U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin March 2000, NCJ 177607 Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/fleo98.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#fleo ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D. and Timothy C. Hart BJS Statisticians --------------------------------------------------------- Highlights * Duty areas for the 83,000 Federal officers nationwide included criminal investigation/enforcement (42%), police response/patrol (19%), corrections (18%), noncriminal investigation/ enforcement (14%), court operations (3%), and security/protection (3%). * Three-fifths of Federal officers were employed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (16,552), Bureau of Prisons (12,587), FBI (11,285), and U.S. Customs Service (10,359). Twelve other agencies employed at least 500 officers. * From 1996 to 1998 the INS reported the largest increase in officers in both number (4,149) and percentage (33%). More than half of this increase occurred within the Border Patrol, which employed 7,714 officers in 1998 compared to 5,441 in 1996 (up 42%). * Seventeen States and the District of Columbia had more than 1,000 full-time Federal officers. California (11,868) and Texas (11,059) had the largest number. New Hampshire (67), Delaware (93), and Rhode Island (101) had the fewest. * Nationwide, there were 31 Federal officers per 100,000 residents. Outside the District of Columbia, which had 1,384 per 100,000, State ratios ranged from 68 per 100,000 in Arizona to 4 per 100,000 in Iowa. * Women accounted for 14.2% of Federal officers in 1998, about the same as in 1996. Minority representation was 29.4% in 1998, compared to 28% in 1996. Hispanic or Latino officers comprised 14.7% of officers in 1998, and African American or black officers, 11.3%. --------------------------------------------------------------------- As of June 1998, Federal agencies employed about 83,000 full-time personnel authorized to make arrests and carry firearms, according to data provided by agencies in response to a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) survey. Compared with data reported by agencies for June 1996, employment of such personnel in 1998 was up about 8,000, or 11%. As in 1996 the BJS officer count in 1998 included personnel with Federal arrest authority who were also authorized (but not necessarily required) to carry firearms in the performance of their official duties. Federal correctional officers are included. All counts include both nonsupervisory and supervisory personnel. The totals exclude officers employed by the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard). They also exclude Federal officers serving in U.S. Territories or foreign countries. Agencies reported employing about 1,300 additional officers in U.S. Territories as of June 1998, but data on employment in foreign countries were not obtained. In addition to overall totals, both the 1996 and 1998 surveys collected data on the primary job function of Federal officers, as well as their race, gender, and primary State of employment. In response to the BJS survey, Federal agencies classified their personnel with arrest and firearms authority into one of six categories according to their primary area of duty. (See page 13 for the category definitions). The largest number, about 35,000, performed duties related to criminal investigation and enforcement (42%) (figure 1). The next largest categories were police response and patrol with about 16,000 officers (19%), and corrections with about 15,000 (18%). About 12,000 Federal officers performed duties related to non- criminal investigation and enforcement (14%). Smaller numbers were assigned duties related to court operations (3%), or security and protection (3%). Major employers of Federal officers Department of Justice agencies Agencies within the Department of Justice employed 56% of all Federal officers, and the three largest employers of Federal officers were within this Department. These agencies were the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (table 1). The Border Patrol employed 47% of the 16,552 INS officers with the authority to make arrests and carry firearms. These officers interdict undocumented aliens and contraband, including narcotics. The 7,714 Border Patrol officers, who included 7,639 agents and 75 pilots, were all categorized under police response and patrol. They accounted for nearly half of the Federal officers in that category. The next largest group of INS officers with arrest and firearms authority were the 4,073 immigration inspectors working at ports of entry. These officers were all categorized under the noncriminal investigation and enforcement category. The INS also employed 2,283 criminal investigators and immigration agents responsible for investigating crimes within its jurisdiction, and 2,482 officers performing corrections- related duties related to detention and deportation. BOP correctional officers comprised a large majority of the Federal officers included in the corrections category. As of June 1998, 12,587 such officers maintained the security of BOP institutions and the 106,000 inmates in custody. Their daily duties include supervision of inmates, conducting searches for contraband, and responding to emergencies and disturbances. footnote 1 (The BJS limited its count to the full-time BOP correctional officers, who perform these duties as their primary function. BOP provides nearly 16,000 additional employees with arrest and firearms authority so that they can respond to emergencies and disturbances as necessary.) The third largest employer of Federal officers within the Justice Department was the FBI, which employed 11,285 full-time personnel with arrest and firearms authority. Nearly all were FBI agents, responsible for criminal investigation and enforcement. FBI agents have broad investigative responsibilities covering more than 250 Federal crimes including bank fraud, embezzlement, kidnaping, and civil rights violations. The FBI also has concurrent jurisdiction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over drug offenses under the Controlled Substances Act. The DEA was the fourth largest Justice Department employer of Federal officers, with 3,305 employees authorized to make arrests and carry firearms as of June 1998. DEA agents investigate major narcotics violators, enforce regulations governing the manufacture and dispensing of controlled substances, and perform other functions to prevent or control drug trafficking. The other major employer within the Justice Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, employed 2,705 officers with arrest and firearms authority as of June 1998. The Marshals Service receives all persons arrested by Federal agencies and is responsible for their custody and transportation until sentencing. It also transfers sentenced Federal inmates between facilities with BOP assistance. 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 more than half of all arrests of Federal fugitives. The Marshals Service also manages the Federal Witness Security and Federal Asset Seizure and Forfeiture Programs provides security for Federal judicial facilities and personnel, controls riots on Federal property, and escorts missile convoys. Department of the Treasury agencies Agencies with the Department of the Treasury employed about a fourth of all Federal officers with arrest and firearms authority. The U.S. Customs Service, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) were the major employers. As of June 1998, the Customs Service employed 10,539 officers with arrest and firearms authority. This included 2,920 criminal investigators and 7,604 inspectors. Customs Service officers interdict and seize contraband entering the United States, process persons (more than 450 million annually) and items at 301 U.S. ports of entry, and administer certain navigational laws. The Customs Service has investigative responsibilities covering more than 400 laws related to customs, drugs, export control, and revenue fraud. The second largest Treasury Department employer was the U.S. Secret Service which employed 3,587 full-time personnel with the authority to make arrest and carry firearms. The total included 2,194 agents with criminal investigation and enforcement duties primarily related to counterfeiting, financial crimes, computer fraud, and threats against dignitaries. 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 firearms authority, with 3,361 such personnel in June 1998. About 90% worked in the Criminal Investigation Division, and 10% in Internal Security. IRS agents primarily investigate tax fraud. ATF, the fourth largest law enforcement agency within the Treasury Department, employed 1,723 officers with arrest and firearms authority as of June 1998. ATF is primarily responsible for investigating the criminal use of firearms and explosives, and for enforcing Federal laws that tax or regulate alcohol and tobacco. Other agencies with 500 or more officers The largest employers of Federal officers with arrest and firearms authority outside of the Justice and Treasury Departments were the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and the National Park Service. Sixty-one percent of the 3,490 officers employed by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were criminal investigators responsible for investigating violations of more than 200 Federal statutes related to the Postal Service. The remainder were Postal Police officers providing security for Postal Service facilities, employees, and assets. As of June 1998, the Federal Corrections and Supervision Division of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts employed approximately 4,600 probation officers, all of whom have arrest authority. In addition, 2,490 of them were granted firearms authority by the chief judge in their Federal district. Officers in these districts met both the criteria for inclusion in the BJS counts. All Federal probation officers are responsible for supervising Federal offenders on probation or supervised release and for arresting violators. The National Park Service employed 2,197 full-time personnel with arrest and firearms authority in June 1998. This included 1,524 park rangers (about a third of all rangers) commissioned as law enforcement officers. Additional rangers serving seasonally were also commissioned officers but were considered part-time for the BJS survey. The Park Service total also includes 673 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. Other Federal agencies that employed 500 or more full-time personnel authorized to make arrests and carry firearms included the following: The U.S. Capitol Police employed 1,055 officers to provide police response and patrol (95%) and other services for the U.S. Capitol grounds and buildings. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employed 831 personnel with arrest and firearms authority. About three-fourths 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 900 officers in its Federal Protective Service. These officers per- form police response and patrol (77%), security and protection (17%), and criminal investigation (7%) duties related to Federal buildings and property, and the employees and visitors using them. The USDA Forest Service employed 601 officers responsible for criminal investigation and enforcement duties related to National Forest System lands, facilities, and users. Agencies employing at least 100 but fewer than 500 Federal officers The 16 Federal agencies with 500 or more officers accounted for about 77,000, or 93%, of the Federal officers covered by the BJS survey. Excluding offices of inspector general, 15 additional Federal agencies employed at least 100 but fewer than 500 full-time personnel with arrest and firearms authority (table 2). (Footnote 3. The Central Intelligence Agency's Security Protective Service employs officers with arrest and firearms authority at its U.S. facilities however, the number of such employees is classified information.) The largest of them was the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security with 415 officers. A majority 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. Amtrak employed 318 full-time officers within its Police Division. These officers provide police response and patrol (92%) and investigative (6%) services for a national railroad system that has 24,000 employees and serves more than 21 million passengers annually. The United States Mint, a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, employed 282 officers within its Police Division. These officers provide police and patrol services for U.S. Mint facilities, including safeguarding the Nation's coinage and gold bullion reserves. The Department of Defense employed an estimated 275 officers within its Defense Protective Service at the Pentagon. They provide law enforcement services at a facility where 23,000 persons work, occupying 3.7 million square feet of office space. The Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs employed 263 officers in its Office of Law Enforcement Services to provide law enforcement services in Indian country. Some tribal governments also operate their own police departments. Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Veteran's Health Administration employed 262 officers with arrest and firearms authority as of June 1998. These officers comprised 11% of the 2,393 VA officers with arrest authority nationwide providing law enforcement services for 173 VA medical centers. The VA began a pilot project of arming its police officers at 12 facilities in 1996 and plans to expand firearms authority to the entire force. The Department of Energy employed 210 personnel with arrest and firearms authority in its Transportation Safeguards Division. These Nuclear Materials Couriers protect nuclear weapons shipments from the manufacturer to designated locations. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Nation's largest producer of electricity, employed 206 personnel with arrest and firearms authority as of June 1998. 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 198 special agents with arrest and firearms 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. 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 located throughout the country. BLM lands receive about 60 million recreational visitors annually. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) employed 193 officers with arrest and firearms 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. Within the Commerce Department, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) employed 135 officers with arrest and firearms authority. These special agents in the Office for Law Enforcement enforce a variety of Federal laws and regulations that protect the Nation's living marine resources. The Food and Drug Administration, located within the Department of Health and Human Services, employed 123 criminal investigators with arrest and firearms authority. These officers investigate violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and several other public health laws. Within the Department of Commerce, the Bureau of Export Administration employed 107 criminal investigators with arrest and firearms authority in its Office of Export Enforcement. These agents investigate violations of export regulations and laws. The Library of Congress employed 100 officers on its police force. These officers provide law enforcement services in the library's various buildings, protecting staff and patrons and assisting in the protection of the library's property and collections. Offices of inspector general As of June 1998, 26 of the 61 Federal offices of inspector general (IG) employed criminal investigators with arrest and firearms authority (table 3). Collectively, these offices employed more than 2,200 such investigators. Most of these investigators are deputized by the Justice Department. Offices of inspector general are responsible for investigating criminal violations and for preventing and detecting fraud, waste, and abuse related to Federal programs, operations, and employees. The Departments of Defense (339), Health and Human Services (272), and Agriculture (246) employed the largest number of deputized investigators. Others with 100 or more included the Social Security Administration (216) and the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (160), Justice (141), and Labor (128). Twenty-eight percent of IG investigators were women, and 19% were members of an racial or ethnic minority. African Americans or blacks (10.2%) comprised the largest minority percentage followed by Hispanics or Latinos (6.3%). Training for Federal officers A majority of Federal officers receive their training through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), a bureau of the Treasury Department. Exceptions include special agents with the FBI and DEA, who complete basic training at their respective academies in Quantico, Virginia. 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, FLETC graduated more than 5,000 students. By fiscal 1998, this total had grown to 26,000. This included about 3,500 State and local officers, and about 600 personnel from foreign countries. Although a large majority of FLETC graduates attend training at Glynco, the FLETC Artesia Center in New Mexico graduated about 3,500 students in fiscal 1998. This facility was established in 1990 to provide training for agencies that have concentrations of personnel in the western United States, such as INS and BOP. In 1995 a temporary FLETC satellite training campus was established in Charleston, South Carolina, to train INS and Border Patrol officers during the current expansion of these forces. This facility had about 1,500 graduates during fiscal 1998. During fiscal 1998 Federal agencies with 400 or more FLETC graduates included INS, 7,279; Customs Service, 3,578; BOP, 2,969; Marshals Service, 1,073; IRS, 735; National Park Service, 480; ATF, 474; Federal Protective Service, 430; and the Secret Service, 423. The basic training requirements for Federal officers vary by agency and by position within agencies, and 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. In addition to their extensive training requirements for officers, 24 Federal law enforcement agencies reported they had a 4-year college degree requirement for entry-level positions. In most cases this requirement applied to criminal investigators. Gender and race of Federal officers Data on the gender and race of Federal officers were provided by nearly all of the agencies included in the BJS survey. Reported data covered about 81,000, or 96%, of all Federal officers with arrest and firearms authority in the States and Territories. Overall, women accounted for 1 in every 7, or 14.2%, of Federal officers with arrest and firearms authority (figure 2). Twenty-five percent of the officers employed by the IRS were women, the largest proportion of any agency with 500 or more officers (table 4). The next highest percentage was at the U.S. Customs Service, where 18.6% of the officers were women. The percentage of female officers at the other major Treasury Department law enforcement agencies, the ATF (12.2%) and the Secret Service (8.6%), was lower than the overall average. Among the major Justice Department agencies, women comprised the highest percentage of officers at the FBI (15.9%), and lowest at the DEA (7.9%). About 12% of the officers at the INS, BOP, and Marshals Service were women. Nearly 3 in 10 Federal law enforcement officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority. Hispanic or Latino officers accounted for 14.7%, non- Hispanic blacks or African Americans for 11.3%, Asians and Pacific Islanders for 2.2%, and American Indians for 1.1%. Among agencies employing 500 or more officers with arrest and firearms authority, the largest minority representation was at the Federal Protective Service (42.3%) and the INS (40.8%). Other agencies where minorities comprised more than a fourth of officers were the BOP (37.4%), U.S. Customs Service (33.7%), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (32.9%), and U.S. Capitol Police (32.6%). The INS (32.0%) and the U.S. Customs Service (22.3%) employed the highest percentage of Hispanics. For blacks, the highest percentages were found at the Federal Protective Service (30.4%), U.S. Capitol Police (29.8%), BOP (23.4%), and Postal Inspection Service (22.5%). The U.S. Forest Service (7.3%) employed the highest percentage of American Indians, while the Customs Service (3.5%) had the most Asians and Pacific Islanders. States where Federal officers worked Fifty-one percent of all Federal officers with arrest authority were employed in California (11,868), Texas (11,059), the District of Columbia (7,241), New York (6,988), and Florida (5,343), (table 5). These jurisdictions accounted for 53% of the 51,288 full-time Federal officers who primarily performed police response and patrol or criminal investigation and enforcement functions. Other States with 2,500 or more Federal officers included Arizona (3,174), Pennsylvania (3,052), and Illinois (2,782). Ten additional States had at least 1,000 Federal officers: Virginia (2,278), Georgia (2,116), New Jersey (2,109), Georgia (2,116), Colorado (1,512), Washington (1,380) Maryland (1,271), Michigan (1,249), Missouri (1,197), Massachusetts (1,126), and Ohio (1,026). New Hampshire (67) had the smallest number of full-time Federal officers, followed by Delaware (93), and Rhode Island (101). Six other States had fewer than 250 Federal officers including North Dakota (227), Nebraska (214), Idaho (196), South Dakota (165), Wyoming (162), and Iowa (121). Overall, Federal agencies employed 31 officers with arrest and firearms authority per 100,000 residents. The District of Columbia, the location of many headquarters, employed the most, 1,384 per 100,000. States with at least 50 officers per 100,000 residents included Arizona (68), New Mexico (57), Texas (56), and Alaska (52). In addition to the District of Columbia (1,218), 6 States had at least 25 Federal officers performing patrol and investigative functions per 100,000 residents. These included New Mexico (49), Arizona (44), Alaska (34), Texas (33), Wyoming (31), and Virginia (26). There were three States with fewer than 10 Federal officers per 100,000 residents: Ohio (9), New Hampshire (6), and Iowa (4). There were 17 States with fewer than 10 Federal officers performing patrol and investigative functions per 100,000 residents. The lowest ratios were found in Kansas (5), Indiana (5), Wisconsin (5), New Hampshire (4), and Iowa (4). The INS employed a majority of its officers in California (28%) and Texas (28%). About a sixth were based in Arizona (10%) and New York (7%). Nearly 3 in 4 Border patrol agents were based in Texas (38%) and California (35%). Another fifth were in the other Mexican-border States of Arizona (15%) and New Mexico (6%). About 4% were in the 11 States bordering Canada. 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 (60%) and California (55%) worked for either the Customs Service or the INS. About 2 in 5 BOP correctional officers were employed in Texas (11%), Pennsylvania (9%), Florida (8%), California (7%), and Colorado (6%). The District of Columbia (12%), California (12%), and New York (11%) accounted for more than a third of FBI agents. Other major States of employment included Texas (8%), Virginia (6%), and Florida (5%). Nearly a third of Internal Revenue Service personnel with arrest and firearms authority were in California (12%), New York (10%), and Texas (9%). The next highest percentages were in Florida (6%) and Illinois (5%). About 3 in 10 Postal Inspection Service officers were employed in New York (17%) and California (12%). The District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois had 7% each. The DEA based about half its agents in California (16%), Texas (12%), New York (11%), and Florida (11%). Illinois and Arizona accounted for 4% each. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reported that the largest number of Federal probation officers with arrest and firearms authority were employed in Texas (11%) and New York (11%), followed by Florida (8%). The U.S. Marshals Service had more than a third of its officers based in New York (8%), California (8%), Texas (7%), Florida (7%), and Virginia (6%). Georgia and Pennsylvania accounted for 4% each. About a third of National Park Service (NPS) personnel with arrest and firearms authority were in the District of Columbia (23%) and California (11%). Most of those in the District were employed by the U.S. Park Police, which had 75% of its 673 officers there. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms based more than a fourth of its agents in the District of Columbia (10%), Texas (8%), and California (8%). Illinois and Florida accounted for 6% each. The Federal Protective Service had about a fourth of its officers in the District of Columbia (26%), with another fifth in New York (11%) and California (10%). California and Florida each accounted for 6% of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel with arrest and firearms authority. Alaska and Texas were next with 5% each. More than a fifth of U.S. Forest Service officers were based in California (22%). Another fifth were based in Oregon (9%), Montana (6%), and Idaho (6%). Trends in employment of Federal officers, 1996 versus 1998 Excluding the U.S. Armed Forces, the number of Federal officers with arrest and firearms authority increased by about 8,000, or 11%, from June 1996 to June 1998. About half of this increase was accounted for by the INS, which went from 12,403 officers in 1996 to 16,552 officers 1998, an increase of 4,149, or 33.5% (see box below). The only other agency to report an increase of more than 1,000 officers was the BOP which added 1,258 officers for an increase of 11.1%. The only agency with a larger percentage increase was the Federal Protective Service (39.9%), from 643 to 900. After INS and BOP, the FBI (896), and Customs Service (790) had the largest increases in number of officers. Other agencies with increases of at least 250 officers included the Secret Service (402), DEA (359), and Federal Protective Service (257). After the FPS and INS, the largest percentage increases were reported by the U.S. Secret Service (12.6%), DEA (12.2%), BOP (11.1%), FBI (8.9%), and Customs Service (8.1%). From 1996 to 1998 the IRS experienced the largest decrease in number of personnel with arrest and firearms authority, dropping from 3,784 officers to 3,361, a decrease of 423 officers or 11.3%. ATF dropped 146 officers, or 7.8%, from 1,869 officers to 1,723. Small decreases in number of personnel with arrest and firearms authority were reported by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (86 officers, 2.4%), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (38 officers, 4.4%), and U.S. Forest Service (28 officers, 2.9%).- Growth in the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1993-98 In June 1998, 1 in 5 nonmilitary Federal officers with arrest and firearms 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 by about 7,000 - from 9,466 to 16,552. This 75% increase far outpaced that of any other Federal agency, including the BOP which increased its number of correctional officers by 2,600, or 26%, during the same period. From December 1993 to June 1998, the INS Border Patrol nearly doubled in size, from 3,920 officers to 7,714. All of this increase occurred in the Mexican border States where the number of Border Patrol officers increased 109%, from 3,460 to 7,214. The number of INS criminal investigators (57%), inspectors (73%), and detention officers (131%) in the States bordering Mexico all increased during this time as well. Overall, there were 11,455 INS officers in these States in mid-1998 compared to 5,802 at yearend 1993, an increase of 97%. The number of Border Patrol agents and INS inspectors decreased some- what in the 11 States that border Canada from December 1993 to June 1998; however, there was an increase in the number of criminal investigators and officers working in detention-related positions in these States. This resulted in a slight increase in the number of INS officers in the Canadian border States C from 2,045 to 2,192 (7%). In 1998, 69% of all INS personnel with arrest and firearms authority were based in the Mexican border States, compared to 61% in 1993. During the same time the percentage of INS officers based in the Canadian border States decreased from 22% to 13%. Federal law enforcement officers killed or assaulted, 1994-98 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 through the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) series. According to these data, Federal law enforcement officers experienced 3,610 assaults during the 5-year period 1994-98, an average of 722 per year. A total of 1,033, or 29%, of these assaults injured the officer, and 23 resulted in an officer death. Thirty-three percent of all assaults on Federal officers involved the use of personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet, and 14% involved the use of a firearm. Other weapons used included vehicles (10%), blunt objects (2%), knives (2%), and bombs (1%). Weapons used in assaults on Federal officers, 1994-98 Personal weapon 33% Threat 18 Firearm 14 Vehicle 10 Blunt object 2 Knife 2 Bomb 1 Other 19 The largest percentage of assaults on Federal officers occurred while the officer was on patrol or guard duty (36%). Twenty-three percent were assaulted while conducting an investigation or search, and 15% while making an arrest or serving a summons. Circumstances of assaults on Federal officers, 1994-98 Patrol/guard duty 36% Investigation.search 23 Arrest/summons 15 Office duty 4 Custody of prisoner 3 Protection duty 2 Court duty 2 Other duties 19 Based on the LEOKA data for 1994-98, the National Park Service had the highest annual assault rate among agencies employing 1,000 or more officers, 55.5 per 1,000. Next were ATF (33.0), DEA (19.9), and the INS (17.2). The lowest rates were at the FBI (3.5) and the IRS (2.0) Although the LEOKA data do not provide information below the agency level, 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. Assaults on Federal officers in agencies employing 1,000 or more officers with arrest and firearms authority, 1994-98 Average annual number of assaults, 1994-98 Agency Total Per 1,000 officers/a National Park Service 119 55.5 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms 62 33.0 Drug Enforcement Administration 59 19.9 Immigration and Naturalization Service 213 17.2 U.S. Secret Service 39 12.1 U.S. Customs Service 94 11.2 U.S. Postal Inspection Service 24 6.7 U.S. Marshals Service 22 8.2 U.S. Capitol Police 6 5.6 Federal Bureau of Investigation 37 3.5 Internal Revenue Service 8 2.0 a/Rate is calculated using average number of officers employed in June 1996. Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 1994 through 1998. The LEOKA data also do not include assaults on BOP staff; however, BJS does periodically collect such data in its Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities. In 1995 there were 1,124 assaults on Federal prison staff, resulting in 1 death. Over its 71-year history BOP has experienced an average of one death of one correctional officer 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 an average of 38 assaults per year against its officers from 1996-98. This is equivalent to a rate of 113 assaults per 1,000 officers. Job function definitions Police response and patrol -- Includes personnel whose duties are primarily related to preventive patrol, responding to reports of illegal or disruptive activities, arresting law violators, traffic control, crowd control, handling of emergencies, or other traditional law enforcement responsibilities. Criminal investigation and enforcement -- Includes personnel whose duties are primarily related to collection of evidence, interdiction and seizure of contraband, electronic surveillance, execution of search warrants, analysis of information, arrest of suspects, developing cases for prosecution, or other investigative and enforcement duties pertaining to Federal laws and/or regulations. Noncriminal investigation and enforcement -- Includes investigators, inspectors, and other personnel whose duties primarily involve employment and personnel security investigations, internal investigations, civil investigations, or any other type of investigation 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 personnel whose duties are primarily related to pretrial investigation, probation, supervised release, arresting probation or supervised release violators, executing warrants, serving civil process, witness protection, 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. The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D., is 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 websites. Brian A. Reaves and Timothy C. Hart wrote this Bulletin. Tom Hester edited it. Jayne Robinson prepared the report for printing. March 2000, NCJ 177607 End of file 3/7/00 ih