U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Sheriffs' Office 1999 May 2001, NCJ 186479 ----------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/so99.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#sd ------------------------------------------------------------- Lawrence A. Greenfeld Acting Director Brian Reaves and Matthew Hickman, BJS statisticians, prepared this report. Debra Cohen, Karin Schmerler, and Meg Townsend of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) developed the community policing content of the 1999 LEMAS survey instrument. Matthew Scheider, Pam Cammarata, Greg Cooper, Gil Kerlikowske, and Bob Phillips of COPS also provided assistance on the 1999 LEMAS project. COPS provided funding for the 1999 LEMAS survey. More information on COPS can be obtained at their web site: The 1999 LEMAS data were collected and processed by the U.S. Census Bureau under the supervision of Stephanie Brown of the Governments Division. Census Bureau staff on the project 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 Census Bureau under the supervision of Carma Hogue. In BJS, Tom Hester and Ellen Goldberg edited the report and assisted in production. Jayne Robinson administered final production. 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 Operations Community policing Computers and information systems Written policies and procedures Methodology ------------------------------------------------------ Highlights Personnel * As of June 1999, the nearly 3,100 sheriffs' offices operating nationwide had an estimated 290,707 full-time employees, including about 186,000 sworn personnel. * From 1997 to 1999, the number of full- time sheriffs' employees increased by about 27,000, or 10.4%. When only sworn personnel are considered, employment increased by about 11,000, or 6.4%. * Forty-eight sheriffs' offices had 500 or more full-time sworn personnel, and these agencies employed nearly a third of all sheriffs' deputies. The largest, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, had 8,107 full-time officers. * About half of all sworn personnel were assigned to law enforcement field operations. Overall, approximately 66,000 deputies had regularly assigned duties that included responding to calls for service. * About a third of all sworn personnel worked in jail-related positions, and about 1 in 10 performed court-related duties such as providing court security or serving civil process. Operations * Nearly all sheriffs' offices provided basic law enforcement services such as routine patrol (97%), responding to citizen calls for service (95%) and investigating crimes (92%). * In 1999, 88% of sheriffs' offices, employing 90% of sworn personnel, participated in a 9-1-1 emergency telephone system. About two-thirds of agencies had enhanced 9-1-1 in 1999 compared to about half in 1997. * From 1997 to 1999, the percent of sheriffs' offices using routine foot patrol increased from 16% to 21%; the percent using routine bicycle patrol, from 6% to 9%; and the percent using either type, from 20% to 26%. * Most sheriffs' offices had duties related to traffic law enforcement (81%), accident investigations (72%), and traffic direction and control (58%). * Nearly all sheriffs' offices had responsibility for court-related functions such as executing arrest warrants (98%), serving civil process (98%), and providing court security (94%). About four-fifths operated at least 1 jail. * Fifty-six percent of sheriffs' offices were responsible for search and rescue operations, while 38% performed tactical (SWAT) operations. Community policing * Sixty-two percent of sheriffs' offices had some type of community policing plan in effect during 1999. About a third of those serving 250,000 or more residents had a formal, written plan. * About 2 in 3 sheriffs' deputies were employed by an agency that trained at least some new recruits in community policing skills such as problem-solving and building community partnerships. Nearly two-thirds of sheriffs' offices serving 25,000 or more residents offered such training. * Sixty percent of sheriffs' offices had full-time sworn personnel designated as community policing officers. Nationwide, about 15,000 sheriffs' deputies were regularly engaged in community policing activities. * Nearly two-fifths (38%) of sheriffs' offices had full-time sworn personnel serving as school resource officers, with a total of more than 3,400 so assigned overall. * An estimated 86% of sheriffs' offices met regularly with community groups. More than 40% of those serving 100,000 or more residents formed problem-solving partnerships through written agreements, and a similar percentage provided community policing training to citizens. Computers and information systems * Nearly all (95%) sheriffs' offices used computers for administrative purposes during 1999. Just 1% of all sheriffs' deputies worked for an agency not using computers. * In 1999, 52% of sheriffs' dispatch systems were computer-aided, including more than 80% of those in agencies serving 100,000 or more residents. In 1990, 30% of sheriffs' dispatch systems were computerized. * From 1990 to 1999, the percent of officers employed by a department with computerized arrest records increased from 70% to 91%. Increases were also observed for criminal histories (67% to 81%), warrants (75% to 91%), and summonses (48% to 60%). * More than a third of sheriffs' offices used computers for crime analysis (39%) and crime mapping (36%) during 1999. This included a majority of agencies serving a population of 50,000 or more. * From 1990 to 1999, the percent of sworn personnel working for a sheriff's office using in-field computers or terminals increased from 28% to 58%. Sheriffs' offices had about 15 in-field computers or terminals per 100 officers as of June 1999. * About a third of sworn personnel worked for a sheriff's office where at least some officers in the field could use in-field computers to access information on wanted suspects (37%) or driving records (32%). About a fourth were in agencies where stolen property (27%) or criminal history (24%) records could be accessed. Written policies and procedures * Nearly all sworn personnel worked in a sheriff's office with written policies or procedures pertaining to conduct and appearance (98%), use of deadly force (98%), use of nonlethal force (95%), handling of citizen complaints (92%), and domestic disputes (90%). ------------------------------------------------------ The LEMAS survey During 1999, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), as a 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, and 1997. This report presents 1999 LEMAS data describing the personnel, operations, community policing initiatives, computers and information systems, and written policies of the more than 3,000 sheriffs' offices operating in the United States. Except for a small number of appointees, sheriffs are elected officials. To better reflect this status, this report uses the term "office," universally, a change from past reports in this series. Sheriffs' offices typically serve counties and independent cities. Although sheriffs' offices may have countywide jail and court- related responsibilities, their law enforcement jurisdiction may exclude county areas served by a local police department. In some counties municipalities contract with the sheriff's office for law enforcement services. In counties and independent cities with a separate police department, the sheriff's office may not have any primary law enforcement jurisdiction. The 1999 LEMAS survey was mailed to 3,319 State and local law enforcement agencies, and 3,246 of them provided data for a response rate of 97.8%. (See Methodology on page 20 for a description of sampling procedures.) This report and its companion report (Local Police Departments, 1999, NCJ 186478, May 2001), summarize data collected from agencies of all sizes. For agency-specific tabulations, see the BJS report Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1999: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers, NCJ 184481, November 2000). Personnel As of June 30, 1999, sheriffs' offices had an estimated 290,707 full-time employees. About 186,000, or 64%, of these employees were sworn officers. This accounted for 27% of all full-time sworn personnel working for State and local general purpose law enforcement agencies nationwide. Sheriffs' offices employed about 9,000 sworn officers on a part-time basis. The estimated 104,848 full-time nonsworn personnel employed by sheriffs' offices in 1999 comprised about 41% of all such employees working in general purpose law enforcement agencies. Sheriffs' offices had more than 10,000 part-time nonsworn employees. From 1990 to 1999, the number of full-time sheriffs' employees increased by about 87,000, or 43% -- an average of 4.7% annually. The number of full-time sworn officers increased by about 44,400, or 31%, during this time. There were about 27,000 more full-time sheriffs' office employees in 1999 than in 1997, an increase of 10.4%. Among sworn personnel, employment increased by about 11,000, or 6.4%, from 1997 to 1999. From 1990 to 1999, the number of full-time civilian employees in sheriffs' offices rose from 62,556 to 104,848, an increase of 67.6%. This included an increase of about 16,000, or 18.1%, from 1997 to 1999. Nationwide, 408, or 13.2% of sheriffs' offices, employed at least 100 sworn personnel. This included 17 agencies with 1,000 or more officers. An estimated 815, or 26.4% of all agencies, employed fewer than 10 sworn personnel. About a fifth of all full-time sheriffs' deputies were employed by a agency with 1,000 or more officers, and about two-thirds worked for one with at least 100 officers. Agencies with fewer than 10 sworn personnel accounted for about 2% of all officers. Although less than a sixth of sheriffs' offices served 100,000 or more residents, such agencies employed about two-thirds of all sworn personnel. About a fifth of deputies were employed in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents. The average size of sheriffs' offices ranged from about 2,000 full-time employees in the largest jurisdictions to 11 in the smallest. By sworn personnel, the average size ranged from 1,300 in the largest jurisdictions to 6 in the smallest. More than a third (36%) of the full-time sworn personnel in sheriffs' offices had regularly assigned duties that included responding to calls for service. By population category, the proportion of officers responding to calls ranged from less than 1 in 4 in agencies serving 1 million or more residents, to nearly 3 in 4 in those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. About half of sworn personnel worked in law enforcement field operations (49%). Officers working in the field operations area, but not assigned to respond to calls, often performed supervisory or investigative duties. The next highest area of employment for sworn personnel was in jail-related positions (31.2%). Another 10% had court-related duties such as serving process or providing court security. About 6% of sworn personnel primarily performed administrative duties, and 4% worked in technical support positions primarily related to communications, fleet management, crime prevention, or training. Among nonsworn employees, the largest percentage performed jail-related duties (56.5%), followed by technical support (28.4%). Other areas of duty for civilian employees included administration (6.9%), field operations (3.9%), and court operations (2.8%). As of June 30, 1999, sheriffs' offices collectively employed about 98% of the maximum number of sworn personnel authorized by their budgets, and 96% of their authorized civilian employee strength. Actual-to-authorized ratios for sworn personnel were highest in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents, and lowest in those with 1 million or more residents. For nonsworn employees, agencies serving fewer than 10,000 residents had the highest ratio, and those serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents, the lowest. Some sheriffs' offices partly offset officer shortages through the use of supplemental personnel such as sworn reserve or auxiliary officers. As of June 30, 1999, 54% of agencies were using reserve or auxiliary sworn officers, with an average of 5 full-time and 14 part-time officers each. Some agencies utilized nonsworn volunteers such as community service officers or police service aides. As of June 30, 1999, 8% were using community service officers or police service aides, with an average of 7 full-time and 17 part-time each. About a sixth of agencies used other types of nonsworn volunteers, with an average of 68 part-time volunteers each. Nationwide, sheriffs' offices had an estimated 8,847 full-time reserve officers and 22,654 part-time reserve officers (not shown in table). They also had about 5,800 community service officers and police service aides with about 30% of these working full-time. Agencies utilized an additional 36,000 nonsworn volunteers, with nearly all working part-time. Operations Stations and substations As of June 30, 1999, sheriffs' offices operated an estimated 1,639 district or precinct stations and 1,915 neighborhood or community substations that were separate from headquarters. More than two-thirds of the agencies serving 1 million or more residents had district or precinct stations, as did about half of those serving 100,000 to 999,999 residents. About a half of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 100,000 or more operated community substations. Among agencies operating such facilities, the average number of district or precinct stations ranged from 8 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to 1 in those with fewer than 25,000 residents. For substations, the average number operated ranged from 8 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents to 2 in those with fewer than 25,000 residents. Patrol and response Nearly all (97%) sheriffs' offices used automobiles for routine patrol during 1999. By population category, the percent with routine auto patrol ranged from 99% of those serving fewer than 50,000 residents to about 80% of those serving a population of 500,000 or more. About a fifth of agencies used foot (21%) or marine (19%) patrol units on a routine basis, including more than a third of those serving a population of 1 million or more. Agencies with routine foot patrol employed 30% of all sworn personnel, and those with routine marine patrol, 44%. Smaller percentages of agencies used bicycle (9%), motorcycle (6%), or horse (3%) patrol on a routine basis. Nearly half of the agencies serving 250,000 or more residents used routine bicycle patrol, and about half of those serving a population of 1 million or more used motorcycle units on a routine basis. Agencies using routine bicycle patrol employed 32% of all sworn personnel, those with motorcycle patrol, 35%, and those with horse patrol, 10%. From 1997 to 1999, the percent of sheriffs' offices using foot or bicycle patrol on a routine basis increased in all population categories. In jurisdictions with 500,000 or more residents, the increase was from 41% to 55%; in those with 100,000 to 499,999 residents; from 22% to 34%; in those with 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 18% to 24%; and in those with fewer than 25,000 residents, from 19% to 23%. Thirty-eight percent of agencies used foot patrol for special events only. Horse (14%) and marine (9%) units were the next most likely to be used exclusively during special events, followed by bicycle (6%), motorcycle (4%), and automobile (1%) units. Dispatch More than two-thirds (70%) of sheriffs' offices had primary responsibility for dispatching citizen calls for service. These agencies employed 71% of all sworn personnel. A majority of the agencies in each population category performed dispatch services, including about three-fourths of those serving fewer than 25,000 residents. 9-1-1 emergency telephone system In 1999, 88% of sheriffs' offices, employing 90% of all sworn personnel, participated in an emergency telephone system whereby one of their units could be dispatched as a result of a call to 9-1-1 or its equivalent. More than 90% of the agencies serving a population of 25,000 to 249,999 residents more were 9-1-1 participants. Three-fourths of sheriffs' office 9-1-1 systems were enhanced, capable of pinpointing the location of a caller automatically. More than 60% of the agencies in each population category of 10,000 or more had enhanced 9-1-1. From 1990 to 1999 the percentage of sheriffs' offices with 9-1-1 more than doubled, from 42% to 88%. During this time, the percentage of agencies with enhanced 9-1-1 system increased from 11% to 65%. From 1997 to 1999 alone, the proportion of sheriffs' offices with enhanced 9-1-1 increased from about half to about two-thirds. In 1999, 79% of sheriffs' deputies were employed by an agency with enhanced 9-1-1 compared to 36% in 1990. Crime investigation Overall, 92% of sheriffs' offices conducted investigations of at least some types of crimes. Eighty-nine percent had investigative responsibility for violent crimes such as rape, robbery, or assault. This included more than 90% of those serving a population of 10,000 to 99,999. Eighty-six percent of agencies handled homicide investigations, including about 9 in 10 agencies serving 10,000 to 99,999 residents. Ninety percent of sheriffs' offices were responsible for investigating property crimes such as burglary, larceny, or motor vehicle theft. More than 90% of agencies serving 10,000 to 99,999 residents handled such investigations. Seventy-two percent of all agencies were responsible for arson investigations, with those serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents (78%) the most likely to handle such crimes. Forty percent of agencies were responsible for investigating environmental crimes. No more than 44% of the agencies in any population category handled such investigations. Forty-two percent of agencies had primary responsibility for computer-related crime investigations. This included a majority of those serving a population of 50,000 or more. Investigative support functions About 3 in 8 sheriffs' offices were responsible for fingerprint processing. This included more than half of the agencies serving a population of 100,000 or more. About 1 in 10 agencies provided crime lab services, ranging from 38% of those serving 1 million or more residents, to about 5% of those serving fewer than 50,000 residents. Just 4% of sheriffs' offices had ballistics testing responsibilities, although nearly a third of those serving a population of 1 million or more did. Court-related functions Nearly all sheriffs' offices had responsibility for executing arrest warrants (98%), serving civil process (94%), and providing court security (93%). Agencies serving a population of 1 million or more were somewhat less likely to handle these duties than agencies in other jurisdictions. Sheriffs' offices responsible for executing arrest warrants employed 94% of all sworn personnel, those serving civil process, 93%, and those providing court security, 92%. Detention facilities An estimated 78% of sheriffs' offices, employing 88% of all sworn personnel, operated at least one jail during 1999. At least 64% of the agencies in each population category operated a jail, including 85% of those serving a population of 25,000 to 99,999. As of June 1999, there were approximately 606,000 inmates in local jails. Most of these inmates were in jails operated by sheriffs, and sheriffs' offices had an estimated 112,000 full-time employees assigned to jail-related duties. About half of these employees were sworn personnel and half civilian employees. Nineteen percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 34% of all sworn personnel, operated a temporary holding (lockup) facility for overnight detention that was separate from a jail. The percentage of agencies with a temporary lockup was highest in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or more (47%). Agencies in the largest jurisdictions were also the most likely (64%) to have temporary holding cells not used for overnight detention. Less than half of the agencies in each of the other population categories had them. Overall, 31% of agencies, employing 49% of all officers, had this type of holding cell. Traffic and vehicle-related functions About 8 in 10 sheriffs' offices were responsible for enforcing traffic laws, 7 in 10 for investigating traffic accidents, and 6 in 10 for traffic direction and control. Agencies serving fewer than 250,000 residents were the most likely to have traffic and vehicle- related enforcement duties. About a third of sheriffs' offices had parking enforcement duties, including about half of those serving a population of 1 million or more. A fifth of agencies had responsibilities related to school crossing services, and a similar proportion handled commercial vehicle enforcement. Special operations functions Just over half (56%) of sheriffs' offices, employing about two-thirds (66%) of all sworn personnel, had responsibility for search and rescue operations. At least 47% of the agencies in each population category handled this function. Thirty-eight percent of sheriffs' offices performed tactical operations, commonly associated with SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams. These agencies employed 67% of all sheriffs' officers. A majority of the agencies in each population category of agencies serving 50,000 or more residents, and half of those serving 25,000 to 49,999, were responsible for tactical operations. An estimated 28% of all agencies, employing 50% of all sworn personnel, were responsible for underwater recovery operations. This included nearly half of the agencies serving 100,000 or more residents. Bomb disposal was handled by 8% of sheriffs' offices, employing 36% of all sworn personnel. More than 1/3 of the agencies serving 250,000 or more residents handled this function compared to less than 1/10 of those serving fewer than 100,000 residents. Special public safety functions About a third of sheriffs' offices were responsible for animal control services. This included nearly half of those serving fewer than 10,000 residents. Agencies handling animal control employed 20% of all sworn personnel. Other special public safety functions handled by sheriffs' offices included civil defense (23%), emergency medical services (13%), and fire services (10%). Agencies performing civil defense functions employed 15% of all officers, those handling emergency medical services, 11%, and those providing fire services, 4%. Community policing Community policing is a philosophy that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes of crime and to reduce the fear of crime and social disorder. These strategies use problem-solving techniques and community partnerships. A fundamental shift from traditional reactive policing, community policing stresses the prevention of crime. Community policing supports and empowers front-line officers, decentralizes command, and encourages innovative problem solving. (See Community Policing in Local Police Departments, 1997 and 1999, BJS Special Report, February 2001, NCJ 184794.) In 1999, 12% of sheriffs' offices, employing 33% of all sworn personnel, had a formal, written community policing plan. The percentage of agencies with a formal, written plan was highest among those serving 250,000 or more residents. Just 5% of the sheriffs' offices serving fewer than 10,000 residents, typically the most rural jurisdictions, had a formal, written community policing plan. In jurisdictions with 500,000 residents or more, about as many sheriffs' offices had a formal, written plan as had no plan at all. In all population categories, a majority of sheriffs' offices had either a formal, written community policing plan or an informal, unwritten plan. Overall, 75% of all sworn personnel worked for an agency with some type of community policing plan. Community policing training During the 2-year period ending June 30, 1999, 54% of sheriffs' offices, employing 68% of all sworn personnel, trained at least some of their new officer recruits in community policing skills such as problem-solving and developing community partnerships. Thirty-six percent of agencies, employing 51% of all sworn personnel, trained all new recruits in community policing. More than half of the sheriffs' offices serving 250,000 or more residents trained all recruits, compared to about a fourth of those serving a population of less than 10,000. Sixty-one percent of agencies, employing 72% of all sworn personnel, trained at least some in-service officers during the 2-year period. Eighteen percent of agencies, employing 19% of all sworn personnel, trained all in-service officers in community policing. Community policing personnel Overall, 60% of sheriffs' offices, employing 73% of all sworn personnel, had full-time deputies serving as community policing officers, community resource officers, community relations officers, or otherwise regularly engaged in community policing activities. As of June 30, 1999, an estimated 15,443, or 8%, of all sworn personnel served in this capacity. The proportion of sheriffs' offices with full-time community policing officers ranged from nearly three-fourths of those serving 500,000 or more residents, to just over half of those serving a population of less than 10,000. Among agencies using them, the average number of community policing officers ranged from 137 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents, to 4 in those with a population of less than 25,000. In jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000 residents, 30% of full-time sworn personnel were designated as community policing officers, twice as many as in the next highest category. Less than 10% of the officers in each population category of 50,000 or more were so designated. Thirty-eight percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 60% of all sworn personnel, had full-time school resource officers during 1999. A majority of the agencies serving 100,000 or more residents had school resource officers, as did about two-fifths of those serving a population of 10,000 to 99,999. These 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 30, 1999, sheriffs' offices had an estimated 3,447 full-time sworn personnel assigned as school resource officers. Among agencies using them, the average number of school resource officers ranged from 9 in agencies serving a population of 1 million or more, to 2 in those serving fewer than 50,000 residents. Community-oriented policies and programs Fifty-six percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 73% of all sworn personnel, gave patrol officers responsibility for specific geographic areas or beats during 1999. This included about two-thirds of the agencies serving a population of 25,000 or more. Seventeen percent of agencies, employing 48% of all sworn personnel, assigned cases to investigators by geographic area. This included about half of those serving a population of 1 million or more, and about two-fifths of those serving a population of 250,000 to 999,999. Twenty-two percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 41% of all sworn personnel, actively encouraged patrol officers to become involved in problem-solving projects. More than two-fifths of the agencies serving a population of 250,000 or more had such a policy. Fifteen percent of agencies, employing 27% of all sworn personnel, included problem- solving projects in the performance evaluation criteria for patrol officers. This included about a fourth of the agencies serving a population of 250,000 or more. During the 2-year period ending June 30, 1999, 25% of sheriffs' offices, employing 45% of all sworn personnel, formed partnerships with community groups, local agencies, or others through written agreements. This included about half of the agencies serving a population of 1 million or more, and about two-fifths of those serving 100,000 to 999,999 residents. Twenty-six percent of agencies, employing 48% of all sworn personnel, offered training to citizens on community policing topics such as community mobilization and problem-solving. About half of those serving 1 million or more residents offered such training, as did more than two-fifths of those serving 100,000 or 999,999 residents. Eighty-six percent of agencies, employing 94% of all officers, regularly met with community groups during the 2-year period ending June 30, 1999. The percent of agencies holding regular meetings ranged from 77% of those serving fewer than 10,000 residents to 93% of those serving 50,000 to 99,999 residents. An estimated 84% of sworn personnel worked for a sheriffs' office that regularly met with school groups and 75% for one that met with neighborhood associations. The percentages for other types of groups were: senior citizen (67%), domestic violence (66%), business (63%), youth service (53%), religious (51%), and tenant (39%). Citizen surveys Twenty-two percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 39% of all sworn personnel, surveyed citizens in their jurisdiction during the year ending June 30, 1999. This included about two-fifths of the agencies serving a population of 250,000 or more. Eighteen percent of agencies, employing 35% of sworn personnel, surveyed citizens' about their satisfaction with the services provided by the sheriffs' office. Fifteen percent of agencies, employing 29% of all sworn personnel, surveyed citizens regarding their perception of crime problems. Seven percent of agencies, employing 15% of sworn personnel, surveyed citizens about their personal crime experiences. A majority of the agencies conducting surveys used the data to provide information to patrol officers (72%), evaluate program effectiveness (59%), or prioritize crime- related problems (57%). About half used the information for allocating resources to targeted areas (50%), training officers (48%), or formulating policy and procedures (44%). A fifth used it to redistrict beats or reporting areas. Citizen access to crime statistics Seventy-five percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 84% of all sworn personnel, provided citizens with routine access to crime statistics or crime maps. This included more than 80% of the agencies serving a population of 25,000 to 249,999. Agencies were most likely to provide access to statistics at the county or city level (69% of agencies employing 77% of all officers). An estimated 15% of agencies, employing 27% of all sworn personnel, provided access to statistics by neighborhood. Smaller percentages made crime statistics available at the level of patrol beat (9%), district or precinct (9%), or street or block (7%). Eighty-six percent of the sheriffs' offices that provided citizens with routine access to crime statistics or crime maps made them available to those who inquired in person. A majority also provided statistics in response to requests made by telephone (60%) or in writing (57%). More than two-fifths of agencies routinely published crime statistics in newspapers (49%) or agency reports (41%). Other methods of access included radio (24%), fax (20%), television (16%), the Internet (9%), and newsletter (8%). Computers and information systems Administrative functions Nearly all sheriffs' offices used computers for administrative purposes during 1999. Just 1% of sworn personnel were employed by an agency not using computers. An estimated 87% of agencies, employing 97% of all sworn personnel, used personal computers (PC's) in 1999. This was an increase over 1997 when 76% of agencies, employing 93% of officers, used them. In 1999 at least 94% of the agencies in each population category of 25,000 or more used PC's. Forty-one percent of agencies, employing 55% of all sworn personnel, used mainframe computers during 1999. This included a majority of agencies serving a population of 50,000 or more. In 1997, 59% of sheriffs' offices, employing 81% of all sworn personnel, were using mainframes. Sheriffs' offices stored various types of administrative records in computer files during 1999. Just over half had computerized personnel (54%) and inventory (53%) records. More than 4 in 5 agencies serving a population of 250,000 million or more had computerized personnel files, and about 4 in 5 agencies serving 500,000 or more residents had computerized inventory records. Agencies with computerized personnel records employed 82% of all sworn personnel, and those with computerized inventory records, 77%. Thirty-eight percent of sheriffs' offices, employing 74% of all sworn personnel, had computerized payroll records. This included a majority of agencies serving 50,000 or more residents and about four-fifths of those serving a population of 250,000 or more. Computer-aided dispatch Among the estimated 2,146 sheriffs' offices with responsibility for dispatching calls for service during 1999, about 52% used computer-aided dispatch systems. This included about 9 in 10 agencies serving a population of 500,000 or more, about 8 in 10 agencies serving a population of 100,000 to 499,999, and about 6 in 10 serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents. The percentage of sheriffs' office dispatch systems that were computerized increased significantly from 1990 to 1999. For example, among those agencies that performed dispatch functions and served 500,000 or more residents, the percent with computer-aided dispatch rose from 51% to 89%. Among agencies serving 100,000 to 499,999 residents, the percentage with computerized dispatch increased from 40% in 1990 to 79% in 1999; among those serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 23% to 61%; and in jurisdictions with a population of less than 10,000, the percentage of dispatch systems that were computerized increased from 9% to 40%. Offender and suspect records Seventy-eight percent of sheriffs' offices had computerized arrest and warrant records in 1999. About 9 in 10 agencies serving a population of 25,000 to 499,999 had computerized arrest records, and about 9 in 10 serving a population of 25,000 to 999,999 had computerized warrant files. Sixty percent of sheriffs' offices had computerized criminal history information, and 49% had computerized summons records. About 4 in 5 agencies serving a population of 100,000 or more had computerized criminal history files. About two-thirds of those serving 50,000 to 249,999 residents had computerized summons information. From 1990 to 1999 the percentage of sheriffs' offices with computerized information on arrests, criminal histories, warrants, and summonses increased substantially. Accordingly, the percentage of sworn personnel employed by an agency storing these types of records in a computerized format also increased. The percentage of officers employed by an agency with computerized arrest records increased from 70% in 1990 to 91% in 1999. Similar increases in the use computerized files were observed for information pertaining to warrants (from 75% in 1990 to 91% in 1999), criminal histories (from 67% to 81%), and summonses (from 48% to 60%). Investigations More than half (54%) of sheriffs' offices used computers for criminal investigation purposes other than word processing during 1999. This included at least 65% of the agencies in each population category of 25,000 or more. Agencies using computers for criminal investigation purposes employed 77% of all sworn personnel in 1999. In 1990, 35% of agencies, employing 66% of all sworn personnel, were using computers for criminal investigations. Most sheriffs' offices maintained various types of computerized information related to the investigative process. For example, 77% of them, employing 87% of all sworn personnel, had computer files pertaining to incident reports. This included nearly 9 in 10 serving 25,000 to 249,999 residents. Sixty-nine percent of agencies, employing 68% of all sworn personnel, stored incident report narratives in a computerized format. This included more than three-fourths of the agencies serving a population of 25,000 to 99,999. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of agencies had computerized information on stolen property other than vehicles. This included about three-fourths of the agencies serving a population of 25,000 to 249,999. Agencies with computer files on stolen property employed 79% of all sworn personnel. About half (49%) of agencies, employing nearly three-fourths (72%) of all sworn personnel, had computer files containing evidence information. This included a majority of those serving 25,000 or more residents, and about two-thirds of those serving 50,000 to 499,999 residents. About a third (35%) of agencies, employing just over half (54%) of all sworn personnel, had computer files containing field interview information. This included about a half of the sheriffs' offices serving a population of 50,000 or more. Traffic and vehicle-related records In 1999 an estimated 59% of sheriffs' offices had computer files containing information on stolen vehicles. This included 70% of those serving a population of 25,000 to 99,999. Agencies with such information employed 74% of all sworn personnel. Nearly half of all agencies had computerized information on traffic citations (47%), including a majority of those serving 25,000 or more residents. About 2 in 5 agencies had computer files with information on traffic accidents (41%) and driver's licenses (40%). Agencies with computer files on traffic citations employed 66% of all sworn personnel, those with computerized traffic accident files, 59%, and those with computerized driver's license information, 51%. About a third of agencies had computer files containing information on traffic stops (32%) and vehicle registration (31%). About half (52%) of all sworn personnel worked for an agency that had computer records on traffic stops, and about two-fifths (42%) for an agency with computerized vehicle registration information. Crime and calls for service records Overall, 59% of sheriffs' offices, employing 80% of all sworn personnel, had computerized information on calls for service. This included more than two-thirds of the agencies serving 25,000 or more residents. Fifty-three percent of agencies, employing 66% of all sworn personnel, had computerized incident-based crime data. This included about two-thirds of the agencies serving a population of 50,000 to 249,999. Forty-four percent of agencies, employing 51% of all sworn personnel, had computerized files related to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's National Incident-Based Reporting System. More than half (55%) of agencies, employing nearly three-fourths (71%) of all sworn personnel, had summary UCR files. About two-fifths of agencies, employing about two-thirds of all sworn personnel, had computerized alarm records. A majority of agencies serving a population of 50,000 or more had alarm-related computer files. Crime analysis and crime mapping In 1999, 39% of agencies, employing 66% of all sworn personnel, used computers for crime analysis. A majority of the agencies serving 50,000 or more residents used computers for this function. A fourth of all agencies, employing about half (49%) of all sworn personnel, maintained linked files for crime analysis purposes. Related to crime analysis efforts in sheriffs' offices is the use of crime mapping. In 1999, 36% of all agencies, employing 60% of all officers, used computers for this purpose. This included 73% of the agencies serving 1 million or more residents. Internet In 1999, 22% of sheriffs' offices, employing 59% of all sworn personnel, had an Internet home page. This included a majority of the agencies serving 100,000 or more residents, and represented an increase over 1997 when 13% of agencies, employing 48% of sworn personnel, had a home page. About three-fifths (61%) of agencies, employing 82% of sworn personnel, used computers for Internet access during 1999. This included about four-fifths of the agencies serving 50,000 or more residents. Use of computers in the field About two-thirds of sheriffs' offices serving 250,000 or more residents used in-field computers or terminals during 1999. Overall, 27% of agencies, employing 58% of all sworn personnel, used them. Laptops were the type most commonly used with 23% of agencies, employing 48% of sworn personnel, using them. About 1 in 12 agencies used car-mounted computers (3%) or terminals (6%). This included about half of the agencies serving a population of 250,000 or more. Agencies using car-mounted terminals or computers employed 38% of all sworn personnel. Just 1% of agencies used portable hand-held computers or terminals. Agencies serving a population of 500,000 or more (10%) were the most likely to use them. Overall, 5% of sworn personnel were employed by an agency that used them. Nationwide, sheriffs' offices had 15 in-field computers or terminals per 100 officers as of June 30, 1999. Those serving 250,000 or more residents had the highest ratio, more than 20 per 100. The next highest ratio, 11 per 100, was among agencies serving a population of either 100,000 to 249,999. The lowest ratio, 3 per 100, was in agencies serving 10,000 to 24,999 residents. In 1990, 6% of sheriffs' offices, employing 28% of all sworn personnel, were using in-field computers or terminals. Since then significant growth in their use has occurred in all population categories. Among agencies serving 500,000 or more residents, in-field computer use went from 43% in 1990 to 70% in 1999; in agencies serving 100,000 to 499,999 residents, from 13% to 52%; in agencies serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents, from 6% to 30%; and in agencies serving fewer than 25,000 residents, from 2% to 16%. In 1999, 18% of sheriffs' offices, employing 33% of all sworn personnel, used in-field computers or terminals to produce field reports. Fifteen percent of agencies, employing 35% of sworn personnel, used them for some in-field communications. Agencies serving 250,000 or more residents were the most likely to use in-field computers for these purposes. In 9% of sheriffs' offices, at least some patrol officers could use in-field computers or terminals to access information on wanted vehicles, wanted suspects, or driving records. This included nearly half of the agencies serving 250,000 or more residents. In 7% of agencies, officers in the field could access information on stolen property. This included about two-fifths of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, and about a third of those serving 500,000 or more residents. In 5% of agencies, computers or terminals could be used by officers in the field to access criminal histories or information on prior calls for service at a particular location. This included about a third of agencies serving a population of 250,000 to 999,999. About 3 in 8 sheriffs' officers worked in an agency where information on wanted suspects (37%) was accessible to at least some patrol officers via in-field computers. About a third worked in agencies where information on driving records (32%), and a fourth where information on stolen property (27%) or criminal histories (24%), was accessible. A fifth worked in agencies where in-field officers could access calls for service histories. In 10% of sheriffs' offices, employing 11% of all officers, computer media or data devices were used to transfer or download crime incident reports to a central information system. Four percent of agencies, employing 9% of all officers, used telephone or wireless transmissions. Written policies and procedures Many sheriffs' offices have written policies and procedures to guide officers through their work activities. Eighty-six percent of them had written policies or procedures on dealing with domestic disputes, including 95% of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents. An estimated 80% of sheriffs' offices had some type of written policy pertaining to discretionary arrest powers, including 94% of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents. About 3 in 4 agencies had written policies or procedures pertaining to the handling of juveniles (78%) and mentally ill persons (71%). Nearly a third had written policies or procedures on responding to the homeless (31%). About 9 in 10 sheriffs' offices had written policies or procedures dealing with the use of deadly force (93%) and nonlethal force (88%). All agencies serving 50,000 to 999,999 residents had a written deadly force policy, and all of those serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents had one on the use of nonlethal force. Ninety-two percent of agencies had a written code of officer conduct and appearance, including all of those serving 500,000 or more residents. Eighty-two percent had written procedures on how to handle citizen complaints, including more than 90% of those 250,000 or more residents. Nationwide, nearly all sworn personnel in sheriffs' offices were employed by an agency with written policies or procedures on officer conduct and appearance (98%), use of deadly force (98%), use of nonlethal force (95%), handling of citizen complaints (92%), and handling of domestic disputes (90%). Methodology The Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey collects data from a nationally representative sample of the approximately 19,000 publicly funded State and local law enforcement agencies in the United States. This report presents data from the 1999 survey describing sheriffs' offices in terms of their personnel, operations, community policing initiatives, computers and information systems, and written policies and procedures. The 1999 LEMAS survey questionnaire was mailed to 3,319 State and local law enforcement agencies. The initial mailing of the questionnaire was conducted in June 1999, and, unless otherwise indicated, June 30, 1999, was used as the reference date for survey questions. Allowing for the exclusion of certain types of special jurisdiction police, 895 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. with 100 or more sworn officers as of June 30, 1996, were included in the sample as self- representing (SR) agencies. This included 529 local police departments, 306 sheriffs' offices, the 49 primary State law enforcement agencies, and 11 special jurisdiction police agencies. The self-representing (SR) agencies were supplemented by a nationally representative sample of agencies with fewer than 100 sworn officers. These nonself-representing (NSR) agencies were chosen using a stratified random sample with cells based on the type of agency (local police, sheriff, or special police), size of population served, and number of sworn officers. The 2,424 NSR agencies selected included 1,556 local police departments, 694 sheriffs' agencies and offices, and 174 special jurisdiction police agencies. A total of 3,246 agencies responded to the 1999 LEMAS survey for a response rate of 97.8%. This included 883 SR agencies and 2,363 NSR agencies. The final database includes 2,052 local police departments, 967 sheriffs' offices, 178 special jurisdiction police agencies, and the 49 primary State police agencies. The base weight for all SR agencies is 1. For NSR sheriffs' offices, the base weights. 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 1996, and a factor that adjusted for any nonresponding agencies in each cell. Some responding agencies did not fully complete the LEMAS questionnaire. When an agency did not supply a response to an item, median value imputation or ratio imputation was used. 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. Median value imputation was used to impute counts of facilities, reserve sworn officers, community service officers, and nonsworn volunteers. Ratio imputation was used to impute counts of employees and computer equipment. Every imputed item on the database has an indicator that the value has been imputed. Complete documentation regarding sampling procedures and nonresponse adjustments is available upon request. Because the data from agencies with fewer than 100 sworn personnel were collected from a sample, the results are subject to sampling error. Statements of comparison in this report have been tested to ensure that observed differences between values are significant at 2 standard errors (the 95%-confidence level) or higher. The survey data are also subject to response and processing errors. End of file 05/10/01 ih