U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note to readers of the ASCII version: This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/sd97.htm. 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#sd ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sheriffs' Departments 1993 February 2000, NCJ 173428 Andrew L. Goldberg and Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D. BJS Statisticians -------------------------------------------------- Highlights Personnel * As of June 1997, sheriffs' departments had an estimated 263,427 full-time employees, including about 175,000 sworn personnel. Total employment was up by an average 4.4% per year since 1993, compared to 3.1% per year from 1987 to 1993. * Racial and ethnic minorities com- prised 19% of full-time sworn officers in sheriffs' departments in 1997. This compared to 16.9% in 1993, 15.5% in 1990, and 13.4% in 1987. * Nearly all officers worked for departments that used criminal record checks (99%), background investigations (98%), driving record checks (95%), and medical exams (92%) to screen applicants. Psychological (75%), aptitude (69%), and physical agility (59%) tests were also widely used. * In 1997, 1% of departments required a 4-year degree of new deputy recruits and 7% a 2-year degree. Overall, 11% of departments required new deputy recruits to have completed at least some college course work in 1997, up from 7% in 1993. * Field and classroom training requirements for new deputy recruits averaged more than 800 hours combined. Three-fourths of departments required deputies to complete inservice training as well, with a median annual requirement of 20 hours. Expenditures and pay * Sheriffs' departments had total operating expenditures of $13.1 billion during fiscal 1997, 10% more than in 1993 after adjusting for inflation. Expenditures averaged $73,000 per sworn officer, and $49 per resident. * Starting salaries for deputies averaged about $26,000, ranging from an average of $19,400 in the smallest counties to $30,200 in the largest. Nationwide, 48% of sheriffs' deputies worked for a department that authorized collective bargaining. Operations * A large percentage of sheriffs' departments performed basic law enforcement functions such as providing routine patrol services (98%), responding to citizen calls for service (95%), investigating crimes (91%), and enforcing traffic laws (84%). * Most sheriffs' departments had drug enforcement responsibilities (87%), and just over half of them, employing 80% of all officers, had drug asset forfeiture receipts during fiscal 1997. About a third had officers assigned full-time to a drug enforcement unit, and half had officers assigned to a multiagency drug task force. * In addition to traditional law enforcement duties, nearly all sheriffs' departments were responsible for performing court-related functions such as serving civil process (98%) and providing court security (95%). Eighty percent operated a jail. * About 5 in 6 sheriffs' departments participated in a 9-1-1 emergency telephone system during 1997, compared to 4 in 6 during 1993. In 1997, 51% of departments had enhanced 9-1-1 systems (capable of pinpointing the source of a call automatically) compared to 36% in 1993. Community policing * Thirty-four percent of sheriffs' departments serving a population of 250,000 or more had a formal written community policing plan. Overall, about 3 in 4 sheriffs' officers worked for a department with some type of community plan. * Thirty-five percent of departments serving a population of 100,000 or more had a community policing unit with full-time personnel. Another 16% had personnel who were designated to perform community policing activities but were not part of a separate unit. * During the 3-year period ending June 30, 1997, about half of sheriffs' departments trained at least some of their in-service officers (55%) and new officer recruits (47%) in community policing. Twenty-nine percent reported all new recruits received such training. * About 5 in 6 sheriffs' departments met with community groups during the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997. More than a fourth had formed problem-solving partnerships through written agreements (29%). * An estimated 38% of sheriffs' departments, employing 63% of all officers, had deputies assigned full-time as school resource officers. Nationwide, about 2,900 deputies worked as school resource officers during 1997. Equipment * Ninety-five percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 98% of all sheriffs' officers, authorized the use of semiautomatic sidearms in 1997. These percentages represented increases over the 1993 figures of 82% and 91%. * In 1997 nearly all sheriffs' departments authorized the use of nonlethal weapons by officers. From 1993 to 1997, the percentage authorizing pepper spray increased from 56% to 87% while the percentage authorizing batons remained at about 80%. * Thirty-nine percent of sheriffs' departments required all of their regular field officers to wear protective body armor while on duty in 1997, up from 30% in 1993. * Nationwide, sheriffs' departments operated approximately 100,000 cars during 1997, or about 54 per 100 officers. About a third of these cars were unmarked. * Nearly a third of sheriffs' depart- ments were using boats in 1997, including about half of those serving a population of 50,000 or more. Small percentages used airplanes (4%) or helicopters (4%). Computers and information systems * Ninety-three percent of sheriffs' departments used computers in 1997, compared to 82% in 1993. In 1997, 29% of departments, employing 66% of all officers, used mobile computers or terminals in the field compared to 17% and 50% in 1993. * In 1997, about 3 in 4 sheriffs' departments maintained computerized information on warrants (75%), arrests (74%) and incident reports (74%). About 3 in 5 had files on calls for service (60%), criminal histories (60%), and stolen property (59%). * In nearly 1 in 8 departments, at least some officers could access vehicle and driving records by computer while in the field. This was the case in about half of the departments serving a population of 250,000 or more. * About 7 in 8 sheriffs' departments transmitted criminal incident field data to a central information system through paper reports in 1997. The remainder used other methods such as laptop download, disk transfer, wireless transmission, or telephone lines. Written policy directives * Nearly all sheriffs' departments (93%) had a written policy on pursuit driving. Most (57%) limited vehicle pursuits according to specific criteria such as speed or offense. About 30% had a policy that left the decision to the officer's discretion. Five percent discouraged all vehicle pursuits. * Ninety-one percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 99% of all officers, had a written policy on the use of deadly force. Eighty-four percent, employing 89% of all officers, had a policy on the use of nonlethal force. Eighty-five percent of sheriffs' departments had a policy on handling domestic disputes. Most also had a policy on handling juveniles (83%) and mentally ill persons (67%). -----------------------End of highlights---------------------------- The LEMAS survey During 1997, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), as a part of its Law Enforcement Management and Adminstrative Statistics (LEMAS) program, surveyed a nationally representative sample of the nearly 19,000 State and local law enforcement agencies operating nationwide. Previous LEMAS surveys were conducted in 1987, 1990, and 1993. This report presents data from the 1997 survey describing the more than 3,000 sheriffs' departments and offices operating in the United States in terms of their personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, community policing initiatives, equipment, computers and information systems, and written policies. Comparisons are made with prior years where appropriate. Sheriffs' departments are operated by county or independent city governments. Because sheriffs are typically elected officials, some agencies are known as offices. The term departments is used universally in this report as a matter of convenience. The 1997 LEMAS survey questionnaire was mailed to 3,597 State and local law enforcement agencies, including all 968 agencies with 100 or more sworn officers (see Methodology for a description of the sample). The overall response rate was 94.9%. Among sheriffs' departments, 915 of 1,001 surveys were returned for a 91.4% response rate. This report and its companion report (Local Police Departments 1997 NCJ-173429), summarize data collected from agencies of all sizes. Detailed agency-by-agency tabulations from the 1997 LEMAS survey were previously published for agencies with 100 or more officers (see Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1997, NCJ-171681). Personnel As of June 30, 1997, sheriffs' departments had an estimated 263,427 full-time employees (table 1). They employed an additional 20,025 persons on a part-time basis. About 175,000, or 66%, of full-time sheriffs' department employees were sworn officers. Sheriffs' departments employed a fourth of all State and local sworn officers nationwide. Their 88,754 nonsworn employees comprised about a third of all nonsworn State and local law enforcement employees. There were about 39,000, or 17.4%, more full-time employees in sheriffs' departments in 1997 than in 1993. (figure 1). For all State and local law enforcement agencies, the increase in number of employees from 1993 to 1997 was about 107,000, or 12.8%. When only sworn personnel are considered, employment by sheriffs' departments increased by 19,000, or 12.1%, from 1993 to 1997. Overall, the number of sworn personnel employed by State and local law enforcement agencies in 1997 was up by 68,000, or 10.9%, compared to 1993. Nationwide, 363 sheriffs' departments employed at least 100 sworn personnel (11.8%), including 17 with 1,000 or more officers (0.6%) (table 2). Nearly 900 departments employed fewer than 10 officers (28.4%), including 35 with just one sworn officer (1.1%). About a third of all full-time sheriffs' officers were employed by a department with 500 or more officers, and about two-thirds were employed by one with at least 100 officers. Sheriffs' departments that employed fewer than 10 officers accounted for 2.4% of all sheriffs' officers nationwide. Twenty-five largest sheriffs' departments by number and function of full-time sworn personnel, 1997 As of June 1997, the largest sheriff's department was the Los Angeles County (CA) Sheriff's Department with 8,021 full-time sworn personnel. About half of these officers were assigned to the area of law enforcement field operations, making it at least 4 times larger than any other law enforcement operation among sheriffs' departments. The agency had about 2,200 officers working in its jails and about 1,400 assigned to court-related duties. The agency also had about 4,500 full-time civilian employees. Cook County (IL) operated the second largest sheriff's department; however, just 11% of its officers were assigned to law enforcement field operations. Just over half worked in jail-related positions, and slightly more than a third primarily performed court-related duties. Among the 25 largest sheriffs' departments, 10 had more officers assigned to field operations than any other function, while 15 had the largest number assigned to jail operations. Seventeen agencies had officers assigned to court operations, with the percentage ranging from 4% to 36%. Although 51% of all sheriffs' departments served a jurisdiction with fewer than 25,000 residents, these departments employed just 10% of all sheriffs' officers nationwide (table 3). About half of all sheriffs' officers served a jurisdiction with 250,000 or more residents, including more than a fifth in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more. On average, sheriffs' departments nationwide had 85 full-time employees including 57 sworn personnel (table 4). Sheriffs' departments in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more had an average of 1,916 full-time employees, including 1,226 sworn officers and 690 civilian employees. In contrast, sheriffs' departments in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents employed an average of 6 full-time sworn officers, and 3 full- time civilians. Gender and race of officers Of the estimated 174,673 full-time sworn personnel employed by sheriffs' departments in 1997, about 16% were women (table 5). The percentage of female officers varied slightly across population sizes, ranging from about 20% in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 to 999,999, to about 12% in jurisdictions with a population of under 25,000. In 1997, 19% of full-time sheriffs' officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority, with the percentage of minority officers higher than this in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 or more. Blacks accounted for about 12% of all sheriffs' officers in 1997, with departments serving a population of 500,000 or more employing the highest percentage of black officers (17%). About 6% of sheriffs' officers nationwide were Hispanic, with departments serving a population of 1 million or more having the most Hispanic officers (13.5%). In 1997 there were 27,216 female sheriffs' officers, about 4,600, or 20%, more than in 1993. During this time female representation among sheriffs' officers increased from 14.5% to 15.6% (figure 2). The number of sheriffs' officers who were members of a racial or ethnic minority in 1997 (33,181) represented an increase of about 7,000, or 26%, over 1993 levels. Minority representation increased from 16.9% to 19% during this time. The estimated 20,588 full-time black officers employed by sheriffs' departments in 1997 represented an increase of about 5,000, or 32%, compared to 1993. This resulted in an increase in the percentage of officers who were black from 10% to 11.8%. There were an estimated 10,342 Hispanic officers employed by sheriffs' departments in 1997. This was 15% more than in 1993 (8,979). The percentage of sheriffs' officers represented by Hispanics in 1997 (5.9%) was about the same as in 1993 (5.8%). Screening of officer applicants Sheriffs' departments employed a variety of screening methods when hiring new officers (table 6). Nearly all used interviews (98%), criminal record checks (96%), background investigations (93%), and driving record checks (90%). About three-fourths of departments used medical exams (73%), including about 90% of those serving 100,000 or more residents. About half used psychological screening (52%), including more than 80% of those serving 250,000 or more residents. Just under half of all sheriffs' departments used drug tests (44%) and mental aptitude tests (43%) as screening devices. A majority of the departments serving a population of 50,000 or more residents used these methods. About a third of departments used a physical agility test to screen officer applicants, including 89% of those serving 1 million or more residents. In contrast, just a third of the departments serving from 10,000 to 99,999 residents, and a fourth of those serving fewer than 10,000 residents did so. Education and training requirements Nearly all (97%) sheriffs' departments had an education requirement for new deputy recruits (table 7). The typical minimum requirement was a high school diploma or equivalent (86%). About 11% of departments had some type of college requirement, usually a 2-year degree (7%). Just 1% required new deputy recruits to have a 4-year college degree. Eleven percent of sheriffs' officers nationwide were employed by a department that had some type of college requirement for new deputy recruits, compared to 7% in 1993. On average, sheriffs' departments required 538 training hours of new deputy recruits, with about two-thirds of it in the classroom (table 8). Departments serving a population of 500,000 to 999,999 (1,003 hours) required more than twice as much as those serving a population of under 25,000. When departments are weighted according to number of officers, it is estimated that the average new deputy recruit in 1997 was required to undergo more than 800 hours of training, with about three-fifths of it in the classroom. In addition to entry-level requirements, about three-fourths of sheriffs' departments required officers to complete in-service training. The median annual requirement was 20 hours. From 1990 to 1997, the median number of training hours required of new deputy recruits increased in all population categories (figure 3). The largest increase was among departments serving 100,000 to 499,999 residents -- from 496 hours to 680 hours; and among departments serving 500,000 or more residents -- from 800 hours to 870 hours. Six percent of sheriffs' departments, employing about a third of all sheriffs' officers, operated a training academy. Two-thirds of the departments serving 1 million or more residents did so, compared to less than 10% of those serving a population under 100,000. Population Percent with served training academy All sizes 6% 1,000,000 or more 68% 500,000-999,999 29 250,000-499,999 28 100,000-249,999 13 50,000-99,999 6 25,000-49,999 4 10,000-24,999 2 Under 10,000 1 Expenditures and pay Operating expenditures The total operating expenditure of sheriffs' departments during fiscal 1997 was about $13.1 billion, 22% more than in 1993 (table 9). Controlling for inflation, the net increase in spending was 10%. (These figures do not include capital expenditures such as equipment purchases or construction projects). Sheriffs' departments accounted for about a fourth of the $50.7 billion in total operating expenditures for State and local law enforcement agencies during fiscal 1997. Agency operating expenditures (in billions) 1997 1993 Total $50.7 $41.9 Local police $29.2 $24.3 Sheriff 13.1 10.7 State police 5.2 4.2 Special police 3.2 2.8 Nationwide, operating expenditures averaged about $4.25 million per department for fiscal 1997, ranging from an average of about $114 million for departments serving a population of 1 million or more, to $342,000 among those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. The overall operating cost per resident was $49, with departments in jurisdictions with a population of less than 10,000 costing the most to operate, $60 per resident. Nationwide, sheriffs' departments cost an estimated $73,000 per sworn officer to operate for fiscal 1997, ranging from $93,300 per officer in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to about half that amount in jurisdictions with a population of 10,000 to 24,999. When both sworn and nonsworn employees are included, the average operating expenditure for sheriffs' departments was $48,000 per employee for the year, with a high of about $59,000 per employee in jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents. Overall, employee salaries and benefits accounted for about $4 of every $5 in operating expenditures. Salaries The overall average base starting salary for sheriffs was $44,400 in 1997 (table 10). Starting salaries for sheriffs ranged from $98,900 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to $31,300 in jurisdictions with a population of less than 10,000. The average base starting salary offered by sheriffs' departments to entry-level deputies was about $21,500 in 1997. This was 11% more than in 1993, but the net increase after controlling for inflation was just 0.2%. Departments serving 50,000 or more residents had an average starting salary that was higher than the overall average, ranging from $22,600 in those serving 50,000 to 99,999 residents to $30,200 in those serving with 1 million or more residents. The average starting salary for deputies in departments serving a population of less than 10,000 was 10% below the overall average. When departments are weighted according to number of officers, the estimated average base starting salary for entry-level deputies in 1997 was $25,800. This increased by $2,000 for those with 1 year of experience. Salaries for the positions of sergeant or equivalent increased with jurisdiction size in a pattern similar to that for entry-level officers. Overall, the average starting salary for sergeants was $27,700, ranging from $43,700 in the largest jurisdictions to $23,900 in the smallest jurisdictions. When departments are weighted according to size, the estimated average base starting salary for sergeants was $35,300. Except for the largest agencies, base starting salaries for entry-level officers were generally lower in sheriffs' departments than in comparably sized local police departments (figure 4). The greatest difference was found among agencies with at least 25 officers but fewer than 250 -- more than $5,000 per year on average. Sheriffs' departments with at least 250 but fewer than 1,000 officers had starting salaries that averaged $2,600 lower than local police departments; however, sheriffs' departments employing 1,000 or more sworn personnel offered a starting salary to entry-level officers that was similar to that found in local police departments. Special pay Nationwide, 17% of all sheriffs' departments offered education incentive pay to qualifying officers, including over half of those serving a population of at least 250,000 residents (table 11). Most of the departments serving a population of 250,000 or more offered education incentive pay, and nearly half of all sheriffs' officers nationwide worked for a department that offered it. Hazardous duty pay was available in just 5% of all sheriffs' departments; however, about a third of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 or more offered it. Nationwide, about a fourth of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department that offered hazardous duty pay. Nineteen percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 38% of all sheriffs' officers nationwide, offered merit pay to qualifying officers. More than half of the departments serving a population between 500,000 and 999,999 offered merit pay to officers compared to a tenth of those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Seventeen percent of all sheriffs' departments offered shift differential pay to their full-time officers. Half of the departments in jurisdictions with at least 1 million residents and about two-fifths of those serving 250,000 to 999,999 residents had shift differential pay. Nationwide about a third of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department with shift differential pay. Work-related policies About three-fifths of sheriffs' departments, employing two-thirds of all officers, had a written policy pertaining to the maximum number of hours that officers can work (table 12). Departments serving a population of at least 250,000 but less than 1 million (78%) were the most likely to maintain such a policy. Seventy-two percent of all departments, employing 90% of all officers, had a written policy on off-duty employment. More than 90% of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more or a population of 50,000 to 99,999 had such a policy, compared to about half of the departments serving a population of less than 10,000. Unions and collective bargaining Thirty-eight percent of all sheriffs' departments authorized police union membership by their sworn personnel, including a majority of those in jurisdictions with 250,000 or more residents (table 13). Nationwide, about half of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department that authorized them to belong to a police union. Thirty percent of all departments, employing 38% of all officers nationwide, authorized membership in a nonpolice union. Seventy-four percent of all departments authorized officer membership in a police association. These departments employed 82% of all sheriffs' officers nationwide. Nationwide, 31% of all sheriffs' departments, employing 48% of all officers, authorized collective bargaining for sworn personnel (table 14). About two-thirds of the departments serving a population of 250,000 to 999,999 and three-fourths of those serving a population of 1 million or more authorized collective bargaining for officers. Just 1 in 6 departments in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents did so. Nonsworn personnel in sheriffs' departments were slightly less likely to have collective bargaining rights than sworn employees. Overall, 26% of departments, employing 43% of all nonsworn personnel, authorized collective bargaining for such employees. Operations Patrol and response Ninety-eight percent of sheriffs' departments provided routine patrol services in their jurisdiction during 1997 (table 15). Only in jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents, did less than 90% of the departments have routine patrol responsibilities. Typically, sheriffs' departments provide patrol and other law enforcement services to unincorporated areas of a county, and to incorporated areas not served by local police. Nationwide, 95% of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department that provided routine patrol services. Nearly all sheriffs' departments used automobiles (98%) for routine patrol. Eighteen percent of departments routinely used some form of marine patrol (18%), including about two-fifths of those serving a population of 250,000 or more. About 1 in 6 departments used foot patrols on a routine basis, while less than 1 in 10 used bicycles (6%), motorcycles (4%), or horses (2%) for routine patrol. More than a third of sheriffs' departments provided foot patrol during special events although they did not perform such patrols on a routine basis. Horse (14%) and marine (12%) units were the next most likely types of patrol to be used during special events, but not on a routine basis. Percent of Type of agencies using for patrol special events only Foot 37% Horse 14 Marine 12 Bicycle 6 Motorcycle 5 Automobile 1 Ninety-five percent of sheriffs' departments reported they had primary responsibility for responding to citizen calls for service (table 16). The percentage of departments that responded to service calls was 97% or higher in all population categories less than 100,000. Three-fourths of sheriffs' departments had responsibility for dispatching calls for service to officers in the field, with departments serving a population of less than 25,000 the most likely to provide dispatch services. 9-1-1 emergency telephone system In 1997, 84% of sheriffs' departments participated in an 9-1-1 emergency telephone system whereby one of their units could be dispatched as a result of a citizen call to 9-1-1 or its equivalent (table 17). At least 70% of the departments in each population category were 9-1-1 participants in 1997, including about 90% of those serving 25,000 to 499,999 residents. Three-fifths of sheriffs' department 9-1-1 systems were enhanced, capable of pinpointing the location of a caller automatically. More than two-thirds of departments serving a population of 100,000 to 499,999 had enhanced 9-1-1, compared to about a third of those serving a population of less than 10,000. This latter category was the only one where a majority of 9-1-1 systems used by sheriffs' departments were not enhanced. The 84% participation rate in 9-1-1 among sheriffs' departments in 1997 was a significant increase from 1993 when 65% of all sheriffs' departments were 9-1-1 participants, and twice the percentage of departments with 9-1-1 participation in 1990 (42%) (figure 5). The half of sheriffs' departments participating in an enhanced 9-1-1 system in 1997 represented a sizable increase over 1993, when just over a third were participants, and was nearly 5 times the proportion reporting such a capability in 1990. In 1997, 88% of all sheriffs' officers worked for a department with 9-1-1, and 66% worked for one with enhanced 9-1-1. The comparative percentages for 1993 were 79% and 60%, respectively. Crime investigation Overall, 91% of sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for investigating at least some types of crimes. Eighty-seven percent had primary responsibility for investigating violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, or assault (table 18). Departments serving a population of less than 100,000 were more likely to be responsible for such investigations than those in larger jurisdictions. Eighty-eight percent of sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for investigating property crimes such as burglary, larceny, or motor vehicle theft. As with violent crimes, departments serving fewer than 100,000 residents were the most likely to handle property crime investigations. Seventy-two percent of sheriffs' departments were responsible for arson investigations, with those serving a population of less than 250,000 the most likely to handle such incidents. Forty-two percent of sheriffs' departments were responsible for investigating environmental crimes, ranging from about half of those serving a population of less than 10,000 to about a fourth of serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents. Investigative support functions About two-thirds of sheriffs' departments were responsible for fingerprint processing (65%) (table 19). This included at least 61% of the departments in each population category. Overall, few sheriffs' departments were responsible for providing crime lab services (6%) or conducting ballistics tests (2%). Departments in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more were the most likely to be responsible for these functions: 47% were responsible for crime lab services and 29% for ballistics testing. Drug and vice enforcement An estimated 87% of all sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for drug enforcement in their jurisdiction (table 20). More than 90% of departments in jurisdictions with a population of less than 25,000 were responsible for drug enforcement, compared to 59% of those in jurisdictions with 500,000 to 999,999 residents. About half of all sheriffs' departments had primary vice enforcement responsibilities. A majority of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 25,000 or more performed this function. About a third of sheriffs' departments operated a special unit for drug enforcement with one or more full-time officers assigned (table 21). Three-fourths of department serving a population of 1 million or more had a full-time drug enforcement unit, as did about half of the departments serving a population of 250,000 to 999,999. Departments serving a population of less than 10,000 (14%) were the least likely to have a full-time drug enforcement unit. The number of officers assigned full-time to drug enforcement units totaled over 3,500 nationwide. Another 900 were assigned on a part-time basis. Departments serving a population of 1 million or more assigned an average of 25 full-time officers each, compared to an average of 2 in those serving a population of less than 50,000. Drug testing of employees in sheriffs' departments, 1997 About three-fifths of sheriffs' departments had some type of program that authorized the testing of regular field and patrol officers for illegal drug use. These departments employed 84% of all sheriffs' officers. Departments serving a population of 100,000 or more were the most likely to have a drug testing program for officers, with percentages in these categories ranging from 77% to 87%. Departments serving a population of less than 10,000 (45%) were the least likely to test any officers for drug use. In 23% of departments, employing 27% of all officers, all field/patrol officers were subject to drug testing. Twenty percent of departments, employing 35% of all officers, used a random selection method for choosing those to be tested. A fourth of departments had a policy authorizing drug tests of officers suspected of using illegal drugs. These departments employed 42% of all sheriffs' officers. Just over half of sheriffs' departments included civilian employees under some type of drug testing program. These departments employed about two-thirds of all nonsworn sheriffs' department personnel. About a third of departments had either mandatory drug testing (18%) of nonsworn employees or used a random selection method (16%). A fourth of departments, employing 40% of all nonsworn employees, had a testing program that authorized testing of civilian employees who were suspected of using illegal drugs. Drug task force participation In 1997 half of sheriffs' departments, employing two-thirds of all officers, assigned 1 or more officers to a multi-agency drug enforcement task force (table 22). About 2,900 officers were assigned full-time, and 1,100 on a part-time basis. The number of full-time task force officers ranged from 10 in departments serving 1 million or more residents to 1 in those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Drug asset forfeiture Just over half (54%) of all sheriffs' departments, employing four-fifths of all sheriffs' officers, had asset forfeiture receipts during the 12-month period ending June 1997 (table 23). A majority of departments serving a population of 25,000 or more, including nearly all of those serving 1 million or more residents, had drug asset forfeiture receipts. Collectively, sheriffs' departments received an estimated $158 million in money, goods, and property from drug asset forfeiture programs. The overall median amount received from asset forfeiture programs by sheriffs' departments in fiscal 1997 was $10,000. By population category, median total receipts ranged from more than $300,000 among departments serving a population of 1 million or more to $3,000 among those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Sheriffs' departments received $878 in money, goods, and property from drug asset forfeiture programs for every officer employed (figure 6). Departments with at least 50 but fewer than 250 full-time officers, received the most -- more than $1,500 per officer. The largest departments (1,000 or more officers), and the smallest departments (fewer than 25 officers) had asset forfeiture receipts of about $500 per officer. Departments with 250 to 999 officers had the lowest receipts per officer -- about $350. Traffic and vehicle-related functions About 5 in 6 sheriffs' departments were responsible for the enforcement of traffic laws (84%), and about three-fourths handled accident investigations (73%) (table 24). Approximately two-thirds (69%) were responsible for directing and controlling traffic. At least 60% of the departments in each population category had traffic-related responsibilities, with departments in the smallest jurisdictions the most likely to handle these functions. Ninety-two percent of those serving a population of less than 10,000 were responsible for traffic enforcement. About 85% of these departments handled accident investigations and 76%, traffic direction and control. About a third of sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for parking enforcement; including about 4 in 10 departments serving a population of 250,000 or more residents. About 1 in 8 departments provided school crossing services. Court-related functions To a much greater extent than their local police counterparts, sheriffs' departments were responsible for functions related to court operations (see box on page 14). Nearly all sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for serving civil process (98%), executing arrest warrants (97%), and providing court security (95%) (table 25). Only in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more did fewer than 90% of the departments have responsibility for these functions. At least 96% of the departments in each population category of less than 500,000 were responsible for serving civil process. Nationwide, 93% of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department that handled process serving. At least 98% of the sheriffs' departments in each population category under 100,000 were responsible for executing arrest warrants. Overall, 94% of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department handled this function. At least 94% of the departments in each population category in each of less than 1 million provided court security services. Ninety-two percent of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department responsible for court security. Detention-related functions Sheriffs' departments were also much more likely than local police departments to operate a jail. A jail is a locally administered confinement facility that holds inmates beyond arraignment, usually for more than 48 hours. About 4 in 5 sheriffs' departments were operating at least one jail during 1997 (table 26). In jurisdictions with a population of 10,000 to 99,999, more than 4 in 5 sheriffs' departments operated a jail, a slightly higher proportion than in other population categories. Ninety percent of sheriffs' officers nationwide were employed by a department that operated one or more jails. Most of the 567,000 jail inmates held in the United States as of midyear 1997 were in jails administered by sheriffs' departments. The Nation's jail population increased by about 24% from 1993 to 1997. Eighteen percent of sheriffs' departments operated at least 1 temporary holding facility for adults that was separate from a jail (table 27). The median of the maximum holding times for these facilities was 14 hours. More than 60% of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 250,000 or more were operating a temporary adult lockup facility. Less than a fifth of the departments serving a population of less than 100,000 had such a facility. For adult lockup facilities, the median total capacity was 14 persons, ranging from 250 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to 5 in jurisdictions with 25,000 to 49,999 residents. The total adult capacity of sheriffs' lockups nationwide was about 40,000. Ten percent of sheriffs' departments had at least 1 juvenile lockup facility. Overall, the median total capacity of juvenile lockup facilities was 4 persons, with an median maximum holding time of 8 hours. Departments serving a population of less than 25,000 (8%) were the least likely to operate a temporary lockup facility for juveniles. Nationwide, sheriffs' lockups for juveniles had a total capacity of 3,100. Special operations functions A majority (58%) of sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for search and rescue operations in their jurisdiction during 1997 (table 28). Departments performing search and rescue operations employed nearly two-thirds of all sheriffs' officers. A third of sheriffs' departments were responsible for tactical, or Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operations, including a majority of those serving a population of 50,000 or more. Departments performing tactical operations employed two-thirds of all sheriffs' officers. About a fourth of all sheriffs' departments had responsibility for underwater recovery. This included half of departments serving a population of 1 million or more, and about two-fifths of those serving a population of at least 50,000 but less than 1 million. Eight percent of sheriffs' departments handled bomb disposal in 1997. Half of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more residents, two-fifths of those serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents, and a third of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents had bomb disposal responsibilities. Special public safety functions Another important area of responsibility for sheriffs' departments in 1997 involved the performance of special functions related to public safety. For example, about a third of departments had primary responsibility for animal control (table 29). This included about two-fifths of departments serving a population of less than 10,000, and about a third of those serving a population of 10,000 to 99,999. A fifth of all sheriffs' departments were responsible for civil defense functions, ranging from 29% of those serving fewer than 10,000 residents to 7% of those serving 1 million or more residents. About a fifth of sheriffs' departments provided emergency medical services, including a fourth of those departments serving fewer than 25,000 residents. Eight percent of sheriffs' departments provided fire services in 1997. None of the departments in jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents were responsible for providing fire services. Community policing Community policing is a philosophy that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through problem-solving tactics and community partnerships. A fundamental shift from traditional reactive policing, community policing stresses the prevention of crime before it occurs. The implementation of a community policing plan supports and empowers front-line officers, decentralizes command, and encourages innovative problem solving. In 1997 about 1 in 7 sheriffs' departments had a formally written community policing plan (table 30). About a third of departments serving 250,000 or more residents had a formally written plan, compared to less than a tenth of the departments in jurisdictions with fewer than 25,000 residents. Departments with a formal, written community policing plan employed 33% of all sheriffs' officers. In all population categories, a majority of sheriffs' departments had either a formal, written community policing plan or an informal, unwritten plan (figure 7). About three-fourths of all sheriff's officers worked for a department with some type of community policing plan. In the largest jurisdictions, about a third of the community policing plans were unwritten, and a third were formally written. As population size decreased, the proportion of plans that were informal increased. Nearly half of the departments serving fewer than 25,000 residents had no community policing plan, formally written or not. Community policing training During the 3-year period ending June 30, 1997, nearly half of sheriffs' departments, employing three-fifths of all officers, trained at least some new officer recruits in community policing-skills such as problem solving; Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment (SARA); and developing community partnerships (table 31). At least half of the departments in each population category of 25,000 or more trained some or all new officer recruits in community policing. Nearly a third of departments trained all new recruits in community policing. More than two-fifths of the departments serving a population of 500,000 to 999,999 or 100,000 to 249,999 provided such training to all recruits. A sixth of departments trained all in-service sworn personnel in community policing during the 3-year period ending June 30, 1997. More than half (55%) provided community policing-training to at least some in-service officers. These departments employed nearly three-fourths of all sheriffs' officers. Departments serving 1 million or more residents (75%) were the most likely to have trained at least some in-service officers in community policing. Specially designated community policing personnel In 1997, 15% of sheriffs' departments, employing 45% of sheriff's officers nationwide, operated a community policing unit with 1 or more officers assigned full-time (table 32). More than half of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more residents had a full-time community policing unit. About two-fifths of the departments serving 250,000 to 999,999 residents had a full-time unit. About a fifth of sheriffs' departments did not have a full-time community policing unit, but had designated certain personnel to perform community policing activities. Another sixth did not a have a full-time unit or specially designated community policing personnel, but had established policies or procedures to address problems and tasks related to community policing. This was most likely to be the case in departments serving fewer than 10,000 residents (24%). Nearly half (47%) of sheriffs' departments had no community policing unit, personnel, policies or procedures. This included a majority of the departments serving fewer than 10,000 residents, generally those serving the most rural areas. Overall, a third of departments had full-time sworn personnel serving as community policing officers, whether as part of a separate unit or not (table 33). In some jurisdictions, these officers are known as community relations officers, community resource officers, or by some other name that reflects the community policing approach they employ. Nationwide, sheriffs' departments employed more than 3,600 community policing officers or their equivalent. A majority of departments serving a population of 250,000 or more had full-time community policing officers. Those in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents employed 25 such officers on average, while those serving fewer than 50,000 residents had an average of 2 each. About 3 in 8 sheriffs' departments had full-time school resource officers (table 34). These officers use a community policing approach to provide a safe environment for students and staff. In addition to handling calls for service within the school, they work closely with school administrators and staff to prevent crime and disorder by monitoring crime trends, problem areas, cultural conflicts, and other areas of concern. Overall, sheriffs' departments had about 2,900 full-time sworn personnel assigned as school resource officers in 1997. Nearly two-thirds of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more had school resource officers, with an average of 11 each. Just a sixth of the departments serving a population of less than 10,000 had school resource officers, with an average of 1 such officer each. Community-oriented policies and programs Half of sheriffs' departments, employing three-fourths of all sheriffs' officers, gave patrol officers responsibility for specific geographic areas or beats (table 35). This included about two-thirds of the departments serving a population of 100,000 or more. Just 15% of departments, employing 43% of all officers, assigned cases to investigators by geographic area, although about half of the departments serving a population of 500,000 or more did so. About a fifth of sheriffs' departments, employing a third of all officers, actively encouraged patrol officers to become involved in problem-solving projects. The percentage of departments encouraging this activity ranged from 39% in the largest jurisdictions to 14% in the smallest. Eleven percent of departments, employing 24% of all officers, included problem-solving projects in the performance evaluation criteria for patrol officers. Many sheriffs' departments maintained written policy directives to guide officers in dealing with special situations and populations in the community. For example, 85% of departments, employing 88% of all officers, had a written policy to guide officers in dealing with domestic disputes (table 36). No less than 73% of the departments in any population category had a written policy for this type of situation. In special situations such as domestic disputes, some departments allow for officer discretion in making an arrest. About 3 in 5 departments, employing 2 in 3 officers, had some type of written policy pertaining to discretionary arrest power. Eighty-three percent of departments, employing 91% of all officers, had a written policy pertaining to the handling of juveniles, and 67%, employing 75% of all officers, had one for dealing with mentally ill persons. Less than a fourth of departments had a policy for dealing with the homeless, with no more than 25% in any population category having such a policy. Nearly three-fourths of sheriffs' departments had a written policy for handling citizen complaints, including about 9 in 10 departments serving a population of 250,000 or more. About 3 in 10 sheriffs' departments enhanced their proactive role in solving community problems during the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997, by forming problem-solving partnerships with community groups, local agencies, or others through written agreements (table 37). This included about half of the departments serving a population of 250,000 or more, and at least a fifth of the departments in every other population category. Nearly a fourth of departments offered training to citizens on community policing topics such as community mobilization and problem solving during the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997. About three-fifths of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more offered such training. A fifth of departments operated at least 1 community substation during the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997. This included three-fifths of the departments serving 1 million or more residents, and nearly half of those serving 100,000 to 999,999 residents. About 5 in 6 departments met with community groups on a regular basis during the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997. These departments employed 91% of all sheriffs' officers. About three-fourths of all officers were employed by a department that met with neighborhood (78%) or school (76%) groups (figure 8). About two-thirds worked for a department that met with business groups (64%) and about half for one that met with youth service organizations (52%). Just under half were employed by departments meeting with advocacy (47%) or religious (45%) groups. About a fourth of sheriffs' departments, employing two-fifths of all officers, used citizen surveys to obtain information during the year ending June 30, 1997 (table 38). This included about two-fifths of the departments serving 250,000 to 999,999 residents. Examples of survey topics included satisfaction with law enforcement services (18%), citizen perceptions of crime problems (15%), and personal crime experiences (10%). A majority of the departments conducting surveys used the data to provide information to officers (74%), and/or to prioritize crime-related problems (59%) (figure 9). About two-fifths of these departments used survey data for resource allocation (41%) and the formulation of agency policy and procedures (39%). About a fifth used survey data for the redistricting of patrol beats or reporting areas. Citizen access to crime statistics About a third of sheriffs' departments, employing just over half of all officers, provided citizens in their jurisdiction with routine access to crime statistics and/or crime maps (table 39). Three-fifths of departments serving a population of 1 million or more provided citizens with routine access to crime statistics as did nearly half of those serving a population of at least 250,000 but less than 1 million. Just a fourth of the departments serving a population of less than 10,000 did so. In most cases, departments provided access to crime statistics at the county or city level (33%). Small percentages of departments provided routine access to crime statistics by neighborhood (7%), patrol beat (6%), district or precinct (5%), or by street or block (4%). Departments serving 1 or million or more residents were the most likely to provided crime statistics at these more detailed levels. As of June 1997, about 5 in 6 departments with routine access to crime statistics provided it to citizens who inquired in person (figure 10). About half made crime statistics available through the newspaper (54%) or telephone (51%), and a fourth through the use of radio. Other means through which departments made crime statistics available included television (14%), newsletters (14%), and the Internet (5%). Equipment Sidearms In 1997, 95% of sheriffs' departments, employing 98% of all sheriffs' officers, authorized the use of some type of semiautomatic sidearm (table 40). These figures represent increases compared to 1993, when 82% of departments, employing 91% of all officers, authorized semiautomatics. As in 1993, the 9mm semiautomatic was the most popular type of sheriffs' sidearm, with two-thirds of sheriffs' departments authorizing its use by officers. About three-fifths of departments authorized .40-caliber semiautomatic sidearms, and half the .45-caliber versions. Just under a fifth of departments authorized 10mm and .380- caliber semiautomatics. Just over half (54%) of departments authorized the use of revolvers by officers, with .357-caliber (44%) and .38-caliber (28%) revolvers the types most commonly authorized. A majority (64%) of sheriffs' departments supplied sidearms to officers, and another 4% provided a cash allowance to officers for the purchase of sidearms. About three-fourths of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department that either supplied sidearms (71%) or provided a cash allowance for their purchase (5%). Body armor In 1997, 48% of all sheriffs' departments required at least some of their regular field officers to wear protective armor while on duty (table 41). These agencies employed about half of all sheriffs' officers. Eighty-five percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 90% of all officers, supplied protective body armor to their regular field officers. An additional 4%, employing 8% of all officers, provided a cash allowance for armor. The percentage of sheriffs' departments requiring all regular field officers to wear body armor increased from 30% in 1993 to 39% in 1997. Such an increase was seen in all population categories (figure 11). The largest increase was in jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents, where 45% of sheriffs' departments required all officers to wear armor in 1997, compared to 28% in 1993. The next largest increases occurred in jurisdictions with 25,000 to 99,999 residents (from 36% to 46%) and those with fewer than 25,000 residents (from 26% to 35%). The percentage of all sheriffs' officers employed by a department with such a policy increased from 35% in 1993 to 40% in 1997. Nonlethal weapons In 1997 nearly all sheriffs' departments authorized officers to use one or more types of nonlethal weapons. Chemical agents, such as pepper spray, were the type of nonlethal weapon most commonly authorized for personal use by officers (table 42). Eighty-seven percent of all departments authorized the use of pepper spray, with the lowest percentage among those serving a population of less than 10,000 (76%). Other types of chemical agents authorized by sheriffs' departments for personal use by officers included CS (4%) and tear gas (3%). From 1993 to 1997 significant increases in the percentage of departments authorizing the use of pepper spray were recorded in all population categories (figure 12). In departments serving a population of 500,000 or more, 93% of departments authorized its use in 1997, compared to 72% in 1993. The increases in other population categories were as follows: 100,000 to 499,999 (from 70% to 90%); 25,000 to 49,999 (from 55% to 92%); under 25,000 (from 52% to 82%). In 1997 an estimated 90% of sheriffs' officers were employed by a department that authorized the use of pepper spray, compared to 64% in 1993. The second most frequently authorized type of nonlethal weapon was the baton; authorized by 80% of all departments. Departments authorizing batons employed 92% of all officers. The collapsible baton (59%) was authorized by more departments than traditional (38%) or PR-24 (36%) batons. Nationwide, about two-thirds of sheriffs' officers worked for a department that authorized them to use a collapsible baton (68%), and about half for a department that authorized the traditional (52%) or PR-24 (48%) baton. About a fifth of sheriffs' departments authorized the use of flash/bang grenades, including a majority of those serving a population of 250,000 or more. About 1 in 8 departments, employing about a fourth of all officers, authorized the use of electrical devices, such as tasers or stun guns. Just 5% of all departments authorized the use of carotid holds, choke holds, or neck restraints; however, more than a third of those serving a population of 1 million or more (36%) authorized officers to use these actions. A large majority of sheriff's' departments had written policy directives pertaining to the use of force by officers (table 43). About 9 in 10 had a written policy on the use of deadly force, including all departments serving a population of 50,000 to 499,999. Departments with a deadly force policy employed 99% of all sheriffs' officers. Eighty-four percent of all departments, employing 89% of all officers, had a written policy pertaining to the use of nonlethal force. Departments serving a population of less than 10,000 were the least likely to have a written policy on the use of force, lethal (77%) or nonlethal (69%). Vehicles Nationwide, sheriffs' departments operated 54 cars per 100 sworn personnel (table 44). By population category, the ratio of cars to officers ranged from 30 cars per 100 officers in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to 88 per 100 in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents. About a third of the cars operated by sheriffs' departments were unmarked (35%). The percentage of cars that were unmarked ranged from more than 40% in jurisdictions with a population of 250,000 or more, to 19% in jurisdictions with a population of less than 10,000. Eighty-eight percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 81% of all sheriffs' officers, allowed sworn personnel to take marked vehicles home (table 45). The percentage of departments allowing officers to take vehicles home ranged from 57% in jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents to more than 90% in jurisdictions with a population of less than 25,000. In a large majority of the sheriffs' departments that allowed marked vehicles to be taken home, officers were allowed only to drive their vehicle to and from work. Overall, about a fourth of departments allowed officers to operate a marked vehicle for personal errands, with those in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents (4%) the least likely to have such a policy. Fifty-seven percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 72% of all sheriffs' officers, maintained a restrictive pursuit driving policy (table 46). This type of policy restricts vehicle pursuits according to specific criteria such as type of offense or maximum speed. A restrictive policy was the most common type of vehicle pursuit policy in all population categories except the smallest. Departments in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents were more likely to have a judgmental pursuit policy (48%), one that leaves pursuit decisions to the officer's discretion, than a restrictive policy (38%). Overall, 28% of departments, employing 15% of all officers, had a judgmental policy. Seven percent of departments, employing 6% of all officers, did not have a pursuit driving policy. An estimated 31% of sheriffs' departments, employing 59% of all sheriffs' officers, operated at least 1 boat during 1997. This included about half of those serving a population of 50,000 or more (table 47). About a fourth of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of least 10,000 but less than 50,000 operated 1 or more boats. Just 4% of all departments operated airplanes or helicopters; however, about 3 in 10 departments in jurisdictions with a million or more residents operated at least one airplane and about 4 in 10 operated a helicopter. About a third of sheriffs' officers were employed by a department with at least one airplane or helicopter. Animals An estimated 46% of sheriffs' departments maintained 1 or more dogs for use in activities related to law enforcement (table 48). A majority of the departments in each population category of 25,000 or more used dogs, compared to less than a fourth of those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Nationwide, sheriffs' departments maintained about 3,000 dogs for activities related to law enforcement, and departments using dogs employed about three-fourths of all sheriffs' officers. Just 3% of all sheriffs' departments used horses for law enforcement purposes, with those in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents (22%) the most likely to be maintaining at least 1 horse. Sheriffs' departments collectively maintained approximately 670 horses, and those using horses employed 11% of all sheriffs' officers. Computers and information systems Types of computers used for administrative functions An estimated 93% of all sheriffs' departments were using 1 or more types of computers for administrative purposes in 1997 (table 49), compared to 82% in 1993. Well over 90% of the departments in jurisdictions with 25,000 or more residents were using computers, including all departments serving a population of 250,000 to 499,999. The percentage of sheriffs' officers nationwide that were employed by a department using computers increased from 96% in 1993 to 99% in 1997. In 1997 about three-fourths of sheriffs' departments used personal computers, compared with two-thirds in 1993. At least 90% of the departments in each population category of 50,000 or more used personal computers. Overall, sheriffs' departments using personal computers in 1997 employed 93% of all sheriffs' officers. About three-fifths of all departments were using a mainframe computer in 1997 compared to just under half in 1993. More than 70% of the departments in each population category of 50,000 or more were using a main-frame in 1997. About two-fifths of the departments serving a population of under 10,000 used mainframe computers. About 1 in 5 departments were using a minicomputer, including more than 3 in 5 departments serving a population of 500,000 or more. Departments using mainframes employed 81% of all officers in 1997, and those using minicomputers, 47%. Computer functions Sheriffs' departments used computers for various administrative functions in 1997. For example, 82% of all departments, employing 91% of all officers, used computers for record-keeping (table 50). About two-thirds of departments used computers for criminal investigations (65%), including 86% of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents. Departments using computers for investigations employed 81% of all officers. Forty-six percent of all departments, employing 72% of all officers, utilized computers for dispatch. A majority of the departments serving a population of 25,000 or more used computer-aided dispatch. Forty-three percent of departments used computers for crime analysis, including more than half of those serving 25,000 or more residents. Departments using computers for crime analysis employed two-thirds of all officers. Nearly a sixth of departments used computers for crime mapping, including about half of those serving a population of 1 million or more. Nearly a third of departments used computers to access the Internet, including a majority of those serving a population of 100,000 or more. Thirty percent of sheriffs' departments used computers for fleet management and 25% used them for resource allocation. A majority of departments serving 250,000 or more residents used computers for these purposes. For each of the functions included in the LEMAS survey, the percentage of sheriffs' departments that were using computers to perform that function was greater in 1997 than in 1993. Computerized files About three-fourths of sheriffs' departments were maintaining computerized files on warrants (75%), arrests (74%) and incident reports (74%) during 1997 (table 51). About three-fifths had computerized files on calls for service (60%), criminal histories (60%), stolen property (59%), and stolen vehicles (58%). Other types of computerized information files maintained by at least a third of all sheriffs' departments in 1997 included personnel (47%), incident-based crime data (47%), inventory (45%), traffic citations (44%), evidence (44%), summary-based crime data (42%), summonses (41%), and traffic accidents (38%). Less than a third of sheriffs' departments maintained the following types of computerized files during 1997: drivers license information (32%), payroll (32%), field interviews (31%), alarms (27%), vehicle registration (25%), and crime analysis (linked) (19%) (table 52). About three-fourths of the departments serving a population of 250,000 or more had computerized payroll information. A majority of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more maintained computerized files on field interviews and alarms. For each subject area covered by the LEMAS survey, sheriffs' officers were more likely to be employed by an agency that maintained that information in a computerized format in 1997 than in 1993 (figure 13). For example, the percentage of officers working for a department with computerized calls for service information increased from 66% to 79%. The increases for selected other types of information were as follows: warrants (from 82% in 1993 to 87% in 1997) arrests (80% to 86%); criminal histories (69% to 78%); stolen property (60% to 65%). Fifteen percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 53% of all sheriffs' officers, had either exclusive or shared ownership of an Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) that included a file of digitized prints (table 53). A majority of the departments serving a population of 250,000 or more had exclusive or shared ownership of an AFIS system, compared to 7% of those serving a population of less than 10,000. Nine percent of sheriffs' departments used an AFIS terminal with access to a remote system. These departments employed 42% of all sheriffs' officers. Use of computers in the field Nearly a third of sheriffs' departments, employing two-thirds of all officers, were using in-field computers or terminals during 1997 (table 54). This included about three-fourths of the departments serving 250,000 or more residents. Laptops were the most common type of in-field computer, used by about a fourth of departments. Departments using laptops employed half of all sheriffs officers. Nearly half of departments serving a population of 500,000 were using car-mounted data terminals. Overall, 5% of departments, employing 31% of all officers, used them. Smaller percentages of departments used car-mounted computers (2%) or hand-held terminals (1%). Departments using these technologies employed less than 10% of all officers. The 29% of sheriffs' departments using in-field computers or terminals in 1997, was nearly twice the percentage in 1993 (17%), and nearly 6 times that in 1990. Likewise, the 66% of sheriffs' officers working for a department with in-field computers or terminals in 1997 was considerably higher than in 1993 (50%) and 1990 (28%). From 1990 to 1997, increases in local police use of in-field computers and terminals occurred in jurisdictions of all sizes (figure 14). During this period, in-field computer use among departments serving 500,000 or more residents increased from 43% to 74%; among departments serving 100,000 to 499,999 residents, from 13% to 59%; among departments serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 6% to 33%; and among departments serving fewer than 25,000 residents, from 2% to 17%. A fourth of sheriffs' departments used in-field computers or terminals for writing incident reports, including more than two-fifths of those serving a population of 1 million or more (table 55). About an eighth used them for some of their in-field communications, including about a third of those serving 250,000 or more residents. In nearly an eighth of sheriffs' departments at least some officers used in-field computers to access vehicle or driving records in 1997 (table 56). This included three-fifths of the departments serving a population of 1 million or more. Eight percent of sheriffs' departments used in-field computers to access criminal histories, including more than a third of the departments serving 500,000 or more residents. Seven percent of departments used in-field computers to access calls for service information, including a fourth of those in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 or more. Eighty-seven percent of sheriffs' departments used paper reports to transmit criminal incident reports from the field to its central information system (table 57). All departments serving a population of 1 million or more residents used paper reports. More than 80% of the departments in each of the other population categories used paper reports. Other methods used by sheriffs' departments for transmitting criminal incident reports from the field included computers and data devices (7%), and telephone or wireless transmissions (6%). Ninety percent of sheriffs' departments, used paper reports to transmit traffic incident reports from the field. All departments serving a population of 500,000 to 999,999 used paper reports for traffic incidents. Among the other methods of transmitting traffic incident reports to a central information system, computer and data devices were used by 5% of departments, and telephones or wireless transmissions by 4%. Methodology The Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey collects data from a nationally representative sample of the approximately 19,000 publicly funded State and local law enforcement agencies in the United States. This report presents data from the 1997 survey describing the more than 3,000 sheriffs' departments operating in the United States in terms of their personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, community policing initiatives, equipment, computers and information systems, and written policies. Comparisons are made with prior years where appropriate. All sheriffs' departments are operated by either a county or independent city government. The 1997 LEMAS survey questionnaire was mailed to 3,597 State and local law enforcement agencies. The overall response rate was 94.9%. Among sheriffs' departments, 915 of 1,001 surveys were returned for a 91.4% response rate. All 968 State and local law enforcement agencies in the United States with 100 or more sworn officers (as reported in the 1996 BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies) received the full-length LEMAS survey questionnaire. This included 306 sheriffs' departments. These self-representing (SR) agencies were supplemented by a nationally representative sample of agencies with fewer than 100 sworn officers. 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 2,629 NSR agencies, including 695 sheriffs' departments, received 1 of 2 shorter versions of the questionnaire that was mailed to the SR agencies. The initial mailing of the questionnaire was conducted in July 1997. The pay period containing June 15, 1997, was used as the reference date for personnel-related questions and June 30, 1997, 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 3,412 agencies responded to the LEMAS questionnaire, including 909 SR agencies and 2,503 NSR agencies. The final database includes responses from 2,012 local police departments, 915 sheriffs' departments, 356 special jurisdiction police departments, 80 Texas constable offices, and the 49 primary State police departments. The base weight for all SR agencies is 1. For NSR sheriffs' departments, it is 4. For NSR local police departments, the base weights are determined by number of sworn officers employed as reported in the 1996 BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies. For agencies with 0 to 6 sworn officers, the base weight is 15.55; for 7 to 13 officers, it is 9.65; for 14 to 23 officers, it is 7.09; for 24 to 39 officers, it is 4.95; for 40 to 62 officers, it is 3.38; and for 63 to 99 officers, the base weight is 2.14. Special police are similarly weighted based upon the number of sworn officers. For agencies with 0 to 9 officers, the base weight is 9.85; for 10 to 24 officers, it is 4.90; for 25 to 49 officers, it is 2.75; and for 50 to 99 officers, it is 1.52. 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. 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. 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 figures from the expenditure and employment series do not. U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director Andrew L. Goldberg and Brian A. Reaves, BJS statisticians prepared this report. Timothy C. Hart provided statistical review. Thomas Hester and Tina Dorsey provided production assistance. Jayne Robinson provided final production for printing, under the supervision of Thomas Hester. Debra Cohen, Ph.D., Joseph B. Kuhns III, Tammy Rinehart, Karin Schmerler, and Meg Townsend of the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) developed the community policing content of the 1997 LEMAS questionnaire. Funding for the community policing section of the questionnaire was provided by the COPS Office. Additional information on the COPS Office is available on the Internet at: http://www.usdoj.gov/cops. The 1997 LEMAS data were collected and processed by the Governments Division of the Bureau of the Census under the supervision of Stephanie Brown and Stephen Owens. Census Bureau project staff included Carolyn Gates, Henrietta Herrin, Martha Haselbush, Martha Greene, and Patricia Torreyson. Sample selection and imputation procedures were done by Yukiko Ellis and Suzanne Dorinski of the Economic Statistical Methods and Procedures Division of the Census Bureau under the supervision of Carma Hogue. Data presented in this report may be obtained from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan, 1-800-999-0960. The report and data are available on the Internet at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs End of file 1/28/00 ih