U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1999: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers By Brian Reaves and Timothy Hart, BJS statisticians This file is text only without graphics and tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including tables and graphics in http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/lemas99.htm Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director Brian Reaves and Timothy Hart, BJS statisticians, prepared this report. Thomas Hester and Tina Dorsey provided production assistance. Jayne Robinson administered final production. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), U.S. Department of Justice provided funding for the 1999 LEMAS survey. Debra Cohen, Ph.D. of the (COPS) Office provided project management. Dr. Cohen, Karin Schmerler, and Meg Townsend developed the community policing content of the 1999 LEMAS questionnaire. Valuable assistance was provided by Pam Cammarata, Greg Cooper, Gil Kerlikowske, and Bob Phillips. The data were collected and processed by the U.S. Census Bureau,under the supervision of Stephanie Brown of the Governments Division. Census Bureau project staff included Carolyn Gates,Theresa Reitz, Martha Haselbush, Martha Greene, Bill Bryner,Patricia Torreyson, and Henrietta Herrin. Sample design, selection and imputation procedures were conducted by Suzanne Dorinski and Yukiko Ellis of the Economic Statistical Methods and Programming Division of the U.S. Census Bureau under the supervision of Carma Hogue. Contents 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 Community policing III Operations IV Computers and information systems V Policies and programs VI State agencies Appendix Questionnaire Tables with data for individual agencies SECTION I. PERSONNEL Number of full-time employees, percent of authorized strength, officers per 10,000 residents, and percent change since 1996 in full-time employees, 1999 1a. Local agencies 1b. State agencies Number of full-time and part-time sworn employees, and primary job function of full-time sworn employees, 1999 2a. Local agencies 2b. State agencies Number of full-time and part-time nonsworn employees, and primary job function of full-time nonsworn employees, 1999 3a. Local agencies 3b. State agencies Number of reserve/auxiliary sworn officers, community service officers/police service aides, and nonsworn volunteers, 1999 4a. Local agencies 4b. State agencies SECTION II. COMMUNITY POLICING Community policing plans, training, personnel, and facilities, 1999 5a. Local agencies 5b. State agencies Community policing activities and policies, 1999 6a. Local agencies 6b. State agencies Citizen access to crime statistics or crime maps, 1999 7a. Local agencies 7b. State agencies SECTION III. OPERATIONS Number of district/precinct stations separate from headquarters,and types of patrol used, 1999 8a. Local agencies 8b. State agencies Number and percent of officers assigned to respond to calls for service, type of 9-1-1 system, and number of telephone calls for service received, 1999 9a. Local agencies 9b. State agencies Criminal investigation and investigative support functions, 1999 10a. Local agencies 10b. State agencies Traffic and vehicle-related functions, 1999 11a. Local agencies 11b. State agencies Special operations, special enforcement, and special public safety functions, 1999 12a. Local agencies 12b. State agencies Court-related, detention-related, dispatch, and training academy functions, 1999 13a. Local agencies 13b. State agencies SECTION IV. COMPUTERS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS Selected functions of computers, 1999 14a. Local agencies 14b. State agencies Types of computerized files, 1999 15a. Local agencies 15b. State agencies Additional types of computerized files, 1999 16a. Local agencies 16b. State agencies Types of in-field computers/terminals used by patrol officers and primary method of transmitting field reports, 1999 17a. Local agencies 17b. State agencies Patrol officer access to information through the use of in-field computers, 1999 18a. Local agencies 18b. State agencies SECTION V. POLICIES AND PROGRAMS Written policy directives, 1999 19a. Local agencies 19b. State agencies Highlights More than 700 State and local law enforcement agencies that employed 100 or more full-time sworn personnel and assigned 50 or more of these officers to respond to calls for service provided data in response to the 1999 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey. Subject areas covered by the survey include personnel, community policing,operations, computers and information systems, and written policies. Included among these agencies are 487 municipal police departments, 182 sheriffs' departments and offices, 31 county police departments, and the 49 primary State law enforcement agencies operating in each State except Hawaii. Collectively, these agencies employed about 402,000 full-time sworn personnel, including 218,000 officers assigned to respond to calls for service. Personnel On average, larger municipal police departments employed 23 full-time officers per 10,000 residents. Larger county police and sheriffs' departments employed an average of 14 and 13 officers per 10,000 residents, respectively. Primary State law enforcement agencies employed an average of 2 officers per 10,000 residents. From 1996 to 1999 the median agency increase in number of full-time sworn personnel was higher among sheriffs' departments (12%) than for county (7%), municipal (4%), or State (3%) police agencies. About 9 in 10 sworn personnel in State, municipal, and county police agencies worked in field operations. About 3 in 4 State officers were regularly assigned to respond to calls for service compared to about 3 in 5 municipal and county police officers. On average, a smaller percentage of sheriffs' officers worked in field operations (58%) and responded to calls for service (41%)because more of these officers were assigned to jail-related (25%) or court-related (9%) duties. Community policing In 1999, nearly two-thirds of county (66%) and municipal (62%)police agencies with 100 or more officers had a formally written community policing plan, as did nearly half of sheriffs' departments (46%). For each type of local agency, the percentage with a written plan was higher than in 1997. In both years, nearly a third of State police agencies had a written plan. Nearly all larger county (97%) and municipal (95%) police departments had full-time community policing officers, as did 88% of sheriffs' departments. About half of State police agencies had them. For all types of agencies, these percentages represented substantial increases over 1997. In 1999, larger local law enforcement agencies had a total of about 59,000 full-time sworn personnel serving as community policing officers. This was about 5 times as many as was reported in 1997. In more than four-fifths of county (87%) and municipal (81%)police departments with 100 or more officers, all new officer recruits received community policing training. This was true in about three-fifths of sheriffs' departments and just over half of State police agencies. For each type of agency, these percentages were higher than in 1997. A large majority of the municipal police (92%), sheriffs' (82%),and county police (79%) departments trained at least some of their in-service officers in community policing. Most State police agencies (62%) did so as well. For municipal police, sheriffs' departments, and State police agencies these percentages were higher than in 1997. During the 12-month period ending June 30, 1999, a majority of local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers trained citizens in community policing (72%), formed problem-solving partnerships through written agreements (60%), and actively encouraged patrol officers to become involved in problem-solving projects that utilized community policing concepts (64%). Nearly all larger local law enforcement agencies met with community groups during the 12-month period ending June 30, 1999, as did 78% of State agencies. Local police agencies were most likely to meet with neighborhood associations (96%), school groups (88%), and business groups (84%). During the 12-month period ending June 30,1999, most larger local law enforcement agencies surveyed citizens (57%) on issues such as their satisfaction with police services (51%) and their perceptions of crime problems (45%). About a third of State and local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers provided citizens with routine access to crime statistics or crime maps over the Internet, more than twice the proportion that did so in 1997. Operations From 1997 to 1999, the percentage of larger local law enforcement agencies using routine bicycle patrol increased from 62% to 79%, and the percentage using foot patrol units on a routine basis increased from 44% to 62%. Almost all of the Nation's larger county police (97%), municipal police (94%), and sheriffs' (90%) departments participated in an enhanced 9-1-1 system in 1999, as did about half of State agencies. From 1997 to 1999, the percentage of larger local law enforcement agencies with enhanced 9-1-1 increased from 83% to 93%. Nearly all local law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers were responsible for investigating serious violent and property crimes occurring in their jurisdiction, as were about half of State agencies. Local agencies were more likely than State agencies to be the lead investigative agency for computer-related (74% versus 43%), and environmental (39% versus 22%) crimes. About half of State agencies performed investigative support functions such as fingerprint processing (55%), crime lab services (53%), and ballistics testing (43%). Local agencies were more likely than State agencies to handle fingerprint processing (81%), but less likely to provide crime lab services (38%) or ballistics testing (16%). Nearly all State and local agencies with 100 or more officers were responsible for traffic law enforcement and accident investigation. About four-fifths had traffic direction and control duties. A majority of local agencies were responsible for parking enforcement (77%) and school crossing (60%) services. Most State (73%) and local (87%) agencies with 100 or more officers performed special weapons and tactics (SWAT) operations. A majority of sheriffs' (76%) and county (58%)police departments also handled search and rescue operations. County police (61%) were the most likely to handle bomb disposal, although about half of State police and sheriffs' departments performed this function as well. Nearly all sheriffs' departments and offices with 100 or more officers performed court-related functions such as executing arrest warrants, providing court security and serving civil process. Ninety percent of these agencies also operated at least one jail. Nearly 4 in 5 State and local law enforcement agencies dispatched calls for service, and a majority of State (82%) and county (68%) police agencies operated a training academy. Computers and information systems More than 90% of State police agencies used some type of mobile computer or terminal in 1999, as did 76% of larger local law enforcement agencies. These percentages were similar to those reported in 1997. From 1997 to 1999, the percentage of State and local agencies employing 100 or more officers that provided in-field computer access to prior calls for service information, criminal histories, driving records, and vehicle records increased slightly. In 1999 more than half of these agencies provided at least some patrol officers with direct access via in-field computer to information on wanted suspects and driving records. In 1999, 82% of the Nation's larger State and local law enforcement agencies primarily used paper reports to transmit field report data to their central information system, down from 86% in 1997. Alternative methods included the use of telephone lines, computer media, data devices, and wireless transmission. A higher percentage of larger local law enforcement agencies were using computerized geocoding and mapping data in 1999 than in 1997. Increases were reported in the use of geocoding and mapping of data for crime incidents (from 49% to 64%), calls for service (44% to 57%), and arrests (36% to 45%). Increased use of computerized formats for information storage was observed in 1999 compared with 1997. Increases among local agencies by information type included alarms (87% in 1999, 74% in 1997); arrests (98%, 93%); criminal histories (83%, 78%); evidence (89%, 81%); field interviews (75%, 66%); incident reports (93%, 88%); stolen property (87%, 75%); traffic accidents (82%, 73%); traffic citations (77%, 67%); vehicle registration (47%, 30%; warrants (85%, 77%). Written policy directives For most subject areas covered by the LEMAS survey, a higher percentage of agencies had a written policy covering that topic in 1999 than in 1997. For example, 86% of local agencies had a written policy covering discretionary arrest power in 1999 compared to 73% in 1997; and 90% had a policy on maximum work hours allowed for officers in 1999 compared to 68% in 1997. Foreword The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) began the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) program in 1987 with a nationwide survey of State and local law enforcement agencies. Updated versions of the survey were completed in 1990, 1993, and 1997. The current volume presents 1999 data provided by 700 local and 49 State local law enforcement agencies employing 100 or more full-time officers. Data on personnel, operations, computers and information systems, and written policies are presented. As in 1997, this volume also includes a community policing section based on survey questions developed by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). An outgrowth of the ongoing collaboration between BJS and COPS, the 1999 LEMAS survey is expected to be instrumental in assessing the state of law enforcement, specifically community policing, in the United States. Funding for its administration was provided by COPS. Since the advent of the 1994 Violent Crime Act, COPS has been tasked with 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 hire additional police officers and to promote the practice of community policing. The inclusion of community policing questions in the 1997 and 1999 LEMAS surveys is but one step in assessing the potential impact these programs have on law enforcement agencies across the country. We are pleased to present the results of the 1999 LEMAS survey, and are confident that the information gleaned from these data will help further our knowledge of law enforcement as it exists today. 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. 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. Thomas C. Frazier . Director Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director Bureau of Justice Statistics Introduction The 1999 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 are covered in separate BJS reports. The 1999 LEMAS questionnaire was mailed to the same agencies that received the 1997 version. The initial mailing of the 1999 form was conducted in July 1999. The reference date for all personnel-related questions was the pay period that included June 30, 1999. For other questions it was June 30, 1999 unless otherwise indicated. The data were collected by the Bureau of the Census for BJS. A total of 3,319 agencies received the 1999 LEMAS questionnaire,and 3,246 (97.8%) responded. Of the 895 agencies with 100 or more officers that received the survey, 883 (98.6%) responded. This was the fifth survey in the LEMAS program with previous data collections occurring in 1987, 1990, 1993, and 1997. Overview of this volume This volume presents individual agency data for 749 larger State and local law enforcement agencies that responded to the 1999 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 1999 (reference month for the 1999 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 1999. A total of 700 local law enforcement agencies are included. This includes 31 county police departments, 487 municipal police departments, and 182 sheriffs' departments and offices. Local agencies from every State except 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 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 19 tables for local agencies are presented first as tables 1a through 19a. Following the local agency tables are tables 1b through 19b 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. End of ascii file th 11/9/00