U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics Sheriffs' Offices, 2003 May 2006, NCJ 211361 -------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.csv) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/so03.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#so -------------------------------------------------------- Matthew J. Hickman, Ph.D. and Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D. BJS Statisticians Jeffrey L. Sedgwick Director Matthew J. Hickman and Brian A. Reaves prepared this report. Carolyn. C. Williams provided editorial review. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) provided partial funding for the 2003 LEMAS survey. Debra Cohen and Matthew Scheider of the COPS office assisted with questionnaire development. More information on the COPS office can be obtained at their website . Data were collected and processed by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) under the supervision of Lorie Fridell. PERF project staff included Bruce Kubu and Nathan Ballard. Additional information on PERF is available on the Internet at: . Data presented in this report may be obtained from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan, 1-800-999-0960. The report and data are available on the Internet at: . Highlights The LEMAS survey Personnel Budget and pay Operations Community policing Policies and procedures Equipment Computers and information systems Methodology ------------------------------------ Highlights Personnel * As of June 2003 sheriffs' offices had about 330,000 full-time employees, including about 174,000 sworn personnel. This represented an increase of about 9,500 sworn and 26,900 nonsworn employees since 2000. * Racial and ethnic minorities comprised 18.8% of full-time sworn personnel in 2003, up from 13.4% in 1987. Women were 12.9% of officers in 2003, about the same as in 1987 (12.6%). * From 2000 to 2003 the number of black or African American officers increased by 1,990, or 13%; Hispanic or Latino officers by 1,960, or 20%; officers from other minority groups by 500, or 20%, and female officers by 960, or 5%. * Sixty-nine percent of sheriffs' offices had officer separations during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. Overall, about 13,500 officers separated, including 7,900 resignations, 2,700 retirements, and 1,200 dismissals. * Seventy-one percent of sheriffs' offices hired new officers during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. Overall, about 13,900 officers were hired, including 11,300 entry-level hires, and 2,200 lateral transfers/hires. * During the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003, 31% of sheriffs' offices had full-time sworn personnel called-up as full-time military reservists. Overall, about 2,800 officers were called up. Budget and pay * Sheriffs' offices had total operating budgets of $22.3 billion during fiscal 2003, 18% more than in 2000 after adjusting for inflation. Expenditures in 2003 averaged $124,400 per officer, and $82 per resident. * In 2003 starting salaries for entry-level deputies ranged from an average of about $23,300 in the smallest jurisdictions to about $38,800 in the largest. Operations * A quarter of sheriffs' offices, including more than half of those serving 1 million or more residents, used foot patrol routinely. An estimated 10%, including nearly two-thirds of those serving 1 million or more residents, used bicycle patrol on a regular basis. * In 2003, 94% of sheriffs' offices, employing 93% of all officers, participated in a 9-1-1 emergency system compared to 28% and 53% in 1987. In 2003, 71% of sheriffs' offices, employing 83% of all officers, had enhanced 9-1-1, compared to 8% and 23% in 1987. * Thirty-six percent of sheriffs' offices had officers assigned full time to a special unit for drug enforcement, with about 4,000 officers assigned nationwide. Nearly half of sheriffs' offices had officers assigned to a multi-agency drug task force, with about 3,500 officers assigned full time nationwide. * Ninety-eight percent of sheriffs' offices were responsible for serving civil process, 94% for providing court security, and 76% for operating a jail. * Fifty-two percent of sheriffs' offices had drug asset forfeiture receipts during 2002, including more than 80% of those serving 500,000 or more residents. Nationwide, receipts totaled about $178 million, or $992 per officer. Community policing * Ten percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 31% of all officers, maintained or created a written community policing plan during the 12- month period ending June 30, 2003. * Nearly 3 in 10 sheriffs' offices, employing 55% of all officers, had a mission statement that included some aspect of community policing. * Fifty-one percent of all sheriffs' offices, employing 70% of all officers, used full-time community policing officers during 2003. Overall, 14,900 officers were so designated. * Twenty-seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 51% of all officers, trained all new officer recruits in community policing. This included more than half of sheriffs' offices serving 500,000 or more residents. * About sixty percent of sheriffs' offices, including more than three-quarters of those serving 100,000 or more residents, had problem-solving partnerships or written agreements with community groups, local agencies, or others during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. * Forty-seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 74% of all officers, used full-time school resource officers in 2003. Collectively, these agencies employed about 5,600 such officers. Policies and procedures * Nearly all sheriffs' offices had a written policy on pursuit driving. Half of them restricted vehicle pursuits according to specific criteria such as speed or offense. About a third had a policy that left the decision to the officer's discretion, and 7% discouraged all vehicle pursuits. * Ninety-seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 99% of all officers, had a written policy on the use of deadly force. Eighty-nine percent, employing 97% of all officers, had a policy on the use of nonlethal force. * Sixty-three percent of sheriffs' offices had written policies about racial profiling by officers. This included about 9 in 10 agencies serving populations of 1 million or more residents. * Nearly half of sheriffs' offices had a written plan specifying actions to be taken in the event of a terrorist attack. This included a majority of sheriffs' offices serving 50,000 or more residents. * Eighty-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 92% of officers, had written policies or procedures for handling juveniles; 67%, employing 82% of officers, for responding to the mentally ill; and 23%, employing 27% of officers, for interacting with homeless persons. Equipment * In 2003, the .40-caliber semiautomatic was the most commonly authorized sidearm, with 62% of sheriffs' offices authorizing its use by officers. * An estimated 96% of sheriffs' offices authorized use of chemical agents such as pepper spray during 2003, up from 52% in 1990. * In 2003, 76% of officers were employed by a department that required at least some field officers to wear protective body armor while on duty, compared to 30% in 1990. * Nationwide, sheriffs' offices in 2003 operated an estimated 118,300 cars, or about 2 cars per 3 officers employed. A third of these cars were unmarked. * Over half of sheriffs' offices used dogs for law enforcement, including more than 75% of those serving 100,000 or more residents. Four percent of agencies used horses. * Two-thirds of sheriffs' offices regularly used video cameras in patrol cars during 2003, compared to about half in 2000. There were about 17,700 in-car cameras in use during 2003. Ten percent of sheriffs' offices used traffic enforcement cameras during 2003. Computers and information systems * From 1990 to 2003 the percentage of sheriffs' offices using infield computers increased from 6% to 55%. Sheriffs' offices using infield computers employed 81% of all officers in 2003, up from 28% in 1990. * From 2000 to 2003 the percent of officers employed by a department with infield computer access to vehicle records increased from 67% to 78%. * In 2003, 58% of sheriffs' offices used paper reports as the primary means to transmit criminal incident field data to a central information system, down from 87% in 1997. During the same time period, use of computer and data devices increased from 7% to 33%. ----------------------------------------- The LEMAS survey During 2003 the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), as part of its Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) program, surveyed a nationally representative sample of State and local law enforcement agencies operating nationwide. Previous LEMAS surveys were conducted in 1987, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1999 (limited scope), and 2000. This report presents data from the 2003 survey describing the more than 3,000 sheriffs' offices operating in the United States in terms of their personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, community policing initiatives, written policies and procedures, computers and information systems, and equipment. Comparisons are made with prior years where appropriate. Sheriffs' offices typically serve counties and independent cities. Although sheriffs' offices may have countywide jail and court-related responsibilities, their law enforcement jurisdictions typically exclude county areas served by a local police department. In certain counties some municipalities contract with the sheriffs' office for law enforcement services. In counties and independent cities with a separate police department, the sheriffs' office may not have any primary law enforcement jurisdiction. The 2003 LEMAS survey questionnaire was mailed to 3,154 State and local law enforcement agencies (see Methodology for a description of the sample). The overall response rate was 91%. This report and its companion report, Local Police Departments, 2003, summarize data collected from agencies of all sizes. Agency- level data for agencies with 100 or more officers will be published in the BJS report, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2003. Personnel As of June 30, 2003, sheriffs' offices had an estimated 330,274 full-time employees. Approximately 174,300, or 53%, of full-time sheriffs' office employees were sworn personnel (those with general arrest powers). Sheriffs' offices also employed about 24,000 persons on a part-time basis, which includes about 9,500 sworn officers. Sheriffs' offices employed one-quarter of full- time sworn officers working for State and local general purpose law enforcement agencies nationwide. Their 156,022 full-time civilian employees comprised half of nonsworn State and local law enforcement employees. From 1987 (the first year of the LEMAS survey) to 2003, overall employment by sheriffs' offices increased by about 141,000, or 75% -- an average of 4.7% annually. The number of full-time sworn officers increased by about 45,500, or 35%, during this period. There were about 36,500 more full-time sheriffs' office employees in 2003 than in 2000, an increase of 12.4%, or about 4.1% annually. When only sworn personnel are considered, employment by sheriffs' offices increased by about 9,500, or 5.8%, from 2000 to 2003. From 1987 to 2003 the number of full-time civilian sheriffs' office employees increased from 60,506 to 156,022, or 158%. This included an increase of about 26,900, or 21%, from 2000 to 2003. Nationwide, 354, or 11.6% of sheriffs' offices, employed at least 100 sworn personnel. This included 13 sheriffs' offices with 1,000 or more officers. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs' Office was the largest, with about 8,600 officers (see exhibit 1). An estimated 732, or 23.9%, of sheriffs' offices employed fewer than 10 officers, including 19 with 1 officer (the sheriff). Nineteen percent of all full-time officers were employed by a department with 1,000 or more sworn personnel, and 65% were employed by a department with at least 100 sworn personnel. Sheriffs' offices that employed fewer than 10 officers accounted for about 2% of all officers nationwide. Although 71% of all sheriffs' offices served fewer than 50,000 residents, these agencies employed 20% of all officers. About half of all officers served a jurisdiction with 250,000 or more residents. Sheriffs' offices serving the largest jurisdictions had thousands of full-time employees on average, while those serving the smallest ones had an average of 11 full-time employees, including 6 sworn officers. Part-time employees were more common among sheriffs' offices serving larger jurisdictions, ranging from an average of 2 in the smallest jurisdictions to 89 in the largest. The highest average number of sworn part-time employees was 39, among sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents. Overall, 52% of full-time officers had regularly assigned duties that included responding to calls for service. The proportion of officers responding to calls ranged from less than half among sheriffs' offices serving 250,000 or more residents, to about 9 in 10 in those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. As of June 30, 2003, sheriffs' offices collectively employed 97% of the maximum number of full-time sworn personnel authorized by their budgets. The highest actual-to-authorized ratio for full-time sworn personnel was among offices serving 50,000 to 99,999 residents (99%). Officer separations and new hires Sixty-nine percent of sheriffs' offices experienced officer separations during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. Nearly all sheriffs' offices serving a population of 250,000 or more had officer separations during the 12-month period, compared to less than half of those serving a population under 10,000. The average number of separations across all agencies was 6 officers, ranging from 2 officers among sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 25,000 residents to nearly 100 officers among sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents. During the same time period, 71% of sheriffs' offices hired new officers. The average number of new hires across all agencies was 6 officers, ranging from 2 among sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 10,000 residents to 66 among sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents. Overall, an estimated 13,538 full-time sworn officers separated from sheriffs' offices during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. An estimated 58% (7,905 officers) of these separations were due to resignations, 20%(2,719 officers) were due to nonmedical retirements, 9% (1,210 officers) were dismissals, 5% (703 officers) were medical/disability retirements, and 3% (368 officers) were probationary rejections. About three-quarters of the separations in sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 25,000 residents were due to resignations, compared to less than half in those serving a population of 500,000 or more. In contrast, about 30% of the separations in the largest jurisdictions were due to nonmedical retirements, compared to under 10% in the smallest. Overall, sheriffs' offices hired an estimated 13,858 new full-time sworn officers during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. The total included 11,277 entry-level hires (81%), 2,180 lateral transfers (16%), and 401 other new hires (3%). The largest number of new hires (3,091 officers, or 22% of all new hires) was among sheriffs' offices serving populations of 100,000 to 249,999, followed by those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents (2,221 officers, or about 16% of all new hires). Sheriffs' offices serving the smallest jurisdictions had the fewest new hires (538 officers, or 4% of all new hires). Six percent of sheriffs' offices experienced separations without any new hires during the 12-month period. These agencies had an estimated 538 separations. Eight percent of sheriffs' offices experienced new hires without any separations. These agencies had an estimated 533 new hires. Net personnel change, 2002-2003 The 13,858 new hires by sheriffs' offices during the year ending June 30, 2003 and the 13,538 separations over the same period represent an estimated net increase overall(excluding lateral transfers) of 320 full-time officers. Overall, agencies serving 1 million or more residents experienced a net loss of 1,102 officers, the only decrease in any population category. The largest increase in number of officers was in jurisdictions serving populations of 250,000 to 499,999 residents, where 334 more officers were serving in June 2003 compared to a year earlier. The next largest increases were in jurisdictions with 100,000 to 249,999 residents (277 more officers) or 25,000 to 49,999 residents (269 more officers). Military reservists called to active duty During the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003, 31% of sheriffs' offices had full-time sworn personnel who were called up as full-time military reservists and were, therefore, no longer available for law enforcement duties. All offices serving 1 million or more residents had call-ups, as did about 9 in 10 offices serving 250,000 to 999,999 residents. Eight percent of those serving fewer than 10,000 residents had call-ups. Overall, about 2,800 officers were called-up for reserve military service. About half of them came from sheriffs' offices serving 250,000 or more residents. The average number of officers called up was 3, ranging from 1 officer among sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 25,000 residents to 20 officers among those serving a population of 1 million or more. Reserve or auxiliary officers Some sheriffs' offices partly offset officer shortages through the use of supplemental personnel, such as sworn reserve or auxiliary officers. As of June 30, 2003, 44% of sheriffs' offices were using part-time sworn reserve or auxiliary officers, with an average of 16 officers each. Overall, sheriffs' offices employed 20,844 such officers. Thirteen percent of sheriffs' offices were using full-time sworn reserve or auxiliary officers, with a total of 5,209 nationwide. The average number of sworn auxiliary officers was 13. Thirteen percent of sheriffs' offices were using part-time nonsworn reserve or auxiliary officers, with a total of nearly 11,000 used nationwide. An estimated 2% of all offices were using full-time nonsworn reserve or auxiliary officers, with an overall total of about 1,100. Gender and race of officers Of the 174,251 full-time sworn personnel in sheriffs' offices as of June 2003, an estimated 12.9% were women. The percentage of female officers ranged from about 15% in sheriffs' offices serving 500,000 or more residents to 5% in those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. In 2003 the estimated 22,411 female officers represented an increase of about 960, or 5%, from 2000. During this time, female representation among officers increased from 12.5% to 12.9%, but female representation has not changed substantially since 1987, when women comprised 12.6% of all officers. In 2003 an estimated 18.8% of full-time officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority. Minority officers comprised about a third of the total in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents. Blacks or African Americans accounted for 10.0% of all officers in 2003. Black employment was highest among sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 to 999,999 (14.2%). An estimated 6.9% of officers nationwide were Hispanic or Latino, with the highest representation among sheriffs' offices serving a population of 1 million or more (15.8%). The number of officers who were members of a racial or ethnic minority in 2003(32,726) represented an increase of about 3,400, or 12%, over 2000 levels. From 2000 to 2003 minority representation increased from 17.1% to 18.7%. In 1987, minorities comprised 13.4% of all officers. The estimated 17,473 full-time black officers employed in 2003 was an increase of about 1,990, or 13%, compared to 2000. During this time, the percentage of officers who were black increased from 9.4% to 10.0%. In 1987, blacks comprised 8.3% of officers. An estimated 12,007 Hispanic officers were employed by sheriffs' offices in 2003. This was about 1,960, or 20%, more than in 2000. From 2000 to 2003, the percentage of officers who were Hispanic rose from 6.1% to 6.9%. In 1987, 4.3% of officers were Hispanic. From 2000 to 2003 representation by other minority groups such as Asians, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians increased by about 500, or 20%, to about 3,200 officers. These groups comprised 1.9% of officers in 2003 compared to 1.6% in 2000, and 0.8% in 1987. Screening of officer applicants Sheriffs' offices employed a variety of screening methods when hiring new officers. Nearly all used personal interviews (99%), and a majority used medical exams (76%) and drug tests (68%). Among sheriffs' offices serving 100,000 or more residents, a majority used psychological evaluations, physical agility tests, and written aptitude tests. More than half of sheriffs' offices serving 250,000 or more residents used polygraph exams. In addition to interviews, tests, and examinations, nearly all sheriffs' offices screened recruits through criminal record checks (99%), background investigations (96%), and driving record checks (94%). Nearly half conducted credit record checks (48%), including a majority of those serving 50,000 or more residents. Nearly all officers were employed by a sheriff's office that used criminal record checks (99%), personal interviews (98%), background investigations (98%), and driving record checks (95%). More than 4 in 5 officers were employed by an office that used medical exams (87%), and drug tests (85%). More than two-thirds were employed by one using psychological evaluations (72%)and credit checks (69%). More than half of officers worked in sheriffs' offices using written aptitude tests (58%) and physical agility tests (54%). Education and training requirements Nearly all(99%)sheriffs' offices had an education requirement for new officer recruits. Eleven percent of sheriffs' offices had some type of college requirement, with 5% requiring a 2-year degree. In 2003 the percentage of officers employed by a sheriffs' office with some type of college requirement for new officers (11%) was slightly less than in 2000 (13%), but nearly 3 times as high as in 1990 (4%). In the largest jurisdictions new deputy recruits were required to complete more than 1,200 hours of training on average, compared to about 800 hours in the smallest. Overall, about three-fourths of the training hours required for new recruits were State mandated, with the remainder an agency requirement. For greater detail on basic law enforcement training, see State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies, 2002. From 2000 to 2003 there were increases in training requirements for new deputy recruits in all population categories. In jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents, the combined field and academy training requirement rose from 918 hours to 1,223 hours; with 100,000 to 499,999 residents, from 944 to 1,077; with 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 700 to 933; and with fewer than 25,000 residents, from 555 to 778 hours. The average annual in-service training requirement for non-probationary officers was 49 hours, including 28 State-mandated hours. Overall, 9% of sheriffs' offices operated a training academy; however, a majority of those serving a population of 500,000 or more did so. Nationwide, 39% of all officers were employed by a department that operated an academy. Budget and pay Operating budgets The total operating budget of sheriffs' offices during fiscal 2003 was about $22.3 billion. This was 18% more than in 2000 after adjusting for inflation. (These figures do not include budgets for capital expenditures such as equipment purchases or construction projects.) Sheriffs' offices accounted for 30% of the $73.6 billion in total operating budgets for general purpose State and local law enforcement agencies. Nationwide, operating budgets were about $7.3 million per sheriffs' office for fiscal 2003, ranging from about $226 million for those serving a population of 1 million or more, to $518,000 among those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. The overall operating cost per resident was $82, with sheriffs' offices in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more costing the most to operate, $102 per resident, followed by those serving populations of under 10,000, $98 per resident. Sheriffs' offices serving a population of 25,000 to 49,999 had the lowest per resident cost -- about $65. Nationwide, sheriffs' offices cost an estimated $124,400 per sworn officer to operate for fiscal 2003. Those serving a population of 1 million or more ($161,600 per officer) cost about twice as much to operate as those serving fewer than 10,000 residents ($80,300). When both sworn and nonsworn personnel are included, sheriffs' offices cost $65,100 per employee to operate for the year. Operating costs ranged from about $86,000 per employee in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to about $43,000 per employee in those with fewer than 10,000 residents. After controlling for inflation per officer operating costs for 2003 were $9,000, or 8%, higher than in 2000. The largest increase, from $78,600 to $93,900, was recorded in jurisdictions with 25,000 to 99,999 residents. There was a slight decrease, from $80,300 to $78,700, in jurisdictions with fewer than 25,000 residents. Salaries The overall average base starting salary for sheriffs was $54,500 in 2003. Average starting salaries for sheriffs ranged from $119,300 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to $37,000 in those with a population under 10,000. Average minimum starting salaries for first-line supervisors (sergeant or equivalent) ranged from $56,200 in the largest jurisdictions to $28,000 in the smallest. When size of agency is considered, the average minimum starting salary earned by sergeants was about $43,700. By agency the average base starting salary offered to entry-level deputies in 2003 was $26,300. Starting salaries ranged from $23,300 in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents to $38,800 in those with a population of 1 million or more. When size of agency is factored in, it is estimated that new entry-level deputies started at an average salary of about $32,600 during 2003. This was 14% more than in 2000; and a 6% increase after adjusting for inflation. By population category inflation-adjusted salaries increased the most in jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents, from $31,849 to $36,161, or 14%. In jurisdictions with 100,000 to 499,999 residents, salaries rose 12%, from $27,215 to $30,586; in those with 25,000 to 99,999 residents, they rose 11%, from $24,103 to $26,686; and in those with fewer than 25,000 residents, they were up 10%, from $22,028 to $24,220. Special pay Nationwide, 23% of sheriffs' offices, employing 50% of all officers, offered tuition reimbursement to officers. This included a majority of sheriffs' offices serving 250,000 or more residents. An estimated 20% of sheriffs' offices offered education incentive pay to qualifying officers. About half (49%) of all officers worked for a department that offered this type of pay. Twenty-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 34% of all officers, offered shift differential pay to full-time officers. This included a majority of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 or more. Twenty-one percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 39% of all officers, offered merit pay to qualifying sworn personnel. Eleven percent of sheriffs' offices offered special skills pay, including about 3 in 10 sheriffs' offices serving 250,000 or more residents. Overall, 26% of officers worked in a department that offered special skills pay. Thirteen percent of sheriffs' offices authorized special pay for military service. These departments employed 32% of officers. Hazardous duty pay was available in 10% of all sheriffs' offices, employing 32% of all officers. Three percent of sheriffs' offices offered special pay for officers with bilingual ability. Twenty-one percent of officers worked for sheriffs' offices authorizing this type of special pay. Unions and collective bargaining Nationwide, 28% of sheriffs' offices, employing nearly half(47%)of all officers, authorized collective bargaining for sworn personnel. This group included a majority of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 250,000 or more. Overall, 24% of sheriffs' offices, employing 44% of all nonsworn personnel, authorized collective bargaining for nonsworn employees. A majority of sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 or more authorized collective bargaining for nonsworn employees. The average starting salary for entry-level deputies was about $6,900 higher in sheriffs' offices that authorized collective bargaining than in those that did not authorize it. Sheriffs' offices with collective bargaining for officers had higher average entry-level salaries in all population categories. In jurisdictions with fewer than 100,000 residents the difference was about $5,900, 100,000 to 499,999 residents, $4,700; and 500,000 or more residents, $5,600. Operations Facilities As of June 30, 2003, 24% of sheriffs' offices operated district, precinct, or division stations that were separate from headquarters. About 2,000 such stations were operated by sheriffs' offices nationwide. An estimated 23% of sheriffs' offices operated fixed neighborhood or community substations, including 81% of those serving a population of 1 million or more. Three percent of sheriffs' offices operated mobile substations, including 15% of those serving 1 million or more residents. Nationwide, sheriffs' offices operated an estimated 1,926 fixed substations, and 105 mobile substations. Patrol and response Sheriffs' offices used a variety of patrol types to supplement routine automobile patrol services. An estimated 11% of them, employing 45% of all officers, used motorcycle patrol on a routine basis during 2003. This included a majority of those serving 500,000 or more residents. About a fifth(21%)of sheriffs' offices, employing 46% of all officers, used marine patrols on a routine basis during 2003. This included more than half of those serving a population of 1 million or more residents. Overall, 5% of sheriffs' offices routinely scheduled horse patrol units. About a third of sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents used horse patrols on a regular basis. Twenty-five percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 38% of all officers, used foot patrol on a routine basis. This included more than half of those serving a population of 1 million or more. An estimated 10% of sheriffs' offices, employing 39% of all officers, used routine bicycle patrol units. Nearly two-thirds of those serving 1 million or more residents had routine bike patrols, as did more than a third of those serving 250,000 to 999,999 residents. The percentage of sheriffs' offices using routine foot or bicycle patrol in 2003 was higher in all population categories than in 1997. When compared with 2000 the use of foot or bicycle patrol in 2003 was higher in jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents, (59% versus 51%)or fewer than 25,000 residents (29% versus 24%). In jurisdictions with 100,000 to 499,999 residents, it declined from 47% of agencies to 35%, and in jurisdictions with 25,000 to 99,999 residents, it declined from 28% to 26%. An estimated 67% of sheriffs' offices had responsibility for dispatching calls for service. This included at least half of the sheriffs' offices in each population category. Nearly half(49%)of sheriffs' offices dispatched calls for fire services. Fire dispatch responsibilities were most common among sheriffs' offices serving under 25,000 residents, where more than half performed this function. About one fifth of sheriffs' offices had sworn personnel serving as communications technicians such as call-takers and dispatchers. Among sheriffs' offices having sworn communications technicians, the average number of such personnel was 6, ranging from 4 in the smallest sheriffs' offices to more than 40 in those serving 1 million or more residents. Overall, sheriffs' offices had an estimated 3,754 full-time sworn personnel serving in this capacity. 9-1-1 emergency telephone system In 2003, 94% of sheriffs' offices participated in a 9-1-1 emergency telephone system. At least 85% of the sheriffs' offices in each population category were 9-1-1 participants. Seventy-one percent of sheriffs' offices had an enhanced 9-1-1 system, capable of automatically displaying information such as a caller's phone number, address, and special needs. This included about four-fifths of those serving a population of 25,000 or more. About half of sheriffs' offices in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents had enhanced 9-1-1. Among the enhanced 9-1-1 systems in use during 2003, 65% had the ability to display the phone number of wireless callers, and 17% could display the location of wireless callers. In 2003, 93% of all officers worked for a sheriff's office with 9-1-1, compared to 53% in 1987. Eighty-three percent of officers were employed by an office with enhanced 9-1-1 in 2003, compared to 23% in 1987. Crime investigation Overall, 92% of sheriffs' offices had investigative responsibility for at least some types of crimes during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. Eighty-two percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 89% of all officers, handled homicide investigations. Seventy-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 72% of all officers, conducted arson investigations. This included 78% of the sheriffs' offices serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents. Half of all sheriffs' offices, employing 73% of all officers, conducted cybercrime investigations, including 9 in 10 offices serving a population of 1 million or more residents. Drug enforcement activities Nine in 10 sheriffs' offices regularly performed drug enforcement functions. Sheriffs' offices with drug enforcement responsibilities employed 90% of all local police officers. Thirty-six percent of sheriffs' offices operated a special unit for drug enforcement with one or more officers assigned full-time. A majority of sheriffs' offices serving a population of 250,000 or more residents had a full-time drug enforcement unit. There were an estimated 4,031 officers assigned full time to drug enforcement units nationwide. The average number of officers assigned ranged from 27 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to 2 in those with fewer than 50,000 residents. Drug task force participation In 2003 an estimated 47% of sheriffs' offices had one or more officers assigned full time to a multi-agency drug enforcement task force, including 89% of sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents. About 71% of all officers worked for a department that assigned officers to a drug task force. Nationwide, an estimated 3,477 officers were assigned full time to a drug task force. The average number assigned full time ranged from 9 in sheriffs' offices serving a population of 1 million or more to 1 in those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Drug asset forfeiture receipts Fifty-two percent of all sheriffs' offices received money, property, or goods from a drug asset forfeiture program during 2002. These sheriffs' offices employed 76% of all sworn personnel. More than 8 in 10 of the sheriffs' offices serving populations of 500,000 or more had drug asset forfeiture receipts. During 2002 the overall median amount received from drug asset forfeiture programs by sheriffs' offices was $10,000. By population category, the median amount received ranged from about $1 million among sheriffs' offices serving a population of 1 million or more to $5,000 among those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Overall, sheriffs' offices received an estimated $178 million in money, goods, and property from drug asset forfeitures during 2002. Including both sheriffs' offices with receipts and those without, this was the equivalent of $992 per sworn officer employed. Sheriffs' offices with 1,000 or more officers received the most -- nearly $1,700 per officer. Next highest were agencies with 250 to 999 officers which received about $1,100 per officer and those with under 25 officers which received about $1,000 per officer. Sheriffs' offices with 25 to 49 officers received the least -- $449 per officer. Court-related functions More than 9 in 10 sheriffs' offices had responsibility for serving civil process (98%), executing arrest warrants (97%), enforcing protection orders (96%), providing court security (94%), and serving eviction notices (91%). About three-quarters had responsibility for enforcing child support orders. Detention-related functions About 9 in 10 sheriffs' offices provided inmate transport services in 2003. Seventy-six percent operated at least one jail during 2003. Eighty- six percent of all sworn personnel worked for a sheriff's office with a jail. About a third (31%) of sheriffs' offices operated a temporary holding cell not used for overnight detention. Twenty-three percent of sheriffs' offices operated at least one temporary holding (lockup) facility for overnight detention of adults that was separate from a jail. The median maximum holding time for these facilities was 24 hours. The median total capacity of adult lockups ranged from 196 in jurisdictions with 500,000 to 999,999 residents to 10 in those with fewer than 10,000 residents. The estimated total adult capacity of sheriffs' lockups nationwide was about 32,600. Six percent of sheriffs' offices had a lockup facility for juveniles, with a median maximum holding time of 8 hours. The median capacity of juvenile lockups ranged from 23 in jurisdictions with 500,000 to 999,999 residents to 1 in those with fewer than 10,000 residents. Nationwide, sheriffs' lockups for juveniles had an estimated total capacity of about 1,100. Special public safety functions About three-quarters (73%) of sheriffs' offices provided crime prevention education to citizens, including more than 9 in 10 agencies serving populations of 1 million or more residents. About a third(36%)of sheriffs' offices provided animal control services in 2003. Other special public safety functions included civil defense (20%), school crossing services(16%),emergency medical services (15%), and fire services(10%). Traffic and vehicle-related functions Nine in 10 sheriffs' offices in 2003 enforced traffic laws. About 7 in 10 investigated traffic accidents (74%) and performed traffic direction and control (71%). Less common was parking enforcement (36%) and commercial vehicle enforcement functions (18%), although these tasks were performed by a majority of those serving a population of 1 million or more residents. Special operations functions Fifty-six percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 65% of all officers, performed search and rescue operations on a regular basis during 2003. An estimated 43% of sheriffs' offices performed tactical operations in 2003, utilizing what are commonly known as SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams. These offices employed 75% of all officers. More than 70% of the offices in each population category of 50,000 or more performed tactical operations. About a quarter (27%) of sheriffs' offices, employing 52% of all officers, were responsible for underwater recovery operations during 2003. This included 65% of the offices serving a population of 1 million or more. Ten percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 41% of officers, had primary responsibility for bomb and explosives disposal. This included about half of the offices serving 250,000 or more residents. Community policing Community policing promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through problem-solving tactics and police-community partnerships. Balancing responses to calls for service with proactive problem solving, effective community policing requires police and citizens to join together in identifying and addressing underlying causes of crime and disorder. The implementation of a community policing plan supports and empowers front-line officers, decentralizes command, and encourages innovative problem solving. For more information see the COPS office website at . In 2003, 10% of sheriffs' offices, employing 31% of all officers, had a formally written community policing plan. This included 54% of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 1 million or more. Among the 64% of sheriffs' offices that had an agency mission statement in 2003, just under half of them, representing 28% of all sheriffs' offices, had one that included some aspect of community policing. These offices employed 55% of all sworn personnel. Community policing training During the year ending June 30, 2003, 36% of sheriffs' offices, employing 61% of all officers, trained at least some new recruits in community policing skills such as problem-solving; Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment (SARA); and developing community partnerships. Twenty-seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 51% of all officers, trained all new recruits in community policing. The percentage of sheriffs' offices that trained all recruits ranged from 72% among those serving 1 million or more residents to 13% among those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Forty-six percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 62% of officers, trained at least some in-service officers during the 1-year period. Fourteen percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 14% of all officers, trained all in-service officers in community policing. Twelve percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 26% of nonsworn local police employees, trained at least some civilian employees in community policing during the 1-year period. Community policing personnel Overall, 51% of sheriffs' offices, employing 70% of all officers, had full-time sworn personnel serving as community policing officers. In some jurisdictions these officers are known as community relations officers, community resource officers, or some other name indicative of the community policing approach they employ. Nationwide, sheriffs' offices employed an estimated 14,900 community policing officers or their equivalent. A majority of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 25,000 or more had full-time community policing officers. Those serving a population of 1 million or more employed 137 such officers on average. Sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 10,000 residents employed 4 community policing officers on average. In all population categories the percentage of sheriffs' offices using community policing officers in 2003 was greater than in 1997, but less than in 2000. In jurisdictions with fewer than 25,000 residents, the percentage rose from 15% in 1997 to 63% in 2000, then dropped to 44% in 2003; in those with 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 34% to 56% to 55%; in those with 100,000 to 499,999 residents, from 44% to 70% to 59%; and in those with 500,000 or more residents, from 56% to 72% to 67%. An estimated 47% of sheriffs' offices, employing 74% of all officers, had full-time sworn personnel assigned as school resource officers during 2003. A majority of the sheriffs' offices in each population category of 25,000 or more used school resource officers, including 89% of those in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents. School resource officers use a community policing approach to provide a safe environment for students and staff. In addition to handling calls for service within the school, they work closely with school administrators and staff to prevent crime and disorder by monitoring crime trends, problem areas, cultural conflicts, and other areas of concern. As of June 2003 sheriffs' offices had an estimated 5,554 full-time sworn personnel assigned as school resource officers, about 240 more than in June 2000. The average number of school resource officers in 2003 ranged from 14 in sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents, to 2 in those serving fewer than 25,000 residents. Community policing policies and programs In order to hire officers more suited to community policing, 23% percent of sheriff's offices, employing 31% of all officers, assessed recruits' analytical and problem-solving abilities during the selection process. Ten percent of offices, employing 10% of officers, assessed recruits' understanding of culturally diverse populations. Five percent of them, employing 4% of officers, assessed mediation skills and ability to manage interpersonal conflicts. Forty-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 66% of officers, gave patrol officers responsibility for specific geographic areas or beats during 2003. This included a majority of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 25,000 or more. Eighteen percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 37% of all officers, actively encouraged patrol officers to become involved in problem-solving projects. Ten percent of offices, employing 27% of officers, included participation in collaborative problem-solving projects in performance evaluation criteria. This included about 30% of those serving 500,000 or more residents. An estimated 36% of sheriffs' offices, employing 59% of all officers, enhanced their proactive role in solving community problems by partnering with citizen groups to elicit feedback for the development of community policing strategies. This included more than three-fifths of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 or more and about half of those serving populations of 50,000 to 249,999. Nineteen percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 45% of all officers, offered training to citizens on community policing topics such as community mobilization and problem-solving during the 12- month period ending June 30, 2003. Seventeen percent of offices, employing 40% of all officers, upgraded technology during 2003 to support their community policing efforts. This included more than 4 in 10 offices serving 250,000 or more residents. Twelve percent of all sheriffs' offices, employing 41% of all officers, conducted a citizen police academy during the year ending June 30, 2003. Sixty-two percent of sheriffs' offices serving a population of 1 million or more conducted citizen academies during this period, as did more than one-third of those serving 100,000 to 999,999 residents. About 6 in 10 sheriffs' offices, including about 8 in 10 offices serving 250,000 or more residents, had problem-solving partnerships or written agreements with community groups, local agencies, or others during the year ending June 30, 2003. Sheriffs' offices having partnerships or written agreements employed 78% of all officers. Sheriffs' offices had partnerships or written agreements with a wide variety of groups. Half or more of all officers worked for a department that had partnerships or agreements with other law enforcement agencies (65%), local public agencies (55%), school groups (54%), or neighborhood associations (50%). About 4 in 10 officers worked for an agency that had problem-solving partnerships or written agreements with advocacy groups (43%), senior citizen groups (43%), or youth service organizations (37%). About a third worked for an agency having arrangements with business groups, and a quarter were employed by an office that had partnerships or written agreements with faith-based organizations. Sixteen percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 37% of all officers, surveyed citizens in their jurisdiction during the year ending June 30, 2003. Eleven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 31% of all officers, surveyed citizens regarding their satisfaction with police services. About a third of sheriffs' offices serving 500,000 or more conducted citizen satisfaction surveys. Seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 24% of all officers, surveyed citizens regarding their perceptions of crime problems; 9%, employing 22% of all officers, surveyed citizens regarding crime reporting; and 5%, employing 18% of all officers, surveyed citizens about their personal crime experiences. A majority of the sheriffs' offices conducting surveys used the data to evaluate agency performance (69%), provide information to officers (63%), or evaluate officer performance (53%). Other common uses included evaluating program effectiveness (48%), allocating resources to neighborhoods (45%), prioritizing crime and disorder problems (42%), and training development (34%). Policies and procedures Sheriffs' offices typically have numerous written policies and procedures to structure officer discretion and decision making. These policies and procedures guide officers through their diverse work activities. Special populations Eighty-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 92% of all officers, had written policies or procedures for handling juveniles. This included all offices serving a population of 1 million or more residents, and more than 90% of those serving 100,000 to 999,999 residents. A majority of sheriffs' offices had written policies or procedures on responding to the mentally ill (67%). These sheriffs' offices employed 82% of all officers. Twenty-three percent of local sheriffs' offices, employing 27% of officers, had policies or procedures for interactions with homeless persons. Work-related policies Fifty-two percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 70% of all officers, had a written policy on the maximum number of hours that officers can work. Eighty-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 96% of all officers, had a written policy pertaining to off-duty employment by officers. This included all sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents, and nearly all of those serving a population of 50,000 to 999,999. Use of force Ninety-seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 99% of all officers, had a written policy pertaining to the use of deadly force. All sheriffs' offices serving 50,000 or more residents, and 99% of those serving 25,000 to 49,999 residents, had such a policy. Eighty-nine percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 97% of all officers, had a written policy pertaining to the use of nonlethal force. This included at least 94% of the offices in each population category of 25,000 or more. Officer conduct and appearance Ninety-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 99% of officers, had a written code of officer conduct and appearance. This included all sheriffs' offices serving 100,000 or more residents. Eighty-seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 97% of officers, had a written policy covering off-duty conduct. Vehicle-related policies Ninety-two percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 83% of officers, allowed officers to take marked vehicles home. Twenty-two percent of sheriffs' offices allowed officers to use the vehicle for personal errands. Ninety-five percent of sheriffs' offices had a written policy governing pursuit driving. Fifty- one percent of them, employing 64% of officers, had a policy restricting pursuits according to specific criteria such as type of offense or maximum speed. Thirty-four percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 25% of officers, had a judgmental pursuit policy, one that leaves pursuit decisions to the officer's discretion. Seven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 4% of all officers, had a policy that discouraged pursuits. Additional policies More than 8 in 10 sheriffs' offices had written policies dealing with domestic disputes (86%), citizen complaints (82%), and strip searches (81%). Offices with these types of policies employed about 9 in 10 officers. Seventy-one percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 91% of all officers, had written policies about interactions with the media. This included all sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents, and more than 90% of those serving 100,000 or more residents. Sixty-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 73% of all officers, had written policies pertaining to racial profiling by officers. This included 89% of agencies serving 1 million or more residents. Fifty-four percent of sheriffs' offices, serving 81% of all officers, had a written policy pertaining to employee counseling. All offices serving 1 million or more residents had such a policy. Forty-eight percent of sheriffs' offices had a written plan specifying the actions to be taken in the event of terrorist attacks. This included about 9 in 10 sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 or more and more than half of those serving 50,000 to 499,999 residents. Agencies having a written plan specifying the response to terrorist events employed 72% of all officers in 2003. Equipment Sidearms In 2003 nearly all sheriffs' offices authorized patrol officers to carry one or more types of semiautomatic sidearms. A fifth (21%) of them authorized revolvers. The most common sidearm was the .40-caliber semiautomatic, authorized by 62% of all sheriffs' offices, employing 62% of all officers. About a third of sheriffs' offices authorized 9mm and .45- caliber semiautomatics. Other semiautomatic sidearms authorized included the .357-caliber (17%), the 10mm (9%), and the .380-caliber (3%). Twenty-one percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 11% of officers, had a policy that authorized officers to carry any of the above semiautomatic sidearms, provided the officer qualifies with the weapon on a firing range. Seventy percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 75% of all officers, supplied field officers with their primary sidearm. Three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 3% of all officers, provided a cash allowance for sidearms. Body armor In 2003, 70% of sheriffs' offices, employing 76% of all officers, required field officers to wear protective body armor at least some of the time while on duty. Fifty-five percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 55% of all officers, required field officers to wear body armor at all times while on duty. Fifteen percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 21% of officers, required officers to wear body armor in certain high-risk circumstances, such as when serving warrants. Eighty-eight percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 90% of all officers, supplied armor to officers and 2% provided a cash allowance. From 1990 to 2003 the percentage of officers employed by a department with some type of body armor requirement for field officers increased from 30% to 76%. During the same period the percentage employed by a department with a requirement for all field officers in all circumstances rose from 23% to 55%. Nonlethal weapons In 2003 nearly all sheriffs' offices authorized officers to use one or more types of nonlethal weapons. Chemical agents, such as pepper spray, were the most commonly authorized. Ninety-six percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 98% of all officers, authorized the use of pepper spray. This included all offices serving 250,000 or more residents. Batons were also commonly authorized, with 92% of all sheriffs' offices allowing their use. Sheriffs' offices authorizing one or more types of batons employed 96% of all officers. Collapsible batons (87%) were authorized by many more offices than traditional(44%)or PR-24(34%)batons. About 9 in 10 officers nationwide worked for a department authorizing collapsible batons (91%) while less than half worked for one authorizing traditional (48%) or PR-24 (39%) batons. An estimated 32% of sheriffs' offices employing 54% of all officers, authorized the use of soft projectiles. This included a majority of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 or more. Thirty percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 47% of all officers, authorized electrical devices such as stun guns and tasers. This included 58% of sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 to 999,999 residents. Eleven percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 23% of all officers, authorized the use of carotid holds, choke holds, or neck restraints. From 1990 to 2003 in all population categories, there were large increases in the percentage of sheriffs' offices authorizing chemical agents. These increases were as follows: 500,000 or more residents, 65% to 100%; 100,000 to 499,999 residents, 59% to 99%; 25,000 to 99,999 residents, 52% to 99%; under 25,000 residents, 49% to 95%. In 2003, 99% of officers were employed by a department that authorized chemical agents, compared to 63% in 1990. Vehicles Nationwide, sheriffs' offices operated about 118,000 cars, or about 66 cars per 100 sworn personnel. By population category, the ratio of cars to officers was lowest in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents – 44 cars per 100 officers. It ranged from 68 to 84 cars per 100 officers in other population categories. A third of the cars operated by sheriffs' offices were unmarked. The percentage of cars that were unmarked ranged from 47% in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 to 999,999 to 17% in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents. In addition to cars 84% of sheriffs' offices used other 4-wheel motorized vehicles such as sport utility vehicles, trucks, or vans. This included more than 9 in 10 sheriffs' offices in jurisdictions serving 100,000 or more residents. Overall, there were about 28,000 such vehicles operated, or about 16 per 100 sworn personnel employed. Fourteen percent of sheriffs' offices used motorcycles during 2003, including about 7 in 10 offices serving a population of 500,000 or more. Nationwide, sheriffs' offices operated about 2,300 motorcycles, or about 1 for every 100 officers employed. Sixteen percent of all sheriffs' offices were using bicycles as of June 2003, with about 3,400 operated nationwide. Overall, sheriffs' offices had about 2 bicycles for every 100 sworn personnel. Off-land vehicles A third of sheriffs' offices, employing 62% of all officers, operated at least one boat during 2003. This included a majority of those serving 50,000 or more residents. Nationwide, local police operated about 2,800 boats. Four percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 26% of all officers, used helicopters. Half of sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents operated helicopters. There were an estimated 260 helicopters in use by sheriffs' offices nationwide during 2003. Four percent of sheriffs' offices operated at least one fixed-wing aircraft, with an estimated total of 160 in use nationwide. About a third of sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents operated at least 1 airplane. Sheriffs' offices using airplanes employed 21% of all officers. Animals Fifty-five percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 79% of all officers, used dogs for law enforcement activities. This included more 80% of those serving 250,000 or more residents. Overall, about 4,100 dogs were maintained by sheriffs' offices in 2003. About 4% of sheriffs' offices, employing 15% of all officers, used horses for law enforcement purposes, including 31% of those serving 1 million or more residents. Sheriffs' offices collectively maintained approximately 1,600 horses. Video cameras Two-thirds of all sheriffs' offices used video cameras on a regular basis during the year ending June 30, 2003. Agencies regularly using video cameras employed 74% of all officers. Video cameras were most commonly used in patrol cars (58%). An estimated total of 17,700 in-car cameras were in use by sheriffs' offices during 2003. The average number ranged from 52 in the largest jurisdictions to 4 in the smallest, with an overall average of 10. Nineteen percent of sheriffs' offices used video cameras for fixed-site surveillance. Among sheriffs' offices using such cameras, the average number in use ranged from 6 in the smallest jurisdictions to about 80 in the largest. Ten percent of sheriffs' offices used video cameras for traffic enforcement. The average number in use ranged from 4 in the smallest jurisdictions to 18 in the largest. Eleven percent of sheriffs' offices used video cameras for mobile surveillance, with the average number in use ranging from about 2 among sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 1 million residents, to 10 among sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents. From 2000 to 2003 sheriffs' offices in all population categories increased their use of video cameras in patrol cars. In jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 or more, 51% of sheriffs' offices were using video cameras in 2003 compared to 35% in 2000. The increases in other categories were as follows: 100,000 to 499,999 residents, from 51% to 57%, 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 45% to 61%, under 25,000 residents, from 32% to 58%. Special technologies Thirty-five percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 54% of all officers, used infrared(thermal) imagers on a regular basis. This included 57% of offices serving 1 million or more residents. Thirteen percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 26% of all officers, used image intensifiers. Laser range finders were used regularly by 11% of all offices, employing 25% of all officers. Tire deflation spikes were used regularly by 48% of all sheriffs' offices, employing 69% of all officers. This included a majority of the offices serving a population of 25,000 or more. Five percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 29% of all officers, used stolen vehicle tracking technology on a regular basis. This included 62% of the sheriffs' offices serving 1 million or more residents. Electrical/engine disruption technology was used by 1% of all sheriffs' offices, employing 2% of all officers. About three-quarters (74%) of sheriffs' offices, employing 90% of all officers, regularly used digital imaging technology for mug shots. This included more than 70% of the sheriffs' offices in each population category of 10,000 or more. About half (48%) of sheriffs' offices, employing 81% of all officers, regularly used digital imaging technology for fingerprints. This included a majority of the offices serving 50,000 or more residents. A quarter of sheriffs' offices, employing 52% of all officers, used digital imaging technology for suspect composites. A majority of the offices serving 1 million or more residents, and about half of those serving 50,000 to 999,999, used it for this purpose. Digital imaging technology for facial recognition was used by 6% of sheriffs' offices, including 27% of those serving 1 million or more residents. Computers and information systems Computer functions Sheriffs' offices used computers for a wide variety of functions in 2003. For example, 81% of all sheriffs' offices used computers for Internet access. Sheriffs' offices using computers for Internet access employed 84% of all officers in 2003. Nearly 3 times as many sheriffs' offices used computers for Internet access in 2003(81%)as in 1997 (31%). During 2003, 67% of all sheriffs' offices, employing 77% of all officers, used computers for records management. Sixty percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 64% of all officers, used computers for automated booking. Fifty-one percent of offices used computers for crime investigations. Those using computers for this purpose employed 65% of all officers. Half of sheriffs' offices used computers to aid the dispatching of calls for service. A majority of sheriffs' offices serving a population of 25,000 or more had computer-aided dispatch, and 68% of all officers worked for such an agency. Forty-six percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 65% of all officers, used computers to maintain personnel records. Thirty-four percent of offices, employing 56% of all officers, used computers for interagency information sharing. Twenty-seven percent of offices used computers for fleet management, and 13% used them for resource allocation. In addition to these general uses of computers, many sheriffs' offices use computers in an analytic capacity. For example, 34% of offices, employing 41% of all officers, used computers for the collection of data on traffic stops. About a third of sheriffs' offices, employing about half of all officers, used computers for intelligence gathering in 2003. This included nearly two-thirds of the offices serving 1 million or more residents. About a quarter (26%) of sheriffs' offices, employing half of all officers, used computers for crime analysis. This included 62% of the offices serving 1 million or more residents. In 2003, 14% of sheriffs' offices, including more than half of those serving 1 million or more residents, used computers in conjunction with crime mapping. Sheriffs' offices using computers for crime mapping purposes employed 39% of all officers in 2003. Seven percent of sheriffs' offices used computers to identify crime hotspots. Offices using computers for this purpose employed 24% of all officers. Computerized files In 2003 a majority of sheriffs' offices were maintaining computerized files on incident reports (76%), arrests (75%), warrants (74%), calls for service (62%), stolen property (61%), and traffic citations (53%). All of these types of information were maintained in a computerized format by a majority of the offices in each population category of 25,000 or more. Nearly half of all sheriffs' offices maintained computerized files on traffic accidents (48%), summonses (47%), and criminal histories (46%). About 4 in 10 offices maintained computer files on traffic stops (38%). About 3 in 10 sheriffs' offices maintained computerized information on alarms(30%)and use-of-force incidents (29%). Twenty-one percent of offices maintained computerized files on fingerprints. This included a majority of the offices serving a population of 500,000 or more. Ten percent of sheriffs' offices maintained computer files on intelligence related to terrorism in 2003. This included about 3 in 10 sheriffs' offices serving a population of 500,000 or more, and a fifth of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents. Overall, fewer than 1 in 10 sheriffs' offices had computerized files on illegal attempts to purchase firearms (6%), or biometric data for use in facial recognition (2%). Less than half of sworn personnel worked for a sheriff's office with computer files on fingerprints (49%), traffic stops (49%), use-of- force incidents (45%), intelligence related to terrorism (22%), illegal attempts to purchase firearms (7%), or biometric data for facial recognition (4%). A majority of sworn personnel worked for a sheriffs' office that had computer files on all other types of information included in the 2003 LEMAS survey. Use of computers in the field A majority of sheriffs' offices in each population category of 25,000 or more used mobile computers or terminals in the field during 2003, including more than 90% of those serving 500,000 or more residents. Overall 55% of offices, employing 81% of all sworn personnel, were using infield computers or terminals. Thirty-three percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 62% of all officers, used vehicle- mounted computers in 2003. This included a majority of those serving 100,000 or more residents. Vehicle-mounted laptop computers were used by 25% of sheriffs' offices, and 10% of them used vehicle-mounted digital/data terminals. Nine percent used vehicle-mounted digital/data computers. Forty-six percent of sheriffs' offices employing 64% of all officers, used portable (not vehicle- mounted) computers in 2003. This included a majority of the offices serving 25,000 or more residents. Portable laptops, the most common type of infield computer, were used by 43% of all sheriffs' offices. These offices employed 56% of all sworn personnel. Less common were personal digital assistants (9%), portable digital/data terminals (4%), and portable digital/data computers (3%). The percentage of sheriffs' offices using infield computers or terminals in 2003 (55%) was nearly twice as large as in 2000 (32%), and it was about 9 times greater than in 1990 (6%). Likewise, the 81% of sheriffs' officers working for a department with infield computers or terminals in 2003 was higher than in 2000 (61%), and nearly 3 times that in 1990 (28%). From 1990 to 2003 large increases in the use of infield computers and terminals by sheriffs' offices have occurred in jurisdictions of all sizes. During this period infield computer use among sheriffs' offices serving 500,000 or more residents increased from 45% to 93%; sheriffs' offices serving 100,000 to 499,999 residents, from 14% to 76%; sheriffs' offices serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 6% to 61%; and sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 25,000 residents, from 2% to 41%. Twenty-seven percent of sheriffs' offices used infield computers or terminals for writing field reports during 2003. These sheriffs' offices employed 35% of all officers. Thirteen percent of sheriffs' offices used them for at least some infield communications. These sheriffs' offices employed 39% of all officers. In about a fifth of sheriffs' offices, at least some officers in the field could use computers to access vehicle records, driving records, and warrants during 2003. This included a majority of the offices serving a population of 250,000 or more residents. Sheriffs' offices using infield computers for these purposes employed more than half of all officers. Seventeen percent of sheriffs' offices provided infield officers with access to protection order information. This included a majority of those serving a population of 250,000 or more. In 14% of sheriffs' offices, employing 40% of all officers, infield computers could be used for the purpose of interagency information sharing. This included half of the offices serving a population of 500,000 or more. In 13% of sheriffs' offices, employing 31% of all officers, infield computers or terminals could be used to access criminal history information. In 11% of sheriffs' offices, employing 37% of all officers, infield computers or terminals could be used to access repeat calls for service information. This included more than half of the offices serving a population of 500,000 or more. The percentage of sworn personnel employed by a sheriffs' office providing infield computer access to information has been on the increase since 1997 when LEMAS first began tracking this capability. Sheriffs' offices providing patrol officers with infield computer access to vehicle records employed 78% of all officers in 2003 compared to 67% in 2000 and 56% in 1997. Other types of information and the percentage of sworn personnel employed by a sheriffs' office providing infield access during 1997, 2000, and 2003 are as follows: driving records, 51% in 1997, 58% in 2000, and 71% in 2003; criminal history records 25% in 1997, 29% in 2000 and 39% in 2003; calls for service records, 23% in 1997, 37% in 2000, and 39% in 2003. Automated Fingerprint Identification In 2003, 60% percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 87% of officers, had access to an Automated Fingerprint Identification System(AFIS) that included a file of digitized prints. For 32% of agencies, this access was through another agency. Seventeen percent of sheriffs' offices had exclusive ownership of an AFIS. This included more than a third of the offices serving 100,000 or more residents. Five percent of all sheriffs' offices had shared AFIS ownership. Seven percent of them used an AFIS terminal with access to a remote system. Transmission of incident reports In 2003, 58% of sheriffs' offices used paper reports as the primary method to transmit criminal incident reports from the field to the agency's central information system. This represented a large decrease from 1997 when 87% were using paper reports. In 2003, 33% of offices used computers and data devices to transmit incident reports, compared to 7% in 1997. Seven percent of offices used telephone lines or wireless systems to transmit incident reports in 2003, about the same percentage as in 1997 (6%). From 2000 to 2003 an increase in the use of electronic methods of report submission was observed in all population categories. This continued the trend observed from 1997 to 2000. Among sheriffs' offices serving 500,000 or more residents, 26% used electronic methods in 2003, compared to 21% in 2000 and 12% in 1997. The percentage of sheriffs' offices in other population categories using electronic methods in 2003, 2000, and 1997 are as follows: 100,000 to 499,999 residents 40%, 27% 16%; 25,000 to 99,999 residents: 44%, 18%, 12%; under 25,000 residents, 45%,18%, 14%. Methodology The Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey collects data from a nationally representative sample of publicly funded State and local law enforcement agencies in the United States. This report presents data from the 2003 survey describing local police departments in terms of their personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, community policing initiatives, equipment, computers and information systems, and written policies. The 2003 LEMAS sample design called for the survey questionnaire to be mailed to 3,179 State and local law enforcement agencies. Twenty-five agencies were determined to be out-of-scope for the survey because they had closed, outsourced their operations, or were operating on a part-time basis, resulting in a final mailout total of 3,154 agencies. The initial mailing of the questionnaire was conducted in December 2003. The pay period containing June 30, 2000 was used as the reference date for all questions, unless otherwise noted. Allowing for the exclusion of special jurisdiction agencies and Texas constables, 955 law enforcement agencies in the United States with 100 or more sworn officers as of June 30, 2000, were included in the sample as self-representing (SR) agencies. This included 574 local police departments, 332 sheriffs' offices, and the 49 primary State law enforcement agencies. The self-representing (SR) agencies were supplemented by a nationally representative sample of agencies with fewer than 100 sworn personnel. These nonself-representing (NSR) agencies were chosen using a stratified random sample with cells based on the type of agency (local police or sheriff), size of population served, and number of sworn personnel. The 2,199 NSR agencies selected included 1,539 local police departments and 660 sheriffs' offices. A total of 2,859 agencies responded to the LEMAS questionnaire for a response rate of 90.6%. This included 904 SR agencies (94.7%) and 1,955 NSR agencies (88.9%). The final database includes responses from 1,947 local police departments, 863 sheriffs' offices, and the 49 primary State law enforcement agencies. The overall response rate for local police departments was 92.1%, for sheriffs' offices 87.0%, and for the State law enforcement agencies, 100%. The base weight for all SR agencies is one. For NSR sheriffs' offices, it is four. For NSR local police departments, the base weights are determined by number of sworn personnel employed as reported in the 2000 BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies. For agencies with 0 to 6 sworn officers, the base weight is 15.55; for 7 to 13 officers, 9.65; for 14 to 23 officers, 7.09; for 24 to 39 officers, 4.95; for 40 to 62 officers, 3.38; and for 63 to 99 officers, the base weight is 2.14. The final weight associated with every agency, both SR and NSR, is the product of the base weight, a factor that adjusted for changes in the universe since 2000, and a factor that adjusted for any nonresponding agencies in each cell. The final weight for all SR local police agencies is 1.034234, for SR sheriffs' offices it is 1.106667, and for the 49 primary State law enforcement agencies, it is 1. For NSR sheriffs' offices the final weight is 4.847247. For NSR local police departments, the final weights are as follows: agencies with 0 to 6 sworn officers, 20.355930; 7 to 13 officers, 10.925000; 14 to 23 officers, 7.707424; 24 to 39 officers, 5.313808; 40 to 62 officers, 3.555024; and 63 to 99 officers, 2.216080. Some responding agencies did not fully complete the LEMAS questionnaire. When an agency did not supply a response to an item, hot deck imputation, median value imputation, or ratio imputation was used. Hot deck imputation uses the value reported by a randomly selected agency from the same sample cell. Median value imputation uses the median value of an item reported by agencies in the same sample cell. Ratio imputation uses the median value of a ratio reported by agencies in the same sample cell. Because the data from agencies with fewer than 100 sworn personnel were collected from a sample, the results are subject to sampling error. The survey data are also subject to response and processing errors. End of file 04/28/06 ih