U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1997: Data for Individual State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies with 100 or More Officers Personnel Expenditures and Pay Operations Equipment Computers and Information Systems Policies and Programs Community Policing By Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D. and Andrew L. Goldberg BJS Statisticians April 1999, NCJ 171681 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#LEMAS Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director Brian Reaves, Chief of the BJS Law Enforcement Statistics Unit, designed this volume, and prepared it with the assistance of Andrew Goldberg, BJS Statistician. Thomas Hester and Tina Dorsey provided production assistance. Marilyn Marbrook supervised final production for printing, assisted by Yvonne Boston. 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 developed the community policing content of the 1997 LEMAS questionnaire. The data were collected and processed by the Bureau of the Census, under the supervision of Stephanie Brown and Stephen Owens of the Governments Division. 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. Contents Tables with data for individual agencies Highlights Foreword Introduction Table A. Number of agencies, by State and type Table B. Agencies with 1,000 or more full-time sworn personnel including 500 or more officers responding to calls for service Table C. Summary data, by type of agency Data for individual agencies I Personnel II Expenditures and pay III Operations IV Equipment V Computers and information systems VI Policies and programs VII Community policing VIII. State agencies Appendix Questionnaire Tables with data for individual agencies SECTION I. PERSONNEL Number of full-time employees, sworn officers, officers responding to calls for service, and percent change since 1993 in number of full-time employees, 1997 1a. Local agencies 1b. State agencies Number of full-time and part-time sworn employees, and primary job function of full-time sworn employees, 1997 2a. Local agencies 2b. State agencies Sex, race, and ethnicity of full-time sworn employees, 1997 3a. Local agencies 3b. State agencies Screening methods used in selection of new officer recruits, 1997 4a. Local agencies 4b. State agencies Education, residency, and training requirements, 1997 5a. Local agencies 5b. State agencies SECTION II. EXPENDITURES AND PAY Operating expenditure, overtime pay expenditure, and overtime compensatory hours earned, 1997 6a. Local agencies 6b. State agencies Starting salaries, collective bargaining, special pay, and officer membership organizations, 1997 7a. Local agencies 7b. State agencies SECTION III. OPERATIONS Patrol allocation, 1997 8a. Local agencies 8b. State agencies Communication systems operated and telephone calls for service received, 1997 9a. Local agencies 9b. State agencies Traffic, vehicle, and special public safety functions performed, 1997 10a. Local agencies 10b. State agencies Special operations, drug enforcement activities, and investigative support functions performed, 1997 11a. Local agencies 11b. State agencies, Court functions and detention facilities, 1997 12a. Local agencies 12b. State agencies SECTION IV. EQUIPMENT Vehicle use policies, number of vehicles operated, and number of animals maintained, 1997 13a. Local agencies 13b. State agencies Sidearm and body armor policies for field/patrol officers, 1997 14a. Local agencies 14b. State agencies Types of nonlethal weapons authorized for use by officers, 1997 15a. Local agencies 15b. State agencies Use of video cameras, night vision/electro-optic equipment, and vehicle pursuit devices, 1997 16a. Local agencies 16b. State agencies SECTION V. COMPUTERS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS Infield use of computers, 1997 17a. Local agencies 17b. State agencies Use of digital imaging, AFIS systems, and computer mapping, 1997 18a. Local agencies 18b. State agencies Types of computerized files, 1997 19a. Local agencies 19b. State agencies Additional types of computerized files, 1997 20a. Local agencies 20b. State agencies SECTION VI. POLICIES AND PROGRAMS Written policy directives, 1997 21a. Local agencies 21b. State agencies Policies and procedures pertaining to excessive force complaints, 1997 22a. Local agencies 22b. State agencies Special units for youth and family problems, 1997 23a. Local agencies 23b. State agencies Additional special units, 1997 24a. Local agencies 24b. State agencies SECTION VII. COMMUNITY POLICING Community policing plans, training, personnel, and facilities, 1997 25a. Local agencies 25b. State agencies Community policing activities and policies, 1997 26a. Local agencies 26b. State agencies Highlights As of June 1997, there were more than 700 general purpose State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more full-time sworn personnel that included 50 or more uniformed officers responding to calls for service. These larger agencies collectively employed about 381,000 full-time sworn personnel, including about 226,000 officers assigned to respond to calls for service. Nearly all of these agencies provided data in response to the 1997 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Included among these respondents were 454 municipal police departments, 167 county sheriffs' departments, 30 county police departments, and the 49 primary State law enforcement agencies operating in each State except Hawaii. Personnel In 1997 the Nation's larger municipal police departments employed an average of 23 full-time officers per 10,000 city residents. Larger county police and sheriffs' departments employed 13 and 12 officers per 10,000 county residents, respectively. The 49 primary State police agencies employed an average of about 2 officers per 10,000 State residents. From 1993 to 1997 the median agency increase in number of full-time sworn personnel was 13% among sheriffs' departments, 9% among county and municipal police departments, and 4% among State police agencies. Among county and municipal police departments, an average of 90% of the sworn personnel worked in field operations, and an average of 63% were uniformed officers with regular duties that included responding to calls for service. In sheriffs' departments a smaller average percentage of officers worked in field operations (57%) and responded to calls for service (42%) because more officers were assigned to jail-related (27%) and court-related (8%) duties. Across all types of agencies, an average of 5% of sworn personnel worked in administration, and 3% in technical support. Sheriffs' departments (15%) employed a higher average percentage of female officers than county (11%), municipal (9%), or State (5%) police agencies. The average percentage of sworn personnel who were members of a racial or ethnic minority was 23% for county police departments, 19% for municipal police departments, 17% for sheriffs' departments, and 12% for State police agencies. Nearly all law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers screened applicants for sworn positions by means of a personal interview, background investigation, criminal record check, driving record check, and a medical exam. About 9 in 10 required psychological testing and a written aptitude exam. More than 4 in 5 required applicants to take a drug test, and nearly two-thirds administered a polygraph exam to applicants. Nearly all of the 49 primary State police agencies (92%) had some type of residency requirement for new officers. About three-fifths of local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers had a residency requirement. In 1997, 16% of State police agencies required a 2-year college degree, and 4% required a 4-year degree. County police were the next most likely to require either a 2-year (13%) or 4-year (3%) degree. Among large municipal police agencies, 9% had a degree requirement, with 2% requiring a 4-year degree. Among sheriffs' departments, 6% required a degree, including 1% with a 4-year degree requirement. Graph: Percent of law enforcement agencies that required new officers to have a 2-year or 4-year college degree, 1993 and 1997 1993 1997 Local 6.3% 8.6% State 14.3% 20.4% The median number of hours of classroom training required of new officers was highest in State police agencies (823), and lowest in sheriffs' departments (448). The requirements for county and municipal police were 760 and 640 hours, respectively. The median field training hours required was 480 hours for county and municipal police, 436 for sheriffs' departments, and 360 for State police. Community policing Thanks to the support of the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the 1997 LEMAS survey was the first in the series to collect data on agency policies and practices as they relate to community policing. A majority of the Nation's larger county (63%) and municipal (61%) police agencies reported they had a formally written community policing plan, compared to fewer than half of sheriffs' departments (38%) and State police agencies (33%). About four-fifths of larger county (80%) and municipal (79%) police departments had full-time community policing officers, with an average of 20 such officers each. Among larger sheriffs' departments, two-thirds had full-time community policing officers, with an average of 11 each. About three-fourths of larger county (77%) and municipal (74%) police agencies operated one or more community substations during 1997, as did about two-thirds of sheriffs' departments (66%), and two-fifths of State police agencies (39%). In a large majority of municipal (80%) and county (73%) police departments with 100 or more officers, all new officer recruits received community policing training. This was true in less than half of larger sheriffs' departments (49%) and State police agencies (41%). In the majority of these latter two types of agencies, however, at least some recruits received such training. A large percentage of the municipal police (91%), county police (83%), and sheriffs' (79%) departments with 100 or more officers trained at least some of their in-service officers in community policing. Most State police agencies (57%) did so as well. Two-thirds of larger local law enforcement agencies offered community policing training to citizens, compared to about a fourth of State agencies. During the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997, nearly two-thirds of larger local law enforcement agencies (65%) formed problem-solving partnerships with community groups, local agencies, or others through written agreements. A majority (55%) also actively encouraged patrol officers to engage in problem solving projects that utilized community policing concepts. Nearly all larger local law enforcement agencies met with community groups during the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997. The largest percentages met with neighborhood associations (96%), school groups (88%), and business groups (82%). Many also met with tenants' associations (70%), youth service organizations (67%), advocacy groups (61%), and religious groups (61%). Nearly half surveyed citizens regarding their satisfaction with police services (49%) and their perceptions of crime problems (44%). Operations All State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers used automobiles for routine patrol during 1997. A majority of municipal police departments also used bicycle (76%), motorcycle (68%), and foot (55%) patrol routinely. A majority of county police departments used motorcycle (63%) and bicycle (57%) patrol. The average percentage of all patrol units that were deployed in automobiles ranged from 97% in State police agencies to 84% for municipal police. Municipal police departments used the most motorcycle (5%), bicycle (5%) and foot (4%) patrol units. The use of foot and bike units was greater in 1997 than in 1993 for municipal police, county police, and sheriffs' departments. Graph: Average percent of patrol units that were on foot or bicycles, 1993 and 1997 1993 1997 Sheriff 1% 4% County 2% 5% Municipal 7% 9% More than three-fourths of the Nation's larger municipal police (85%), county police (80%), and sheriffs' (75%) departments participated in an enhanced (or expanded) 9-1-1 system in 1997. From 1993 to 1997, the overall percentage of larger local law enforcement agencies with enhanced 9-1-1 increased from 77% to 83%. In addition to responding to citizen calls for service, all but a few of the municipal, county, and State police agencies with 100 or more officers also handled the enforcement of traffic laws and the investigation of traffic accidents. Most sheriffs' departments enforced traffic laws (88%) and investigated accidents (75%) as well. About 9 in 10 large local law enforcement agencies and 3 in 4 State agencies performed Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operations. A majority of sheriffs' departments had responsibility for search and rescue (75%) and underwater recovery (62%), and about half handled bomb disposal (49%). Most county police agencies handled bomb disposal (60%) and search and rescue (53%) and nearly half were responsible for underwater recovery (43%). Nearly half of State police agencies performed search and rescue (47%) and bomb disposal (45%). A large percentage of county (93%) and municipal (82%) police agencies with 100 or more officers operated a full-time drug enforcement unit. About two-thirds of sheriffs' departments (69%) and State police agencies (65%) operated such a unit. About three-fourths of county police (77%), municipal police (76%), and sheriffs' (75%) departments participated in a multi-agency drug enforcement task force during 1997, as did about half of the State police agencies. More than 90% of the agencies of each type had receipts from a drug asset forfeiture program during fiscal 1997. Nearly all sheriffs' departments with 100 or more officers performed court-related functions such as executing arrest warrants (98%), providing court security (93%) and serving civil process (93%). Nearly all municipal police (93%) and county police (87%) also executed arrest warrants. About 5 in 6 sheriffs' departments with 100 or more officers operated at least 1 jail facility during 1997, as did about 1 in 4 municipal police departments. Just one county police agency and no State police agencies operated a jail. A majority of larger county police (80%), municipal police (72%), and sheriffs' (56%) departments operated at least one temporary holding (lockup) facility separate from a jail. Eighteen percent of State police agencies operated a lockup facility. Expenditures and pay During fiscal 1997, the median total operating expenditure per employee in law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers was $56,800 for State police, $55,500 for county police, $54,000 for municipal police, and $49,200 for sheriffs' departments. When only sworn personnel are included, the medians were $82,600 for State police, $77,500 for sheriffs' departments, $73,500 for county police, and $70,700 for municipal police. The mean starting salary for entry level officers was highest in municipal police agencies ($29,859), followed by county police ($27,901), State police ($26,877), and sheriffs' departments ($25,994). Officer salaries increased by an average of about 10% after 1 year of experience. A majority of large municipal police (72%) and sheriffs' (62%) departments authorized educational incentive pay for officers, compared to 40% of county police and 20% of State police. County police were the most likely to authorize shift differential pay (63%), merit pay (60%), and hazardous duty pay (47%). Equipment State police agencies operated an average of 102 cars per 100 officers. Among local agencies, county police operated an average of 81 cars per 100 officers, compared to 60 per 100 for sheriffs' departments and 57 per 100 for municipal police. Eighty-six percent of State law enforcement agencies operated at least one airplane. This was a much higher percentage than for sheriffs' (27%), county police (20%) or municipal police (6%) departments. About two-thirds of State law enforcement agencies (69%) operated at least one helicopter. This was also a higher percentage than for county police (47%), sheriffs' (39%), or municipal police (14%) departments. Sheriffs' departments (76%) were about twice as likely as county (40%) or State (37%) police agencies to use boats and about 3 times as likely as municipal police (26%) to do so. All but a few of the State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers authorized their officers to use semiautomatic sidearms. About two thirds of the State police agencies authorized the .40-caliber version and about half the 9mm. More than two-thirds of municipal police (74%), sheriffs' (69%) and county police (67%) departments authorized 9mm semiautomatic sidearms. A majority of sheriffs' departments also authorized their officers to use .40-caliber semiautomatic sidearms. About two-fifths of larger sheriffs' (41%) and municipal police (39%) departments required all field officers to wear body armor compared to about a fourth of State and county police agencies. The use of batons was authorized by all but a few agencies, with the collapsible variety the most likely to be authorized by both State (78%) and local (71%) agencies. Pepper spray was also a widely authorized type of nonlethal weapon, with over 90% of the agencies of each type allowing for its use. For each agency type, this was an increase over 1993 levels. Percent of law enforcement agencies authorizing the use of pepper spray, 1993 and 1997 1993 1997 Local 69% 92% State 63 94 After batons and pepper spray, flash/bang grenades were the next most authorized nonlethal weapons, with 73% of local and 59% of State law enforcement agencies authorizing them. About three-fourths of State police agencies used video cameras in at least some patrol cars during 1997, as did a majority of larger sheriffs' (57%) and county (53%) police agencies. Municipal police departments (41%) were the least likely to be using in-car video cameras. About two-thirds of State police agencies (69%) were using tire deflation spikes in 1997. Among local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers, nearly half of sheriffs' departments (47%) used them compared to about a fourth of county (27%) and municipal (22%) police departments. Nearly three-fifths of larger county police agencies (57%) were using stolen vehicle tracking devices, compared to about a third of municipal police (35%) and a fifth of sheriffs' and State police agencies. Computers and information systems More than 90% of State police agencies used some type of mobile computer or digital terminal in 1997, as did 78% of larger local law enforcement agencies. Laptops were used by a majority of both State (88%) and local (62%) agencies. Car-mounted digital terminals were used by about half of municipal police agencies compared to about a third of other agencies. Percent of law enforcement agencies using mobile computers or terminals, 1993 and 1997 1993 1997 Local 68% 78% State 84 92 During 1997 the Nation's larger law enforcement agencies primarily used paper reports to transmit field report data to their central information system. Some State police (10%), municipal police (8%), and sheriffs' (7%) departments used computer methods such as diskette transfer or laptop downloads. In about half of larger local law enforcement agencies and a third of State agencies, at least some officers had direct computer access to vehicle and driving records while in the field. In more than a fourth of larger local law enforcement agencies, at least some officers in the field had direct computer access to criminal history (28%) and calls for service (27%) information. About half of larger local law enforcement agencies used digital imaging for mug shots during 1997, including 68% of sheriffs' departments. Fifty percent of county police departments used digital imaging for suspect composites, as did 41% of sheriffs' departments and 30% of municipal police departments. A majority of State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers either owned or had access to an Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). This included four-fifths of county police agencies and nearly three-fourths of sheriffs' departments. Three-fifths of larger local law enforcement agencies used computers for crime mapping during 1997. Nearly half were geocoding and mapping incident (49%) and calls for service (44%) data. More than a third were geocoding and mapping arrest data (36%). More than three-fourths of larger local law enforcement agencies maintained computerized files on calls for service (94%), arrests (93%), incident reports (88%), evidence (81%), criminal histories (78%), and warrants (77%). Policies and programs All local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers had written policies pertaining to the use of deadly force. In addition, nearly all had directives on employee conduct and appearance (99%), handling juveniles (97%), less-than-lethal force (97%), citizen complaints (96%), domestic disputes (96%), and off-duty employment (95%). All State law enforcement agencies had written directives on deadly force, employee conduct and appearance, and off-duty employment, and 94% had directives pertaining to citizen complaints and less-than-lethal force. A majority of both State and local agencies had written directives on discretionary arrest powers, employee counseling, maximum work hours for officers, handling mentally ill persons, and strip searches. All but a few of the State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers had a written policy pertaining to vehicle pursuits. Both local (82%) and State (59%) agencies were most likely to have a policy that restricted vehicle pursuits by specific criteria such as type of offense or speed. State agencies (37%) were more likely than local ones (10%) to have a policy that leaves pursuit decisions to the officer's discretion. In a small percentage of municipal police (4%) and sheriffs' (3%) departments, the official agency policy discouraged all vehicle pursuits. Many larger local law enforcement agencies operated special units with personnel assigned full-time to address specific community problems. Four-fifths had a full-time unit for drug education in schools, and more than half operated a unit to deal with juvenile delinquency (61%) and gang (53%) problems. Nearly half had full-time special units for child abuse (49%) and domestic violence (43%). Percent of local agencies operating full-time special units for youth and family problems, 1997 Youth outreach 30% Missing children 32 Domestic violence 43 Child abuse 49 Gangs 53 Juvenile delinquency 61 Drug education in school 80 Foreword The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) began the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) program in 1987 with a nationwide survey of the Nation's State and local law enforcement agencies. Updated versions of the survey were completed in 1990, 1993, and 1997. The current volume presents 1997 data provided by 700 State and local law enforcement agencies employing 100 or more full-time officers. As in the 1993 volume, sections on personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, equipment, computers and information systems, and policies and programs are included. This volume marks the first time a specific community policing section has been included, with the survey questions developed and administered through funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). An outgrowth of the ongoing collaboration between BJS and COPS, the 1997 LEMAS survey is expected to be instrumental in assessing the state of law enforcement, specifically community policing, in the United States. Since the advent of the 1994 Violent Crime Act, the COPS Office has been tasked with the goal of funding 100,000 new officers by the year 2000 and advancing community policing nationwide. Towards this end, the COPS Office created numerous grant programs to fund the hiring of additional police officers and to help promote the practice of community policing. The inclusion of community policing questions in the 1997 LEMAS survey, therefore, is but one step in assessing the potential impact these programs may have had directly or indirectly on law enforcement agencies across the country. We are pleased to present you with the results of the 1997 LEMAS survey, which includes the new community policing questions, and hope that the information gleaned from these data will help further our knowledge of law enforcement as it exists today. In addition, we hope the results of the survey will provide law enforcement agencies an opportunity to assess their progress in community policing relative to that of comparable jurisdictions and the profession as a whole. In closing, we gratefully acknowledge the participation of those agencies that have given us a glimpse into their law enforcement practices and hope that this information will be of use to them and the communities they serve. Joseph E. Brann Director Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director Bureau of Justice Statistics Introduction The 1997 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey included all State and local agencies employing 100 or more full-time sworn personnel as reported in a BJS census of State and local law enforcement agencies conducted in 1996. The survey also included a nationally representative sample of agencies that employed fewer than 100 officers. These smaller agencies received a shorter version of the survey questionnaire that was sent to the larger agencies. The initial mailing of the LEMAS questionnaire was conducted in July 1997. The reference date for all personnel-related questions was the pay period that included June 30, 1997. For other questions it was June 30, 1997 unless otherwise indicated. The data were collected by the Bureau of the Census for BJS. A total of 3,597 agencies received the 1997 LEMAS questionnaire, and 3,412 (95%) responded. Of the 968 agencies with 100 or more officers that received the survey, 909 (94%) responded. This was the fourth survey in the LEMAS program with previous data collections occurring in 1987, 1990, and 1993. Overview of this volume This volume presents individual agency data for 700 larger State and local law enforcement agencies that responded to the 1997 LEMAS survey. Agencies with special geographic jurisdictions such as university campuses, public school districts, transportation systems, parks and recreation facilities, airports, waterways, public housing, or State government buildings are excluded. Agencies with special enforcement responsibilities such as natural resource and conservation laws, alcohol control laws, or agricultural laws are also excluded. The volume includes the 49 primary State law enforcement agencies operating in each State except Hawaii. (The Hawaii Department of Public Safety primarily performs court-related duties.) General purpose local law enforcement agencies that responded to the LEMAS survey are included as long as they met the following criteria: 1. Employment of 100 or more full-time sworn officers as of June 1996 (reference month for the 1996 agency census). 2. Employment of 100 or more full-time sworn officers as of June 1997 (reference month for the 1997 LEMAS survey. 3. Employment of 50 or more full-time uniformed sworn officers with regular assigned duties that included responding to calls for service as of June 1997. A total of 651 local law enforcement agencies are included. This includes 30 county police departments, 454 municipal police departments, and 167 sheriffs' departments and offices. Local agencies from every State except Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming are included. These States had no local agencies that met the above requirements for inclusion. Organization of data tables A summary of the number and type of agencies from each State is in Table A. Table B lists the State and local law enforcement agencies employing 1,000 or more full-time sworn personnel that included 500 or more uniformed officers whose regular assigned duties included responding to calls for service. These are the agencies with the largest number of sworn personnel providing direct law enforcement services. Table C presents summary data, by type of agency, for the variables that are included in the individual agency tables that follow. The reader should refer to the notes in the corresponding individual data agency tables when using data from table C. Following the 3 summary data tables are tables containing individual data for State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers. The 26 tables for local agencies are presented first as tables 1a through 26a. Following local agency tables are tables 1b through 26b covering the State agencies. Local agencies are listed alphabetically by State and county. Within each county, the county sheriffs' department or county police department is listed first, if applicable. These are followed, in alphabetical order, by the municipal police agencies operating within that county. The reader should refer to the note following each table for the explanation of symbols and codes as well as other important information. A triple dash ("---") is used in all tables to indicate that a particular data item was not provided by an agency. The rest of this 320-page book is tables and questionnaire. See portable document format (PDF) file. Both the PDF file and the Lotus spreadsheets of the tables for this report are available at-- http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/lemas97.htm. (End of file) 4/15/99 yb