U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2000 July 2001, NCJ 187231 -------------------------------------------------------- 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/fleo2000.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 -------------------------------------------------------- By Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D. and Timothy C. Hart BJS Statisticians -------------------------------------------------------- Highlights * Duties for Federal officers included criminal investigation (41%), police response and patrol (19%), corrections (18%), noncriminal investigation and inspection (13%), court operations (4%), and security and protection (3%). * About three-fifths of Federal officers were employed by the INS (17,654), Bureau of Prisons (13,557), FBI (11,523), and U.S. Customs Service (10,522). Nine other agencies employed at least 1,000 officers. * Among major employers, the INS (1,102), Bureau of Prisons (970), and DEA (856) had the largest increases in number of officers from 1998 to 2000. The largest percentage increases were at the DEA (26%), ATF (14%), and Secret Service (13%). * Twenty-one States and the District of Columbia had more than 1,000 full-time Federal officers. Texas (12,225) and California (12,074) had the largest number. New Hampshire (84) and Delaware (104) had the fewest. * Nationwide, there were 31 Federal officers per 100,000 residents. Outside the District of Columbia, which had 1,397 per 100,000, State ratios ranged from 76 per 100,000 in Arizona to 7 per 100,000 in Iowa and New Hampshire. * Women accounted for 14.4% of Federal officers in 2000. Minority representation was 30.5% in 2000, up from 29.2% in 1998. Hispanic or Latino officers comprised 15.2% of officers in 2000, and African American or black officers, 11.7%. ------------------------------------------------------- As of June 2000, Federal agencies employed more than 88,000 full-time personnel authorized to make arrests and carry firearms, according to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Compared with June 1998, employment of such personnel increased by about 5%. The BJS count of Federal law enforcement officers includes personnel with Federal arrest authority who were also authorized (but not necessarily required) to carry firearms in the performance of their official duties. Nearly all Federal officers are armed while on duty; Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional officers are the largest group who do not carry firearms during normal duty. All counts include both nonsupervisory and supervisory personnel. They exclude officers in the U.S. Armed Forces and those serving in U.S. Territories or foreign countries. Federal agencies reported employing about 1,200 officers in U.S. Territories as of June 2000. Data on Federal officers stationed in foreign countries were not obtained. The 69 agencies included in the survey employed about 72,000 additional full-time support personnel and had a combined annual budget for fiscal 2000 of approximately $18 billion. In response to the BJS survey, Federal agencies classified their personnel with arrest and firearm authority into one of six categories according to their primary area of duty. The largest number, about 36,000, performed duties related to criminal investigation and enforcement (41%). The next largest categories were police response and patrol with about 17,000 officers (19%), and corrections with about 16,000 (18%). About 12,000 Federal officers performed duties related to noncriminal investigation and inspection (13%). Smaller numbers performed duties related to court operations (4%), or security and protection (3%). Major employers of Federal officers Department of Justice agencies Four of the five largest employers of Federal officers were within the Department of Justice. The largest employer of Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), had 17,654 such personnel in the United States as of June 2000. The INS enforcement operations budget for fiscal 2000 was about $2.8 billion. About half of INS officers worked for the U.S. Border Patrol. These 8,819 officers accounted for 53% of officers in the police response and patrol category. The Border Patrol, the mobile uniformed branch of the INS, is responsible for the detection and prevention of smuggling and illegal entry of aliens into the country, with primary responsibility between the ports of entry. Border Patrol officers work along, and in the vicinity of, the 8,000 miles of U.S. boundaries. The Border Patrol is one of two Border Management Units within the INS. The other is the Inspections Branch, which employed 4,062 immigration inspectors with arrest and firearm authority at ports of entry. These officers were all classified under the noncriminal investigation and inspection category. The INS operates three Interior Enforcement Units -- the Investigations, Intelligence, and Deportation and Detention Divisions. These Divisions employed 2,255 criminal investigators and immigration agents responsible for investigating crimes under INS jurisdiction, and 2,518 officers performing corrections- related duties related to detention and deportation. As of June 2000, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), was the second largest employer of Federal officers, with 13,557 correctional officers maintaining the security of BOP institutions and the 124,000 inmates in custody. BOP correctional officers comprised 84% of the Federal officers in the corrections category. Their daily duties include supervision of inmates, conducting searches for contraband, and responding to emergencies and disturbances. ***Footnote 1: The BJS survey limited the BOP count to full-time correctional officers, and others with direct responsibility for dealing with inmates such as correctional counselors and captains. BOP provides most of its other employees with arrest and firearm authority so that they can respond to emergencies and disturbances as needed.*** BOP reported a fiscal 2000 budget of approximately $3.1 billion. The third largest Justice Department employer of Federal officers was the FBI, which had 11,523 full-time personnel with arrest and firearm authority. Nearly all were FBI special agents, responsible for criminal investigation and enforcement. The FBI, with a fiscal 2000 budget of $3.3 billion, has investigative jurisdiction over more than 200 categories of Federal crimes including bank fraud, embezzlement, kidnaping, and civil rights violations. It also has concurrent jurisdiction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over drug offenses under the Controlled Substances Act. The DEA, the fourth largest Justice Department employer of Federal officers, had 4,161 employees authorized to make arrests and carry firearms as of June 2000. DEA special agents investigate major narcotics violators, enforce regulations governing the manufacture and dispensing of controlled substances, and perform other functions to prevent and control drug trafficking. DEA's fiscal 2000 budget was about $1.3 billion. The other major employer within the Justice Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, employed 2,735 officers with arrest and firearm authority. The Marshals Service receives all persons arrested by Federal agencies and is responsible for their custody and transportation until sentencing. With BOP assistance it also transfers sentenced Federal inmates between facilities. The Marshals Service also has jurisdiction over Federal fugitive matters concerning escaped prisoners, probation and parole violators, persons under DEA warrants, and defendants released on bond. The Marshals Service makes 55% of all arrests of Federal fugitives. Other responsibilities include managing the Federal Witness Security and Federal Asset Seizure and Forfeiture Programs, and providing security for Federal judicial facilities and personnel. The Marshals Service, with a fiscal 2000 budget of $570 million, is the oldest Federal law enforcement agency, having been in operation since 1789. Department of the Treasury agencies Four major employers of Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority are in the Treasury Department: the U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). As of June 2000, the Customs Service employed 10,522 officers with arrest and firearm authority. This included 7,729 inspectors and 2,779 criminal investigators. Customs Service officers interdict and seize contraband entering the United States, process persons (1.3 million daily), vehicles, and items at more than 300 U.S. ports of entry, and administer certain navigational laws. As the Nation's primary border interdiction agency, the Customs Service maintains an extensive air, land, and marine interdiction force as well as an investigations component supported by it own intelligence branch. The Customs Service has investigative responsibilities covering more than 400 laws related to customs, drugs, export control, and revenue fraud. Its fiscal 2000 budget was about $2.2 billion. The second largest Treasury Department employer was the U.S. Secret Service which had a fiscal 2000 budget of $762 million and employed 4,039 full-time personnel with the authority to make arrests and carry firearms. The total included 2,710 special agents with criminal investigation and enforcement duties primarily related to counterfeiting, financial crimes, computer fraud, and threats against dignitaries. Most of the remainder of Secret Service officers were in the Uniformed Division. These officers provide protection for the White House complex and other Presidential offices, the Main Treasury Building and Annex, the President and Vice President and their immediate families, and foreign diplomatic missions. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was the third largest Treasury Department employer of officers with arrest and firearm authority, with 2,726 such per- sonnel. All were special agents within the Criminal Investigation Division, the law enforcement arm of the IRS charged with enforcing the Nation's tax laws. Its fiscal 2000 budget was about $438 million. As of January 1999, most duties of the former IRS Inspections Division were assumed by the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. ATF, the fourth largest law enforcement agency within the Department of the Treasury, employed 1,967 officers with arrest and firearm authority. ATF, which had a fiscal 2000 budget of $644 million, is a tax-collecting, enforcement, and regulatory arm of the Treasury Department. ATF enforces Federal laws related to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives, and arson. ---------------------------------- About 4 in 5 Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority worked for Justice or Treasury agencies Nearly 50,000, or 56.2%, of Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority worked for agencies within the Department of Justice. About 20,000, or 22.8%, were employed by agencies within the Department of the Treasury. The only other executive branch department that accounted for more than 1% of officers was the Department of the Interior (4.1%). Overall, executive branch agencies employed 88% of officers. Independent agencies (6.5%), the Federal judiciary (4.2%), and the legislative branch (1.6%) employed the rest. ----------------------------------- Other agencies with 500 or more officers The largest employers of Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority outside of the Justice and Treasury Departments were the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the National Park Service. As of June 2000, the Federal Corrections and Supervision Division of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts employed approximately 4,000 probation officers, all of whom have arrest authority. About 3,600 were employed in districts where the court authorizes officers to carry firearms while on duty. In 2000 the BJS survey included all of these officers in its counts. About three-fourths of them are approved to carry a firearm and were the only officers counted in previous BJS surveys. About three-fifths of the 3,412 officers in the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were Postal Inspectors, responsible for criminal investigations covering more than 200 Federal statutes related to the postal system. The others were Postal Police officers who provide security for postal facilities, employees, and assets, escort high-value mail shipments, and perform other protective functions. The National Park Service employed 2,188 full-time personnel with arrest and firearm authority in June 2000. This included 1,544 park rangers commissioned as law enforcement officers. Additional rangers serving seasonally were also commissioned officers but were considered part-time and excluded from the BJS survey. The Park Service total also includes 644 U.S. Park Police officers. Although most Park Police officers are in the Washington, D.C., area, they are authorized to provide police services for the entire National Park System. The U.S. Capitol Police employed 1,199 officers to provide police services for the U.S. Capitol grounds and buildings. In 1992, the Congress granted the U.S. Capitol Police full law enforcement authority in an extended jurisdiction zone covering the area immediately surrounding the Capitol complex. The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employed 888 personnel with arrest and firearm authority. About three-fifths were refuge officers, with duties related to patrol and enforcement of Federal wildlife conservation and environmental laws in the National Wildlife Refuge system. The remainder were Special Agents responsible for investigating violations of numerous Federal wildlife protection laws and treaties. The General Services Administration employed 803 officers in its Federal Protective Service. These officers per- form police response and patrol (71%), security and protection (20%), and criminal investigation (7%) duties related to Federal buildings and property, and the employees and visitors using them. The State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security employed 617 officers as of June 2000. All of these Diplomatic Security Service officers were categorized under security and protection because their primary function is to protect visiting dignitaries. The agency's Special Agents also investigate passport and visa fraud, and threats against foreign missions in the U.S., foreign dignitaries, or Federal employees. The USDA Forest Service employed 586 officers responsible for police response and patrol (78%), and criminal investigation (21%) duties related to National Forest System lands, facilities, and users. ---------------------------------- Federal probation and pretrial services officers The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC) employs both probation officers and pretrial services officers. These officers are employees of the U.S. district court and are appointed by the judge they serve. They are supervised by the chief probation officer or chief pretrial services officer in their district. As of mid-2000, the AOUSC employed about 4,000 probation officers and 600 pretrial services officers. Federal probation officers supervise offenders placed on probation and supervised release. They also conduct presentence investigations in which they assess the risk to the community in the form of future criminal behavior, the harm caused by the offense, the need for restitution, and the defendant's ability to pay restitution. Probation officers have statutory authority to arrest supervisees for a violation; however, under existing policy, they are encouraged to obtain an arrest warrant from the court, which is executed by the Marshals Service. Like probation officers, Federal pretrial services officers also have the two main responsibilities of investigation and supervision. Pretrial officers investigate defendants charged with a criminal offense and submit reports to the court that include recommendations for conditional release or pretrial detention. Pretrial officers also supervise defendants released to their custody and monitor defendants' compliance with the release conditions imposed by the court. Pretrial officers do not have any statutory authority to make arrests and therefore are excluded from the counts in this report. They are required to inform the court and the U.S. attorney of all violations which may result in the issuance of an arrest warrant. Such warrants are executed by the Marshals Service. If allowed in their Federal judicial district, both probation officers and pretrial services officers may carry a firearm for defensive purposes while on duty. Before doing so, they must complete rigorous training and certification requirements, provide objective justification, and be approved to do so on an individual basis. The following districts do not allow any officers to carry a firearm in the performance of their official duties: California, Central Connecticut Massachusetts Tennessee, Middle Virgin Islands Virginia, Eastern Wisconsin, Eastern Wisconsin, Western ---------------------------------------- Agencies employing at least 100 but fewer than 500 Federal officers Federal agencies with 500 or more officers employed about 82,000, or 93%, of the Federal officers covered by the BJS survey. Excluding offices of inspector general, 14 additional Federal agencies reported employing at least 100 but fewer than 500 full-time personnel with arrest and firearm authority.***Footnote 2: The CIA Security Protective Service and Federal air Marshals program of the Federal Aviation Administration employ officers with arrest and firearm authority; however, the number of such personnel is not public information.*** The U. S. Mint, a bureau of the Treasury Department, employed 354 officers within its Police Division as of June 2000, an increase of 26% over 1998 levels. These officers provide police and patrol services for U.S. Mint facilities, including safeguarding the Nation's coinage and gold bullion reserves. Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Veteran's Health Administration employed 342 officers with arrest and firearm authority as of June 2000. This was an increase of 31% over 1998 as the VA continued plans to expand firearm authority to its entire police force. The VA projects it will have about 900 officers with arrest and firearm authority by the end of fiscal 2001. The VA Police employs about 2,400 officers with arrest authority at its 173 medical centers nationwide. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak, employed 316 full-time officers within its Police Division. These officers provide police response and patrol (87%) and investigative (11%) services for a national railroad system that has 24,000 employees and serves more than 21 million passengers annually. The Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs employed 281 officers in its Office of Law Enforcement Services to provide law enforcement services in Indian country. In addition, many tribal governments operate their own police departments. The Department of Defense employed 264 full-time officers within its Defense Protective Service at the Pentagon. This agency provides law enforcement services at a facility with 23,000 employees and 3.7 million square feet of office space. The Department of Energy employed 214 personnel with arrest and firearm authority in its Transportation Safeguards Division. These Nuclear Materials Couriers protect nuclear weapons shipments from the manufacturer to designated locations. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) employed 211 officers with arrest and firearm authority within its Police Department. These officers provide police services for BEP facilities including those where currency, stamps, securities, and other official U.S. documents are made. The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employed 197 officers with arrest and firearm authority. Three-fourths of these were BLM rangers, providing police response and patrol services, and a fourth were criminal investigators. BLM manages 264 million acres of surface lands located primarily in 12 Western States and 300 million acres of below ground mineral estate throughout the country. BLM lands receive about 60 million recreational visitors annually. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Nation's largest public producer of electricity, employed 190 personnel with arrest and firearm authority as of June 2000. TVA Police officers provide patrol and investigative services for TVA employees and properties, and the users of TVA recreational facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency employed 179 Special Agents with arrest and firearm authority within its Criminal Investigation Division. These officers investigate violations of the Nation's environmental laws that pose a significant threat to human health and the environment. As of June 2000, the Library of Congress employed 147 officers on its police force, 47% more than in 1998. These officers provide law enforcement services in the library's buildings, protecting staff and patrons and assisting in the protection of the library's property and collections. The Food and Drug Administration, located within the Department of Health and Human Services, employed 133 criminal investigators with arrest and firearm authority. These officers investigate violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other public health laws. Within the Commerce Department, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service employed 125 officers with arrest and firearm authority in the Office for Law Enforcement. These special agents enforce Federal laws and regulations that protect the Nation's living marine resources. Also within the Commerce Department, the Bureau of Export Administration employed 100 criminal investigators with arrest and firearm authority in its Office of Export Enforcement. These agents investigate violations of export regulations and laws. Offices of inspector general Twenty-eight of the 57 statutory Federal offices of inspector general (IG) employed criminal investigators with arrest and firearm authority in June 2000. Overall, these agencies employed about 2,700 such officers as well as 1,854 additional personnel. Collectively, their 2000 budgets totaled approximately $500 million. Offices of inspector general investigate criminal violations and prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse related to Federal programs, operations, and employees. For links to various IG offices' Internet homepages and a description of their duties go to . As of June 2000, the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) was the largest IG employer of Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority, with 352. TIGTA began operation in January 1999, in accordance with the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. The act mandated that, among other duties, TIGTA assume most of the responsibilities of the IRS' former Inspection Service. After TIGTA, the largest IG offices were in the Departments of Defense (322) and Health and Human Services (303), followed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (248), the Social Security Administration (238), and the Department of Agriculture (217). Overall, 24% of IG investigators with arrest and firearm authority were women, and 22% were members of a racial or ethnic minority. African Americans or blacks (11%) comprised the largest minority percentage followed by Hispanics or Latinos (8%) and Asians or Pacific Islanders (2%). Percent of full-time IG personnel with arrest and firearm authority Male 76.2% Female 23.8 White 78.1 Black 11.4 Hispanic 7.6 Asian 2.4 American Indian 0.5 Among IG offices employing 50 or more officers, the EPA (32.7%), Department of Education (31.7%) and Department of Agriculture (31.3%) had the highest proportion of women. The EPA (36.5%) also had the largest minority percentage, followed by HUD (30.8%) and GSA (30.5%). Gender and race of Federal officers Data on gender and race were available for 97% of Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority. Women accounted for 1 in every 7, or 14.4%, of Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority. Twenty-seven percent of the officers employed by the IRS were women, the largest proportion of any agency with 500 or more officers. Other agencies where at least a sixth of the officers were women included the Customs Service (19.1%), the U.S. Capitol Police (17.8%), the FBI (17.1%) and the USDA Forest Service (16.9%). The lowest percentages of female officers were found at the DEA (8.4%), Federal Protective Service (8.9%), Secret Service (9.1%), U.S. Park Police (9.2%), and Bureau of Diplomatic Security (9.7%). About 3 in 10 Federal law enforcement officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority (30.5%). Hispanic or Latino officers accounted for 15.2%, non-Hispanic blacks for 11.7%, Asians and Pacific Islanders for 2.2%, and American Indians for 1.2%. Among agencies employing 500 or more officers, the largest minority representation was at the Federal Protective Service (44.4%) and the INS (41.8%). Other agencies where minorities comprised more than a fourth of officers were the BOP (39.2%), Customs Service (35.5%), Postal Inspection Service (35.7%), and U.S. Capitol Police (32.6%). The lowest percentages of minority officers were at the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (7.1%), National Park Service, Ranger Division (10.6%), and the Fish and Wildlife Service (13.2%). The INS (33.2%) and the U.S. Customs Service (23.8%) employed the highest percentage of Hispanic officers. The highest percentages of black officers were at the Federal Protective Service (32.4%), U.S. Capitol Police (28.8%), BOP (24.5%), and Postal Inspection Service (23.6%). The U.S. Forest Service (8.0%) employed the highest percentage of American Indians followed by the Fish and Wildlife Service (3.9%). The Postal Inspection Service (3.6%), Customs Service (3.5%), and IRS (3.5%) had the most Asians and Pacific Islanders. States where Federal officers worked About half (51%) of all Federal officers with arrest authority were employed in Texas (12,225), California (12,074), the District of Columbia (7,991), New York (7,183), and Florida (5,532). These jurisdictions accounted for 53% of the 53,227 full-time Federal officers who primarily performed police response and patrol or criminal investigation and enforcement functions. Other States with at least 2,000 Federal officers included Arizona (3,912), Pennsylvania (3,184), Illinois (2,713), Virginia (2,712), New Jersey (2,274) and Georgia (2,164). Ten other States had at least 1,000 officers: Michigan (1,555), Colorado (1,489), Washington (1,394), Louisiana (1,285), Maryland (1,274), Massachusetts (1,268), New Mexico (1,249), Missouri (1,163), and Ohio (1,137), and North Carolina (1,103). New Hampshire (84) had the smallest number of full-time Federal officers, followed by Delaware (104), and Rhode Island (130). Four other States had fewer than 250 Federal officers: Nebraska (208), Iowa (207), South Dakota (204), and Wyoming (180). Overall, Federal agencies employed 31 officers with arrest and firearm authority per 100,000 residents. The District of Columbia, the location of many headquarters, employed the most, 1,397 per 100,000. States with at least 50 officers per 100,000 residents included Arizona (76), New Mexico (69), Texas (59), and Alaska (54). In addition to the District of Columbia (1,199), 7 States had at least 25 Federal officers per 100,000 residents performing patrol and investigative functions. These included Arizona (54), New Mexico (49), Alaska (32), Texas (34), Wyoming (32), Virginia (30), and Montana (25). Three States had fewer than 10 Federal officers per 100,000 residents: Iowa (7), New Hampshire (7), and Wisconsin (8). There were 18 States with fewer than 10 officers per 100,000 residents performing patrol and investigative functions. The lowest ratio, 5 per 100,000, was found for Indiana, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. The INS employed two-thirds of its officers in Texas (29%), California (26%), and Arizona (12%) (table 7). These three States accounted for 88% of Border Patrol officers, with 6% in New Mexico. Just under 4% of Border Patrol officers were in the 11 States bordering Canada. Nearly half of Bureau of Prisons correctional officers were employed in Texas (13%), Pennsylvania (9%), California (8%), Florida (7%), New York (6%), and Colorado (5%). California (12%), the District of Columbia (12%), and New York (11%) accounted for more than a third of FBI agents. Other major States of employment included Texas (7%), Virginia (6%), and Florida (5%). The U.S. Customs Service based more than a third of its officers in Texas (20%) and California (17%). Next highest were Florida (12%) and New York (11%). A majority of the Federal officers in both Texas (59%) and California (52%) worked for either the Customs Service or the INS. The DEA based more than half its agents in California (14%), Texas (12%), and Florida (10%), New York (9%), and Virginia (8%). Arizona and Illinois accounted for 3% each. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reported that the largest number of Federal probation officers employed in Districts where they have arrest and firearm authority were in Texas (12%), New York (8%), Florida (8%), and California (5%). About 3 in 10 Postal Inspection Service officers were employed in New York (17%) and California (12%). The District of Columbia and Pennsylvania had 7% each, followed by Texas and New Jersey with 6% each. The U.S. Marshals Service had the most officers based in New York (9%), followed by California, Texas, and the District of Columbia with 7% each. Florida (6%) and Virginia (5%) had the next highest numbers. About 3 in 10 IRS criminal investigators were based in California (12%), New York (9%), and Texas (9%). The next highest percentages were in Florida (7%), Georgia (5%), and Illinois (5%). The largest number of National Park Service (NPS) personnel with arrest and firearm authority were in the District of Columbia (22%) where the U.S. Park Police employed three-fourths of its 644 officers. Other major States of employment for the NPS were California (11%), New York (6%), and Arizona (6%). The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms based nearly a third of its agents in the District of Columbia (10%), California (8%), Texas (7%), and Florida (6%). New York, Georgia, and Illinois accounted for 5% each. California and Florida each accounted for 7% of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel with arrest and firearm authority. Alaska and Texas were next with 6% each. The Federal Protective Service had nearly a fourth of its officers in the District of Columbia (23%), followed by California and New York, with 9% each. More than a fifth of U.S. Forest Service officers were based in California (23%). About a sixth were in Oregon (9%) or Montana (7%). Trends in employment of Federal officers, 1996 - 2000 The number of nonmilitary Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority increased more than 12,000, or about 16%, from June 1996 to June 2000. From June 1998 to June 2000 employment of Federal officers grew about 4,500, or 5%. The largest increase in number of officers was at the INS, which went from 16,552 officers in 1998 to 17,654 officers in 2000, an increase of 1,102 (figure 3). Large increases in the number of officers also occurred at the BOP, (from 12,587 to 13,557, an increase of 970) and at the DEA (from 3,305 to 4,161, an increase of 856). Other major employers with increases included the Secret Service (452), ATF (244), and the FBI (234). By percentage, the largest increase in personnel with arrest and firearm authority was at the DEA, up 26% from 1998 to 2000. Increases also occurred at ATF (14%), Secret Service (13%), BOP (8%), and INS (7%). The IRS Criminal Investigation Division experienced the largest decrease -- from 3,011 officers in 1998 to 2,726 in 2000, or 8.4%. In addition, the IRS Inspection Service, with about 350 officers in June 1998, was eliminated. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported 78 fewer officers, about a 2% decrease. Gender and race From 1996 to 2000 the percentage of female Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority increased from 13.7% to 14.4%. During this time minority representation rose from 27.6% to 30.5%, including a rise in the percentage of black officers from 11.3% to 11.7% and in Hispanic officers from 12.9% to 15.2%. From 1996 to 2000, except for the INS, all of the largest employers for whom data were available reported increases in the percentage of female personnel with arrest and firearm authority. At INS the percentage dropped from 12.7% to 11.3%. All agencies recorded increases in the percentage of officers who were members of a racial or ethnic minority. ------------------------------------- Growth in the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1993-2000 In June 2000 about 1 in 5 nonmilitary Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority worked for the INS compared to 1 in 7 in December 1993 (the reference month for the first BJS census of Federal officers). During this time, the number of INS officers increased more than 8,000 -- from 9,466 to 17,654. This 86% increase far outpaced that of any other Federal agency, including the Bureau of Prisons, which increased its number of correctional officers about 3,600, or 36%, during the same period. From December 1993 to June 2000, the INS Border Patrol more than doubled in size, from 3,920 officers to 8,819, an increase of 125%. This included an increase of 1,005, or 13%, since June 1998. These increases are the result of large staffing increases in the States bordering Mexico where the number of Border Patrol officers increased 140%, from 3,460 in December 1993 to 8,292 in June 2000. From 1998 to 2000, 1,078 officers were added, for an increase of 15%. Compared to 1993, the number of employees in other branches of the INS were also much larger in 2000. The number of INS investigators was 43% higher, inspectors, 41% higher, and detention officers, 131% higher. However, the number of such employees remained about the same from 1998 to 2000. In the 11 States that border Canada, the number of Border Patrol agents was about the same in June 2000 as in December 1993, but the number of immigration inspectors decreased 19%. There were increases in the number of criminal investigators (17%) and officers working in detention-related positions (120%) in these States. This resulted in a small increase from 1993 to 2000 in the number of INS officers in the States bordering Canada -- from 2,045 to 2,090 (2%); however, the year 2000 total in these categories represented a 5% decrease from 1998. As a result of the large increase in INS officers in the States that border Mexico and only a modest increase in their numbers in the States that border Canada, 70% of all INS personnel with arrest and firearm authority were based in the southern border States in 2000, compared to 61% in 1993. During the same time the percentage of INS officers based in the northern border States decreased from 22% to 12%. ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ Training for Federal officers A majority of Federal officers receive some or all of their training through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Among the exceptions are special agents with the FBI and DEA, who complete basic training at their respective academies in Quantico, Virginia. FLETC, a bureau of the Treasury Department, serves 70 Federal agencies, as well as State, local, and international law enforcement communities. FLETC had nearly 600 full-time employees during fiscal 2000. This staff was supplemented by nearly 200 personnel detailed from more than 20 participating Federal agencies to oversee their training programs. FLETC has an annual budget of over $100 million. The basic training requirements for Federal officers varied by agency and by position within agencies. Overall, FLETC offers more than 100 different agency-specific training programs. Among major employers, classroom training for criminal investigators ranged from about 8 weeks to 22 weeks. For patrol officers, classroom training ranged from 4 weeks to 26 weeks. Field training requirements ranged from 2 weeks to 6 months for patrol officers, and as long as 2 years of on-the-job training for investigators. During fiscal year 1970, its first year of operation, FLETC graduated 848 students. In its first full year of operations at its current headquarters location at Glynco, Georgia, more than 5,000 students graduated. In fiscal 2000, more than 23,000 graduated, including about 3,400 State and local officers. Although a large majority of FLETC graduates attend training at Glynco, the FLETC Artesia Center in New Mexico graduated 2,420 students in fiscal 2000. This facility was established in 1990 to provide training for agencies such as INS and BOP that have concentrations of personnel in the western United States. In 1995 a temporary FLETC satellite training campus was established in Charleston, South Carolina, to train INS and Border Patrol officers as these forces expanded. This facility had 639 graduates during fiscal 2000. During fiscal year 2000 Federal agencies with 400 or more FLETC graduates included INS, 4,844; Customs Service, 3,211; BOP, 2,554; ATF, 822; Marshals Service, 776; IRS, 671; National Park Service, 578; and the Secret Service, 412. --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Federal law enforcement officers killed or assaulted, 1995-99 The Uniform Crime Reports Division of the FBI publishes data annually on law enforcement officers killed or assaulted in the United States and its territories. The Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) series covers assaults on Federal officers employed in the Departments of Interior, Justice, and Treasury, as well as the U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Capitol Police. These agencies provided data on more than 3,200 assaults on Federal officers that occurred from 1995 through 1999. A total of 890, or 28%, of these assaults resulted in personal injury to the officer. Twenty officers were feloniously killed during this period, including 5 officers with the INS and 4 with the Secret Service. Federal officers killed, 1995-99 Total 20 Immigration and Naturalization 5 U.S. Secret Service 4 Federal Bureau of Investigation 2 U.S. Customs Service 2 U.S. Capitol Police 2 National Park Service 2 Bureau of Indian Affairs 2 Drug Enforcement Administration 1 About a third of all assaults on Federal officers involved the use of personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet. About 15% involved the use of a firearm, and 10% the use of a vehicle. Bombs, knives, and blunt objects each accounted for less than 2% of assaults on Federal officers. Types of assaults on Federal officers, 1995-99 Total 100% Personal 32.8% Threat 18.2 Firearm 15.3 Vehicle 10.4 Bomb 1.5 Knife 1.5 Blunt object 1.3 Other 19.1 The largest percentage of assaults on Federal officers occurred while the officer was on patrol or guard duty (37%). Twenty-one percent were assaulted while conducting an investigation or search, and 16% while making an arrest or serving a summons. Circumstance of assaults on Federal officers, 1995-99 Total 100% Patrol/guard duty 36.9% Investigation/search 21.4 Arrest/summons 16.3 Office duty 4.5 Custody of prisoners 3.6 Protection duty 2.3 Court duty 1.0 Other duties 14.0 Based on 1995-99 LEOKA data for agencies with 1,000 or more officers, the National Park Service had the highest average annual assault rate per 1,000 officers, 38.7. The next highest rate was at ATF (31.0), followed by DEA (17.9), INS (14.1), Marshals Service (9.7), Customs Service (9.7), and Secret Service (8.9). When only assaults that resulted in death or injury are considered, the National Park Service had a rate of 15 per 1,000, about 3 times the next highest rate of 5.1 per 1,000 at the U.S. Customs Service. Although the LEOKA data do not provide information below the agencylevel, different divisions with an agency may have dramatically different assault rates. For example, it is known that in 1992 there were 228 assaults on Border Patrol agents. Even using 1993 employment levels, this is an assault rate of 58.1 per 1,000 officers, considerably higher than the overall INS rate. The LEOKA data also do not include assaults on Bureau of Prison staff; however, BJS collects such data in its Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities. During the year ending June 30, 2000, there were 1,295 assaults on Federal prison staff, with none resulting in death. Over its history, BOP has experienced an average of one correctional officer death about every 3 years. The only agency with fewer than 1,000 officers for which data are reported in LEOKA is the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which had 281 officers as of June 2000. From 1996 to 1999 BIA had an average of 38 assaults per year against its officers. This is equivalent to a annual rate of 126 assaults per 1,000 officers, including a rate of 51 per 1,000 for assaults resulting in death or injury. These rates are more than 3 times that of any other agency included in LEOKA. Average annual number of assaults on Federal officers with arrest and firearm authority, 1995-99 Total Per 1,000 officers* Killed or Killed or Agency with 1,000 or more officers Total injured Total injured National Park Service 84 35 38.7 15.0 U.S. Customs Service 99 51 9.7 5.1 U.S. Secret Service 30 12 8.9 3.7 U.S. Capitol Police 5 3 5.0 3.6 U.S. Marshals Service 26 8 9.7 3.0 U.S. Postal Service 20 10 5.7 2.9 Immigration and Naturalization Service 204 36 14.1 2.5 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms 56 4 31.1 2.2 Federal Bureau of Investigation 42 13 3.9 1.2 Drug Enforcement Administration 56 3 17.9 1.1 Internal Revenue Service 6 1 1.7 0.2 Note: Data for the National Park Service were not available for 1996. Data for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for 1999 include the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which assumed the responsibilities of the IRS Inspections Division in January 1999. *Based on the average of the number of officers employed in June 1996 and June 1998. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 1995 through 1999. -------------------------------- Job function definitions Police response and patrol -- Includes police officers and other personnel whose duties are primarily related to preventive patrol, responding to complaints and reports of illegal activities, arresting law violators, traffic control, crowd control, handling of emergencies, or other traditional law enforcement responsibilities. Criminal investigation and enforcement -- Includes investigators, detectives, and other personnel whose duties are primarily related to collection of evidence, interdiction and seizure of contraband, surveillance, execution of search warrants, analysis of information, arrest of suspects, development of cases for prosecution, or other investigative and enforcement duties pertaining to Federal laws and regulations. Noncriminal investigation and inspection -- Includes investigators, inspectors, and other personnel whose duties primarily involve employment and personnel security investigations, civil investigations, inspections, or any other type of investigation or enforcement not considered to be criminal in nature. Security and protection -- Includes guards and other personnel whose duties are primarily related to providing security for Federal buildings, courts, records, assets, or other property or to providing protection for Federal Government officials, judges, prosecutors, jurors, foreign dignitaries, or other designated persons. Court operations -- Includes probation officers and other personnel whose duties are primarily related to the supervision of Federal offenders on probation, parole, or supervised release. Also includes officers who serve civil or criminal process, provide witness protection, courtroom security or other activities related to the Federal court system. Corrections -- Includes correctional officers, detention guards, and other personnel whose duties are primarily related to the custody, control, supervision, or transportation of pretrial detainees, prison inmates, or detained illegal aliens. Other -- Includes employees whose duties are primarily related to general support, administration, research and development, training, information systems, laboratory testing, domestic security intelligence, or any other function not included in the above categories. The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lawrence A. Greenfeld is acting director. BJS Bulletins present the first release of findings from permanent data collection programs. Some of the descriptive information regarding agency functions was compiled from agency web sites. Brian A. Reaves and Timothy C. Hart wrote this Bulletin. Tom Hester edited it. Jayne Robinson prepared the report for printing. July 2001, NCJ 177607 End of file 07/06/01 ih 07/16/01 td