,000 or more residents. About two-thirds of local police officers were employed by a department that authorized them to belong to a police union. Officer membership in a nonpolice union was authorized by about 7% of local police departments, employing 9% of all officers. A fourth of all local police departments authorized officer membership in a local, State, or regional police association. Thirty-seven percent of local police officers worked for a department authorizing police association membership. ************ Operations ************ Crime investigation -------------------- Nearly all local police departments had primary responsibility for investigating at least some types of crimes occurring in their jurisdiction. All departments in jurisdictions with a population of 250,000 or more had primary responsibility for investigating homicides and other violent crimes such as rape, robbery, or assault. Nearly all departments serving a population of 10,000 or more had primary responsibility for homicide investigation, but 11% of those serving a population of 2,500 to 9,999 and 30% of those serving fewer than 2,500 residents reported they did not have primary responsibility for such investigations. In jurisdictions under 2,500 in population, about 1 in 7 local police departments did not have primary responsibility for the investigation of any violent crimes. About three-fourths of all local police departments had the primary role in arson investigations. Nearly all departments had primary responsibility for the investigation of other property crimes such as burglary, motor vehicle theft, or larceny. By population category, departments in jurisdictions with fewer than 2,500 residents were the least likely to have primary investigative responsibility for arson (66%) or other property crimes (94%). Investigative support functions ------------------------------- Some local police departments performed functions that supported their own and other agencies' crime investigations. For example, about 2 in 5 departments were responsible for fingerprint processing (41%). A majority of the departments serving a population of 10,000 or more were responsible for fingerprint processing, including over three-fourths of those serving a population of 50,000 or more. About three-fourths of local police officers nationwide were employed by a department that was responsible for fingerprint processing. Overall, few local police departments were responsible for laboratory testing of substances (2%) or ballistics testing (1%); however, 75% of departments serving a population of 1 million or more were responsible for these functions, as were over 40% of the departments in jurisdictions with 250,000 to 999,999 residents. Drug and vice enforcement ------------------------- Eighty percent of all local police departments, including over 90% of those serving 25,000 or more residents, had primary drug enforcement responsibility in their jurisdiction. These departments employed 93% of all local police officers. Departments in jurisdictions of less than 2,500 in population (72%) were the least likely to have primary drug enforcement responsibility. In some cases, departments without primary drug enforcement responsibility reported they shared that responsibility with other law enforcement agencies. Often this was through participation in a multiagency drug enforcement task force. About half of all local police departments were responsible for vice enforcement, including over 90% of the departments serving a population of 50,000 or more. Departments in jurisdictions with fewer than 2,500 residents (33%) were the least likely to have vice enforcement responsibilities. Overall, local police departments responsible for vice enforcement employed 86% of all local police officers. Patrol and response ------------------- Ninety-seven percent of local police departments, including all those serving a population of 50,000 or more, provided routine patrol services for their jurisdiction. At least 95% of the departments in all population categories provided patrol services, and 99.6% of all local police officers worked for a department with routine patrol responsibilities. Nearly all (93%) local police departments reported they had primary responsibility for receiving calls for service from citizens. The percentage of departments that handled service calls directly was at least 90% in all population categories, and 97% of all officers were employed by these departments. About half of local police departments had responsibility for dispatching calls for service to officers in the field. Police departments in larger jurisdictions were the most likely to perform dispatch services: Over 90% of those serving a population of 250,000 or more were responsible for dispatching calls for service, as were over 80% of those serving at least 10,000 but fewer than 250,000 residents. Nearly two-thirds of the departments serving 2,500 to 9,999 residents (63%) had dispatch responsibilities, while a fourth of the departments serving fewer than 2,500 residents had primary responsibility for dispatching calls for service. 911 emergency telephone system ------------------------------- In 1993 about two-thirds of all local police departments participated in an emergency telephone system whereby one of their units could be dispatched in response to a citizen call to 911 or its equivalent. This was a significant increase from 1990 when about half of all departments had a 911 system, and twice the proportion of agencies reporting 911 participation in 1987. Local police departments with a 911 system employed 89% of all officers in 1993, compared to 65% in 1990. A majority of the local police departments in each population category were participating in a 911 system in 1993, ranging from 100% of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents to 59% of those serving a population of under 2,500. In contrast to 1990, a majority of the departments with a 911 system in 1993 reported their system was an enhanced system, capable of pinpointing the location of a caller automatically. In 1993, enhanced 911 systems were operating in 41% of all local police departments, while 27% reported they had a basic 911 system. In 1990, 18% had an enhanced system and 30% a basic system. Increases in the use of enhanced 911 were seen in all population categories from 1990 to 1993, and a majority of the departments serving a population of 10,000 or more had an enhanced system in 1993. This included 80% of those serving a population of 250,000 or more (compared to 72% in 1990), 77% of those serving a population of 50,000 to 249,999 (54% in 1990), and 60% of those serving a population of 10,000 to 49,999 (34% in 1990). Among departments serving a population under 10,000, the percentage with enhanced 911 tripled, from 11% in 1990 to 34% in 1993. Traffic-related functions ------------------------- Nearly all local police departments were responsible for traffic-related functions such as enforcement of traffic laws (99%), accident investigation (98%), or traffic direction and control (90%)). In all population categories, at least 97% of the departments were responsible for enforcing traffic laws and accident investigation. At least 93% of the departments in each population category from 2,500 to 249,999 were responsible for traffic direction and control. Jail- and court-related functions ---------------------------------- In addition to various law enforcement functions, local police departments in some jurisdictions were also responsible for functions related to jail or court operations. Nationwide, 5% of local police departments, employing 11% of all local police officers, operated a jail in 1993. Nearly a fourth of departments serving a jurisdiction with 100,000 to 499,999 residents operated a jail. Nearly 1 in 5 local police departments provided court security, and about 1 in 9 served civil process papers such as summonses. About 20% of local police officers worked for a department that was responsible for court security, and 7% worked for a department responsible for serving civil process. Lockup facilities ----------------- About 1 in 4 local police departments were operating at least one lockup facility in 1993. Lockup facilities are temporary holding facilities operated separately from a jail with a limited holding time--an average maximum holding time of 22 hours was reported by the local police departments that operated a lockup facility. A majority of the departments serving a population of 500,000 or more and those serving a population of 10,000 to 49,999 were operating at least 1 lockup facility. Departments serving a population of under 2,500 (6%) were the least likely to be operating a lockup. Overall, 41% of local police officers were employed by a department that operated at least one lockup. The average total lockup capacity for all departments was 10 persons, ranging from 810 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to 4 in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents. Special public safety functions ------------------------------- Another important area of responsibility for many local police departments involves the performance of special functions related to public safety. Examples of such functions include animal control, search-and-rescue operations, emergency medical services, civil defense, and fire services. Of these functions, the one performed by the most local police departments in 1993 was animal control. Slightly more than half of the departments in jurisdictions with 10,000 to 99,999 residents were responsible for animal control, compared to about 1 in 10 departments serving 500,000 or more residents. Overall, 49% of local police departments, employing 32% of all local police officers, were responsible for animal control in their jurisdiction. A third of all local police departments, employing two-fifths of all officers, were responsible for performing search-and-rescue operations. Local police in jurisdictions of 1 million or more in population (67%), were the most likely to be responsible for search and rescue. Twenty percent of local police departments were the primary provider of emergency medical services in their jurisdiction; however, no departments serving a population of 250,000 to 499,999 had this responsibility. Nationwide, departments responsible for emergency medical services employed 14% of all local police officers. About 16% of local police departments were responsible for civil defense functions in their jurisdiction. Departments serving 500,000 or more residents were the most likely to be responsible for civil defense, and those in jurisdictions with 100,000 to 499,999 residents were the least likely. In about 9% of local police departments, fire services were a part of the agency's overall responsibility; however, no departments serving a population of 250,000 or more provided fire services. Departments serving fewer than 2,500 residents were the most likely to be responsible for fire services (13%). Nationwide, 4% of local police officers were employed by a department that provided fire services. Training academy operation --------------------------- An important area of responsibility for about 600 local police departments nationwide was the operation of a training academy. Although just 5% of all local police departments operated a training academy, these departments employed 46% of all local police officers. A large majority of departments serving a population of 250,000 or more operated a training academy as did about half of those in jurisdictions with 100,000 to 249,999 residents. Less than 10% of local police departments serving a population of under 50,000 operated a training academy. ********** Equipment ********** Sidearms --------- In 1993, 84% of local police departments, employing 96% of all local police officers, authorized the use of some type of semiautomatic weapon as an officer sidearm. Well over 90% of departments serving a population of 25,000 or more authorized semiautomatic weapons in 1993, as did 90% of those serving a population of 2,500 to 24,999. Departments serving a population of under 2,500 (73%) were the least likely to authorize the use of semiautomatic sidearms by officers. As in 1990, the 9mm semiautomatic was the most popular type of local police sidearm, with 69% of departments authorizing its use by officers. Thirty-one percent of departments authorized .45-caliber semiautomatic sidearms. Smaller percentages authorized 10mm and .380-caliber semiautomatics. Just over half (55%) of local police departments authorized the use of revolvers by officers, with .357-caliber (45%) and .38-caliber (30%) revolvers being the types most commonly authorized. An estimated 62% of local police departments supplied sidearms to their regular field officers, and another 4% provided a cash allowance to officers for the purchase of sidearms. At least 81% of the departments in each population category from 10,000 to 999,999 supplied sidearms, compared to just under half of those serving a population under 2,500. About two-thirds of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more, or a population of 2,500 to 9,999 supplied sidearms to their officers. Departments serving a population of 1 million or more (17%) were more likely than other departments to provide a cash allowance for sidearms. Overall, nearly all local police officers were employed by a department that either supplied sidearms (79%) or provided a cash allowance for their purchase (15%). Body armor ----------- Sixty-five percent of local police departments, employing 73% of all officers, supplied protective body armor to their regular field officers. An additional 5%, employing 9% of all officers, provided a cash allowance for armor. At least 80% of the departments in each population category from 2,500 up either supplied body armor or provided a cash allowance for it. Departments serving a population of under 2,500 were the least likely to supply armor (51%) or to provide a cash allowance for its purchase (2%). A third of local police departments, employing about two-fifths of all officers, required all regular field officers to wear body armor while on duty and an additional 4% of departments (employing 8% of all officers) required some of their officers to do so. About half of local police officers were employed by a department that required either some or all regular field officers to wear protective armor while on duty. Departments serving a population of 1 million or more were the most likely to require the wearing of protective armor: Forty-two percent required all regular field officers to wear armor and 17% required some officers to do so. Overall, the percentage of local police departments requiring all or some regular field officers to wear body armor increased from 27% in 1990 to 37% in 1993. The percentage of local police departments requiring all regular field officers to wear body armor increased from 24% in 1990 to 33% in 1993. Such an increase was evident among all population sizes. Among departments serving a population of 250,000 or more, 30% required all field officers to wear armor in 1993 compared to 21% in 1990, and 31% of those serving 50,000 to 249,999 residents had such a requirement in 1993, up from 22% in 1990. For departments serving 10,000 to 49,999 residents, the increase was from 27% to 37%, and among departments serving fewer than 10,000 residents, 33% required armor in 1993 compared to 23% in 1990. Nonlethal weapons ----------------- Nearly all (99%) local police departments, authorized their field officers to use one or more types of nonlethal weapons. Impact devices were the type most commonly authorized: 93% of all departments, employing 98% of all officers, authorized this type of weapon. The second most popular category of nonlethal weapon, chemical agents, was authorized by 76% of all departments. These departments employed 89% of all officers. Over 90% of the departments serving a population of 100,000 or more authorized the use of chemical agents. The types of impact devices most frequently authorized were PR-24 batons (59%) and traditional batons (58%), followed by collapsible batons (39%). Departments serving a population of 100,000 or more showed a preference for the traditional baton, while departments serving a population of 2,500 to 99,999 showed a slight preference for the PR-24 baton. Local police officers were most likely to be working for a department that authorized them to use a traditional baton (67%) followed by the PR-24 baton (57%). Pepper spray (59%) was the most popular chemical nonlethal weapon, and was the only nonlethal weapon other than PR-24 and traditional batons to be authorized by a majority of local police departments. More than three-fourths of the departments serving a population of 100,000 to 999,999 authorized pepper spray, and 69% of all local police officers were employed by a department that authorized it. About 28% of local police departments authorized the use of tear gas by officers. Departments were more likely to authorize tear gas in the personal issue size (23%) than in the bulk size (9%). About half of all local police officers were employed by a department that authorized the use of tear gas in some form. Vehicles --------- Nationwide, local police departments operated about 47 cars per 100 sworn personnel. The ratio of cars to officers was lowest in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more, with about 24 per 100 officers. About 38% of the cars operated by local police departments were unmarked. The proportion of cars that were unmarked ranged from half in departments serving a population of 1 million or more, to a sixth in departments serving a population of under 2,500. Forty-two percent of local police departments allowed sworn personnel to take marked vehicles home. In most of these departments, officers were allowed only to drive the vehicle to and from work (32%). Nine percent of departments allowed officers to operate a marked vehicle for private errands. Departments in jurisdictions with 1,000,000 or more residents (25%) were the most likely to have a policy allowing personal use. Overall, only small percentages of local police departments operated off-land vehicles such as boats (4%), helicopters (1%), or planes (less than 1%); however, many departments serving larger jurisdictions operated such vehicles. For example, over 70% of departments serving a population of 500,000 or more operated at least 1 helicopter. A majority of these departments also operated boats, including 92% of those serving a population of 1 million or more. A third of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more, about a fourth those serving a population of 500,000 or more, and nearly a fifth of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, operated at least 1 fixed-wing aircraft. Animals -------- About 1 in 6 local police departments maintained one or more dogs for use in activities related to law enforcement. In general, the percentage of departments using dogs declined with size of population served. Over 90% of departments serving a population of 100,000 or more maintained dogs, as did 64% of those serving a population of 50,000 to 99,999. Just 17% of those in jurisdictions with 2,500 to 9,999 residents, and 5% of those serving fewer than 2,500 residents maintained dogs. Nationwide, it is estimated that there were nearly 5,200 dogs maintained by local police departments in 1993, and about two-thirds of all local police officers were employed by a department that had at least one dog. About 1% of local police departments maintained horses for law enforcement purposes. Five in six departments serving a population of 1 million or more used horses, as did nearly half of those serving a population of 250,000 to 999,999. Nationwide, local police departments were estimated to be maintaining nearly 1,200 horses for law enforcement purposes during 1993. These departments employed about a third of all local police officers. ********************************** Computers and information systems ********************************** Types of computers used ----------------------- All local police departments serving a population of 50,000 or more, and nearly all those in jurisdictions with 10,000 to 49,999 residents were using 1 or more types of computers in 1993. About 4 in 5 departments serving a population of 2,500 to 9,999 were using computers, as were about 2 in 5 departments serving a population under 2,500. Overall, two-thirds of local police departments were using computers in 1993, compared to about half in 1990. The percentage of all local police officers employed by a department that used computers of some type was 95% in 1993, compared to 90% in 1990. Personal computers were used by 54% of local police departments in 1993. This represented an increase over 1990 when 40% of departments were using personal computers. All departments serving a population of 500,000 or more were using personal computers in 1993, as were 98% of those serving a population of 100,000 to 499,999. At least two-thirds of the departments in each population category were using personal computers with the exception of those serving fewer than 2,500 residents (28%). Overall, local police departments using personal computers employed 89% of all local police officers in 1993. About a third of local police departments were using a mainframe computer during 1993, compared to a fifth in 1990. A majority of the departments serving a population of 10,000 or more were using a mainframe in 1993, including all departments serving a population of 1 million or more. Departments using mainframes employed about three-fourths of all officers in 1993. A majority of departments serving a population of 250,000 or more were using mini-computers in 1993, as were about half of the departments serving a population of 50,000 to 249,999. Overall, 12% of local police departments, employing 52% of all local police officers, were using mini-computers. Although just 10% of all local police departments were using a laptop computer in 1993, these departments employed about half of all local police officers. A majority of the departments serving a population of 100,000 or more were using laptop computers in 1993, and about three times as many departments were using laptops in 1993 as in 1990. About 7% of local police departments were using mobile digital terminals in 1993, twice the percentage that were using them in 1990. Most departments using mobile terminals were using the car-mounted type with about 1 in 7 using hand-held terminals. In 1993 departments using either type of mobile terminal employed 40% of all local police officers. Overall, 14% of local police departments were using either laptop computers or mobile digital terminals in 1993, compared to 5% in 1990. During the same period, the percentage of officers working in a department that utilized laptops or mobile digital terminals doubled--from 30% in 1990 to 60% in 1993. Although departments in larger jurisdictions continued to be more likely than those in smaller jurisdictions to use laptops and mobile terminals, significant increases in their use were seen in all population categories from 1990 to 1993. In jurisdictions with 250,000 or more residents, 90% of the local police departments were using these types of computers in 1993 compared to 63% in 1990. Among departments serving 50,000 to 249,999 residents, the increase was from 31% to 63%. In jurisdictions with 10,000 to 49,999 residents, 32% of the departments were using laptops or mobile terminals in 1993, up from 9% in 1990, and in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents, the increase was from 2% to 7%. Computer functions ------------------ An estimated 53% of all local police departments, employing 88% of all officers, were using computers for record keeping in 1993. This included over 90% of the departments serving a population of 50,000 or more. More than a fourth of all local police departments, including a majority of those serving a population of 25,000 or more, also used computers for criminal investigations (41%), budgeting (31%), crime analysis (29%), or dispatch (29%). A majority of departments serving a population 100,000 or more also used computers for fleet management, manpower allocation, and research purposes during 1993. About three-fourths of all local police officers worked for a department that used computers for criminal investigations, crime analysis, and dispatch, and just over half were employed by a department that used computers for budgeting, fleet management, manpower allocation, and research. For each of the management functions included in the LEMAS survey, the percentage of local police departments that were utilizing computers to perform that function was greater in 1993 than in 1990. Computerized files -------------------- Local police were also more likely to be maintaining computerized information files in 1993 than they were in 1990. For example, 55% of all local police departments were maintaining computerized files on arrests compared to 39% in 1990, and nearly half of all departments were maintaining files on traffic citations (46%) and calls for service (45%) compared to about a third for each in 1990. In 1993, about 90% of the departments serving a population of 25,000 or more maintained computerized files on arrests and calls for service. At least a third of all local police departments were also maintaining the following types of computerized information files during 1993: traffic accidents (42%), stolen property (39%), warrants (36%), summary Uniform Crime Reports (35%), criminal histories (34%), agency personnel (34%), and stolen vehicles (34%). A majority of the departments serving a population of 10,000 or more maintained these types of files. Less than a third of local police departments reported that they maintained computer files containing the following types of information: inventory (27%), evidence (26%), payroll (20%), driver's license information (19%), summonses (18%), vehicle registration (18%), incident-based Uniform Crime Reports (18%) and fingerprints (6%). A majority of the departments serving a population of 25,000 or more were maintaining files on inventory, evidence, and payroll. ****************** Policy directives ***************** Nearly all local police departments serving a population of 2,500 or more maintained written policy directives on the use of deadly force, pursuit driving, and employee conduct and appearance. About three-fourths of the departments serving a population under 2,500 had policy directives covering these subjects as well. Overall, departments with a policy directive on deadly force employed 99% of all officers, and those with directives on pursuit driving, and employee conduct and appearance employed 98% of all officers At least two-thirds of all local police departments also had policy directives that addressed the handling of domestic disputes, juveniles, citizen complaints, and off-duty employment by officers. At least 88% of the departments in each population category of 10,000 or more had a directive on these matters. Departments with a policy directive pertaining to off-duty employment employed 93% of all local police officers nationwide and more than 80% of officers were employed by a department with a policy directive on the handling of juveniles, citizen complaints, and domestic disputes. About half of local police departments had a written policy directive pertaining to the handling of mentally ill persons and to the conducting of strip searches. Nearly half had a directive on the use of confidential funds, and a third maintained a directive pertaining to employee counseling assistance. Four-fifths of all local police officers were employed by a department with a directive on the handling of mentally ill persons, and three-fourths were employed by a department with a directive on strip searches, use of confidential funds, and employee counseling assistance. ************ Methodology ************ The Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey collects data from a nationally representative sample of the more than 17,000 publicly funded State and local law enforcement agencies in the United States. This report focuses on general purpose local police departments operated by a municipal or county government. Police departments with special jurisdictions such as parks, transit systems, airports, or school systems have been defined as special police and are not included. The population served categories used in this report are based on official 1990 Census Bureau counts for cities and counties. For some county police departments, the population served was derived by subtracting the population of cities within the county that were served by municipal police from the overall county population. All 854 State and local law enforcement agencies in the United States with 100 or more sworn officers (as reported in the 1992 BJS Directory Survey of Law Enforcement Agencies) received the full-length LEMAS questionnaire. The 854 self-representing (SR) agencies were supplemented by a nationally representative sample of agencies with fewer than 100 sworn officers. These nonself-representing (NSR) agencies were chosen using a stratified random sample with cells based on the type of agency (local police, sheriff, or special police), size of population served, and number of sworn officers. The 2,416 NSR agencies received a slightly abbreviated version of the LEMAS questionnaire that was mailed to the SR agencies. The initial mailing of the survey questionnaire was conducted in August 1993. The pay period containing June 15, 1993, was used as the reference date for personnel-related questions and June 30, 1993, for other questions. The data were collected by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Justice Statistics. After two followup mailings and additional telephone calls as needed, a final total of 3,028 agencies responded to the LEMAS questionnaire, including 831 SR agencies and 2,197 NSR agencies. The overall response rate was 92.6%. The final database includes responses from 1,827 local police departments, 918 sheriffs' departments, 234 special police departments, and the 49 primary State police departments. The base weight for all SR agencies is 1. For NSR local and special police departments, the base weight is 8, and for NSR sheriffs' departments it is 4. The final weight associated with every agency, both SR and NSR, is the product of the base weight and a factor that adjusted for any nonresponding agencies in each cell. This agency nonresponse factor was based on number of sworn officers for SR agencies and on number of agencies for NSR agencies. Some responding agencies did not fully complete the LEMAS questionnaire. When an agency did not supply a response to an item, a donor agency was randomly selected from responding agencies in the same sample cell. The donor agency's value for the item was placed into the nonresponding agency's response field with an indicator that the value had been imputed. Complete documentation regarding sampling procedures and nonresponse adjustments is available upon request. Data on the number of employees and on the amount of agency expenditures in this report are not comparable with figures based on the BJS Survey of Criminal Justice Expenditure and Employment series. In the latter, these data are presented by governmental function, whereas in the LEMAS survey expenditures are classified by type of agency. For example, what might be attributed to sheriffs' departments in the LEMAS survey would be apportioned among various functions, such as police protection and corrections, in the expenditure and employment series. Also, the LEMAS figures for operating expenditures include employee benefits, but the expenditure and employment figures do not. Because the data from agencies with fewer than 100 sworn personnel were collected from a sample, the results are subject to sampling error. All statements of comparison in this report have been tested to ensure that observed differences between values are significant at 2 standard errors (the 95-percent confidence level) or higher.U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics