Bureau of Justice Statistics

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Sheriffs’ Departments

1993

Crime investigation

Patrol

Process serving

Court security

Jail operation

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Sheriffs'

Local police

In addition to law enforcement duties such as crime investigation 

and patrol, most sheriffs' departments are responsible 

for functions related to court and jail operations

Percent of agencies
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Sheriffs’ Departments

1993

Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D. and

Pheny Z. Smith, Ph.D.

BJS Statisticians

June 1996, NCJ-148823
U.S. Department of Justice

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D.

Director

Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D., and Pheny Z.

Smith, Ph.D., BJS statisticians, wrote

this report. It was produced by

Yvonne Boston under the supervision

of Marilyn Marbrook. Sample design,

selection, and weighting were provided

by David Hubble and Carol Perseley 

of the Demographic Statistical Methods Division, Bureau of the Census.

The data were collected and processed by Martha Greene, Etta Herrin,

Linda Huang, Sheryl Jones, Charlene

Sebold, and Charline Watz of the Governments Division, Bureau of the

Census.

Data utilized in this report are available

from the National Archive of Criminal

Justice Data at the University of Michigan, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI

48106; 1-800-999-0960. The dataset

is archived as Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics,

1993 (ICPSR 9749).

An electronic version of this report and

the data analyzed in the report may be

found on the Internet at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

ii Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Contents

Highlights iii

The LEMAS survey 1

Personnel 1

Expenditures and pay 7

Operations 10

Equipment 15

Computers 20

Policy directives 23

Methodology 24
 As of June 30, 1993, sheriffs' departments in the United States had an estimated 224,236 full-time employees,

10% more than in 1990. This total 

included 155,815 sworn personnel and

68,421 civilian employees.

 Nearly all sheriffs' departments were

responsible for performing courtrelated functions such as serving civil

process (97%) and providing court 

security (93%). About 9 in 10 investigated crimes (92%), responded to

calls for service (91%), and provided

routine patrol services (88%).

 Many sheriffs' departments also had

primary responsibility for dispatching

calls for service (80%), operating a jail

(79%), drug enforcement (78%), traffic

enforcement (77%), and search and

rescue operations (65%). (See following page for comparisons of sheriffs'

departments with local police.)

 For fiscal 1993, sheriffs' departments

had operating expenditures of $10.7

billion. This was 6% more than 1990

after adjusting for inflation. Operating

expenditures averaged $66,500 per

sworn officer, $45,900 per employee,

and $45 per resident for 1993.

 Overall, 16.9% of the full-time sworn

personnel employed by sheriffs' 

departments in 1993 were members 

of a racial or ethnic minority. This was

an increase compared to 1990 (15.5%)

and 1987 (13.4%). Blacks accounted

for 10% of sworn personnel in 1993,

and Hispanics comprised about 6%. 

 In 1993, 8% of sheriffs' departments

required new deputy recruits to have

completed at least some college

course work, compared to about 4% 

in 1990. Less than 1% of all departments required a 4-year degree; 

however, 5% required a 2-year degree.

 New deputy recruits were required 

to undergo an average of about 750

hours of training in 1993. The average requirement ranged from about

900 hours among departments serving

a population of 1 million or more, 

to about 450 hours in those serving

fewer than 10,000 residents. 

 Eighty-two percent of sheriffs' departments authorized their regular field

officers to use semiautomatic sidearms

in 1993, up from 74% in 1990. Departments authorizing semiautomatic sidearms employed 91% of all sheriffs'

officers in 1993, compared to 83% 

in 1990.

 Nearly all (97%) sheriffs' departments authorized the use of nonlethal

weapons by officers. Impact devices

such as batons were authorized by

85% of all departments. Chemical

agents were authorized by 77%, with

pepper spray (56%) the type most

commonly approved.

 Thirty percent of sheriffs' departments required all of their regular field

officers to wear protective body armor

while on duty during 1993, up from

21% in 1990. Departments with such 

a requirement employed 35% of all

sheriffs' officers in 1993, compared 

to 23% in 1990.

 Sixty-five percent of sheriffs' 

departments participated in a 911

emergency telephone system during

1993, a considerably higher percentage than in 1990 (42%) and more than

twice as many as in 1987 (28%).

 A majority of the 911 systems that

sheriffs' departments participated in

during 1993 were enhanced systems,

capable of pinpointing the source 

of a call automatically. Overall, 36% 

of sheriffs' departments had an 

enhanced system in 1993, compared

to 11% in 1990 and 8% in 1987.

 An estimated 62% of sheriffs' departments were maintaining computerized

files on warrants in 1993, up from 47%

in 1990. A majority of departments

(58%) also maintained computerized

arrest information during 1993, compared to 42% in 1990.

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 iii

Highlights

Any 911 system Enhanced 911 system

Percent 

of agencies

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

1987

1990

1993

In 1993, 65% of sheriffs' departments participated in a 911 emergency 

telephone system, including 36% with enhanced 911 
iv Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Functions of sheriffs' and police departments and their officers

Sheriffs' departments are much more likely than local

police departments to perform functions related to 

the operation of courts and jails

Percent of agencies 

Function Sheriffs' Local police

 Process serving 97% 11%

 Court security 93 19

 Jail operations 79 5

Sheriffs'

Local police

0 250,000 500,000

Number of full-time sworn personnel

All agencies

Sheriffs'

Local police

0 250,000 500,000

Number of full-time employees

Sheriffs'

Local police

0 250,000 500,000

Number of uniformed officers assigned 

to answer calls for service

Field operations

Jail operations

Court operations

Administration

Technical support

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Agencies with 100 or more sworn personnel

Percent of full-time officers assigned 

to each functional area

Sheriffs'

Local police

A large majority of both sheriffs' and local police 

departments receive calls for service, investigate

crimes, and provide routine patrol services

Percent of agencies 

Function Sheriffs' Local police

Receiving calls for service 91% 93%

Crime investigation 92 97

Routine patrol 88 97

Sheriffs' departments are also more likely than local

police departments to perform search and rescue

operations, dispatch calls for service, and process

fingerprints

Percent of agencies 

Function Sheriffs' Local police

 Search and rescue 65% 33%

 Dispatching calls for service 80 52

 Fingerprint processing 55 41

Most sheriffs' departments perform traffic-related

functions; however, they are less likely to do so than

local police departments 

Percent of agencies 

Function Sheriffs' Local police

 Enforcing traffic laws 77% 99%

 Accident investigation 69 98

 Traffic direction and control 64 90

Among the 156,000 full-time sworn personnel employed

by sheriffs' departments in 1993, about 60,000 were

uniformed officers whose regularly assigned duties included responding to calls for service. This amounted to

39% of sheriffs' department sworn personnel handling

calls for service, compared to 63% of officers in local

police departments. This difference is attributable to the

fact that, relative to local police, sheriffs' departments

are much more likely to be responsible for activities related to jail and court operations. More often than not,

these responsibilities are in addition to traditional law

enforcement duties.
During 1993, 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 the more than 17,000 State

and local law enforcement agencies 

operating nationwide. This report presents data describing the more than

3,000 sheriffs' departments operating

in the United States in terms of their

personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, equipment, computers and

information systems, and policies.

The sheriffs' departments included in

this report are operated by county or

independent city governments. Since

sheriffs are typically elected officials,

these agencies are sometimes known

as sheriff's offices, but the term departments is used universally in this report as a matter of convenience.

Consolidated police-sheriffs' departments are classified as local police for

the LEMAS survey and are excluded

from this report.

The LEMAS survey

The 1993 LEMAS survey questionnaire was mailed to all 854 State and

local law enforcement agencies with

100 or more sworn officers and to a

representative sample of 2,416 agencies with fewer than 100 officers (see

Methodology for a description of the

sample). Of the 3,270 agencies 

receiving the LEMAS questionnaire,

3,028 (92.6%) responded.

Detailed agency-by-agency tabulations

from the 1993 LEMAS survey were 

previously published for agencies 

with 100 or more officers (see Law 

Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1993, NCJ-148825).

This report and its companion report

(Local Police Departments 1993,

NCJ-148822), summarize the data collected from agencies of all sizes. 

This is the third LEMAS survey. Data

from the previous surveys in 1987 

and 1990 are used for comparison purposes in this report. Law enforcement

manpower data collected by BJS in

1992 are less comprehensive in 

content (they include only personnel

counts) and therefore are not used for

comparisons.

Personnel

During 1993 an estimated 17,120 publicly funded State and local law enforcement agencies were operating in

the United States (table 1). Excluding 

a small number of consolidated policesheriff agencies, there were 3,084

sheriffs' departments, all operated by

counties and independent cities. 

As of June 30, 1993, sheriffs' departments had an estimated 224,236 fulltime employees. They employed an

additional 19,660 persons on a parttime basis. About 156,000, or 69%, 

of full-time sheriffs' department employees were sworn officers. This represented a fourth of all State and local

officers nationwide. The estimated

68,421 civilian sheriffs' department

personnel in 1993 accounted for a 

third of all nonsworn State and local

law enforcement employees in the

United States.

There were about 20,000, or 9.9%,

more full-time employees in sheriffs'

departments in 1993 than in 1990, and

about 47,000, or 26.6%, more than 

in 1987 (figure 1). For all State and local law enforcement agencies, the increase in number of employees from

1990 to 1993 was about 35,000, or

4.5%, and from 1987 to 1993 it was

about 79,000, or 10.5%. 

When only sworn personnel are considered, employment by sheriffs' departments increased by about 14,000

officers, or 10.2%, from 1990 to 1993

and by about 33,000, or 27.2%, from

1987 to 1993. The number of full-time

sworn personnel employed by all State

and local law enforcement agencies 

in 1993 was up by about 27,000, or

4.5%, compared to 1990, and by about

55,000, or 9.7%, compared to 1987. 

As with local police departments, the

size of sheriffs' departments varies

greatly. The Los Angeles County

Sheriff's Department was the largest 

in 1993, with 11,285 full-time employees. Included in this total were 7,629

full-time sworn officers, of which about

 Sheriffs' Departments 1993 1

Table 1. Employment by State and local law enforcement agencies 

in the United States, 1993

Number of employees

Type of

agency

Number of

agencies

Full-time Part-time

Total Sworn Civilian Total Sworn Civilian

 Total 17,120 828,435 622,913 205,522 87,875 42,890 44,985

Local police 12,361 474,072 373,554 100,518 58,146 28,186 29,960

Sheriff 3,084 224,236 155,815 68,421 19,660 11,048 8,612

State police 49 76,972 51,874 25,098 845 228 617

Special police 1,626 53,155 41,670 11,485 9,224 3,428 5,796

Note: Special police category includes both State-level and local-level agencies. 

Consolidated police-sheriff agencies are included under local police category.

Data are for the pay period that included June 30, 1993.
3,400 were assigned to field operations. 

Nationwide, there were 17 sheriffs' 

departments that employed 1,000 or

more sworn officers (0.6%), and more

than 300 that employed at least 100

officers (10.3%) (table 2). Nearly

1,000 sheriffs' departments employed

fewer than 10 officers (31.2%), including 19 with just one sworn officer

(0.6%). 

About a fifth of all full-time sheriffs' officers were employed by a department

with 1,000 or more officers, and twothirds were employed by a department

with at least 100 officers. Sheriffs' departments that employed fewer than

10 officers accounted for about 3% of

all sheriffs' department sworn personnel nationwide. 

About half of all sheriffs' department

officers worked for the 184 departments located in a jurisdiction with

250,000 or more residents and a fifth

were employed by 1 of the 25 departments serving a population of 1 million

or more (table 3). Just over half of 

all sheriffs' departments were located in a jurisdiction with fewer than 

25,000 residents. These departments

employed about 11% of all sworn sheriffs' department personnel nationwide. 

2 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 2. Sheriffs' departments, by number 

of sworn personnel, 1993

Number

of sworn

personnel*

 Agencies 

 Number Percent

 Full-time sworn

 personnel 

 

 Number Percent 

 Total 3,084 100.0% 155,815 100.0%

1,000 or more 17 .6% 32,045 20.6%

500-999 24 .8 15,010 9.6

250-499 77 2.5 26,775 17.2

100-249 199 6.4 29,022 18.6

50-99 307 10.0 18,735 12.0

25-49 564 18.3 16,596 10.7

10-24 936 30.4 12,782 8.2

5-9 602 19.5 3,811 2.4

2-4 340 11.0 1,028 .7

1 19 .6 10 --

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Includes both full-time and part-time employees.

--Less than 0.5%.

Table 3. Sheriffs' departments and full-time sworn 

personnel, by size of population served, 1993

 Full-time sworn

Agencies personnel

Population served Number Percent Number Percent

 All sizes 3,084 100.0% 155,815 100.0%

1,000,000 or more 25 .8% 31,266 20.1%

500,000-999,999 63 2.0 24,483 15.7

250,000-499,999 96 3.1 21,504 13.8

100,000-249,999 260 8.4 27,442 17.6

50,000-99,999 376 12.2 19,144 12.3

25,000-49,999 616 20.0 15,244 9.8

10,000-24,999 916 29.7 12,146 7.8

Under 10,000 731 23.7 4,585 2.9

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

1987 1990 1993 1987 1990 1993

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

Full-time employees Full-time officers

Number of employees

Employment by State and local law enforcement agencies, 

1987, 1990, and 1993

All State 

and local*

*Includes local police, sheriffs' departments, special police, and State police.

Sheriffs' 

departments 

only

Figure 1
On the average, sheriffs' departments

nationwide had 73 full-time employees

including 51 sworn personnel and 22

civilian employees (table 4). The size 

of departments varied greatly depending on the jurisdiction population: 

Sheriffs' departments in jurisdictions

with a population of 1 million or more

had an average of 1,936 full-time 

employees, including 1,233 sworn 

officers and 703 civilian employees. 

In contrast, sheriffs' departments 

in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000

residents employed an average of 

6 full-time sworn officers, and 3 fulltime civilians. 

Race and sex of officers

Of the estimated 155,518 full-time

sworn personnel employed by sheriffs'

departments in 1993, an estimated

22,657, or 1 in 7, were women (table

5). The percentage of female officers

varied slightly across population sizes,

ranging from about 16% in jurisdictions

with a population of 100,000 to

999,999 to just under 12% in jurisdictions with a population of 10,000 to

49,999. 

Compared to 1990, the number of 

female officers was up by less than

a thousand, and the percentage of 

all sheriffs' officers represented by

women was down slightly from 15.4%

to 14.6% (figure 2). However, there

were about 7,200 more female officers

in 1993 than in 1987, when 12.6% 

of sheriffs' officers were women. 

In 1993, about a sixth of full-time sheriffs' officers were members of a racial

or ethnic minority, with the percentage

of minority officers higher in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 or

 Sheriffs' Departments 1993 3

Table 4. Average number of employees in sheriffs' 

departments, by size of population served, 1993

 Average number of employees 

Population

served

Full-time Part-time

Total Sworn Nonsworn Total Sworn Nonsworn

 All sizes 73 51 22 6 4 3

1,000,000 or more 1,936 1,233 703 48 29 19

500,000-999,999 551 390 161 39 17 22

250,000-499,999 321 224 97 20 8 11

100,000-249,999 151 106 45 11 6 5

50,000-99,999 69 51 18 7 5 3

25,000-49,999 35 25 10 6 4 2

10,000-24,999 18 13 5 3 2 2

Under 10,000 9 6 3 2 1 1

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

Table 5. Sex of full-time sworn 

personnel in sheriffs' departments,

by size of population served, 1993 

Population

served

All sworn employees

Total Male Female

 All sizes 100% 85.5% 14.5%

1,000,000 or more 100% 85.5% 14.5%

500,000-999,999 100 84.0 16.0

250,000-499,999 100 83.6 16.4

100,000-249,999 100 84.3 15.7

50,000-99,999 100 86.6 13.4

25,000-49,999 100 88.5 11.5

10,000-24,999 100 88.2 11.8

Under 10,000 100 86.8 13.2

Note: Detail may not add to total because of

rounding.

Percent of full-time 

sworn personnel

Female All minorities* Black Hispanic

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

1987

1990

1993

Women and minority sheriffs' officers, 1987, 1990, and 1993

*Includes blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives.

Figure 2
more (table 6). Overall, the number of

sheriffs' officers who were members of

a racial or ethnic minority in 1993

(26,367) was about 20% greater than

in 1990 (21,290) and about 61%

greater than in 1987 (16,420).

Blacks accounted for 10% of all sheriffs' officers in 1993, with departments

serving a population of 500,000 to

999,999 employing the highest percentage of black officers (14.1%).

About 6% of sheriffs' officers nationwide were Hispanic, with departments

serving a population of 1 million or

more having the most Hispanic officers

(13.3%).

The estimated 15,621 full-time black

officers employed in 1993 represented

an increase of 1,762 compared to

1990 and 5,450 compared to 1987.

The percentage of black officers in

1993 (10.0%) was about the same as

in 1990 (9.8%), but up significantly

from 1987, when 8.3% of all sheriffs'

officers were black.

There were an estimated 8,979 Hispanic officers employed by sheriffs' 

departments in 1993. This was 35%

more than in 1990 (6,647) and 70%

more than in 1987 (5,269). The percentage of sheriffs' officers represented by Hispanics in 1993 (5.8%)

represented an increase over 1990

(4.7%) and 1987 (4.3%) levels. 

Education and training requirements

for new officers

Nearly all (97%) sheriffs' departments

had a formal education requirement for

new officer recruits in 1993 (table 7).

The typical minimum educational 

4 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 6. Race and ethnicity of full-time sworn personnel in sheriffs' departments, by size of population served, 1993

Percent of full-time sworn employees who are:

Population

served

White Black Hispanic Other*

Total Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female

 All sizes 100% 83.1% 72.1% 11.0% 10.0% 7.4% 2.7% 5.8% 5.0% .8% 1.1% 1.0% .1%

1,000,000 or more 100% 73.1% 63.6% 9.5% 11.4% 8.4% 3.0% 13.3% 11.5% 1.8% 2.2% 2.0% .2%

500,000-999,999 100 78.9 67.5 11.4 14.1 10.3 3.9 5.5 5.0 .6 1.5 1.2 .2

250,000-499,999 100 83.3 70.8 12.5 11.0 8.0 3.0 4.7 4.0 .7 1.0 .8 .2

100,000-249,999 100 85.8 73.9 11.9 10.7 7.4 3.2 2.9 2.4 .5 .6 .5 --

50,000-99,999 100 90.5 79.2 11.3 6.3 4.7 1.6 2.4 2.1 .4 .8 .6 .1

25,000-49,999 100 89.8 79.9 9.9 6.1 4.7 1.4 3.5 3.3 .2 .6 .6 --

10,000-24,999 100 87.7 78.0 9.8 7.9 6.6 1.2 3.9 3.1 .8 .5 .5 --

Under 10,000 100 90.1 79.0 11.2 4.8 3.4 1.3 4.1 3.4 .7 1.0 1.0 --

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding. 

*Includes Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives.

--Less than 0.05%

Table 7. Minimum educational requirement for new officer recruits

in sheriffs' departments, by size of population served, 1993

 Percent of agencies requiring a minimum of:

Population

served

Total

with

requirement

High

school

diploma

Some

college*

2-year

college

degree

4-year

college

degree

 All sizes 97% 89% 2% 5% --

1,000,000 or more 100% 96% 4% 0% 0%

500,000-999,999 93 83 6 2 2

250,000-499,999 100 88 7 3 1

100,000-249,999 100 88 2 10 --

50,000-99,999 99 89 5 2 2

25,000-49,999 97 88 1 7 0

10,000-24,999 95 89 1 5 0

Under 10,000 98 92 1 5 0

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Nondegree requirements 

--Less than 0.5%
requirement was completion of highschool (89%). About 8% of departments, twice as many as in 1990, required at least some college course

work of new deputy recruits. Although

less than 1% of sheriffs' departments

required new deputy recruits to have a

4-year college degree, 5% did require 

a 2-year degree. Overall, 99% of 

sheriffs' officers nationwide were employed by a department that required

new deputies to have at least a high

school diploma, including 7% who

were employed by a department that

required them to have at least some

college.

An estimated 90% of all sheriffs' departments, employing 97% of all officers, required new deputy recruits to

complete formal training (table 8). All

of the departments serving a population of 500,000 or more and more than

90% of those serving a population of

25,000 to 499,999 required training.

The percentage of departments in

smaller jurisdictions that required training was slightly lower  86% in jurisdictions with a population of 10,000 to

24,999, and 83% in jurisdictions with

fewer than 10,000 residents.

On average, sheriffs' departments required 565 training hours of new deputy recruits, with about two-thirds of

the training in the classroom. Sheriffs'

departments in jurisdictions with 1 million or more residents (901 hours), 

required about twice as many training

hours of new recruits as those serving

a population of less than 10,000 (451

hours). 

Classroom training requirements were

most stringent among departments

serving a population of 1 million or

more (an average of 615 hours), while

departments serving a population of

250,000 to 999,999 (about 330 hours)

required the most field training hours

on average. 

When sheriffs' departments are

weighted according to number of officers, it is estimated that the average

new deputy recruit in 1993 was required to undergo 748 hours of training, with 478 hours, or 64%, of it in the

classroom.

Compared to 1990, the average number of training hours required of new

deputy recruits in 1993 was up significantly in most sheriffs' departments

(figure 3). Departments serving a

population of less than 25,000 required

an average of 416 hours of training in

1993, compared to 346 in 1990.

Among departments serving a population of 25,000 to 99,000, the average

training requirement was up by more

than 100 hours, from 474 hours in

1990 to 579 hours in 1993. Departments serving a population of 100,000

to 499,999 increased their average 

requirement by nearly 100 hours, from

553 hours to 646 hours. Among 

departments serving 500,000 or more

residents, training requirements for

new recruits remained about the same,

averaging just under 800 hours.

 Sheriffs' Departments 1993 5

Table 8. Training requirements for

new deputy recruits in sheriffs' 

departments, by size of 

population served, 1993

Percent of

agencies

requiring

training

Average 

number of

hours

required

Population 

served

Classroom Field

 All sizes 90% 366 199

1,000,000 or more 100% 615 286

500,000-999,999 100 414 331

250,000-499,999 96 411 336

100,000-249,999 96 388 255

50,000-99,999 98 414 242

25,000-49,999 92 357 239

10,000-24,999 86 343 155

Under 10,000 83 342 109

Note: Computation of average number of

training hours required excludes departments not requiring training.

500,000 or more

100,000-499,999

25,000-99,999

Under 25,000

0 200 400 600 800

1993

1990

Population served

Average number of hours required*

*A value of zero was assigned to agencies without a requirement

Average number of training hours required of new deputy recruits 

in sheriffs' departments, 1990 and 1993

Figure 3
Applicant and employee drug testing

A fourth of all sheriffs' departments,

employing half of all officers, required

that all applicants for sworn positions

be tested for illegal drug use (table 9).

A majority of the departments serving

a population of 500,000 or more required a drug test of all officer applicants, as did 41% of those serving a

population of 100,000 to 499,999. 

Applicants for officer positions were

least likely to be tested for drugs in

small jurisdictions: 18% of departments serving a population of 10,000

to 24,999 and 12% of those serving

fewer than 10,000 residents had a

mandatory drug testing requirement 

for applicants.

Overall, about a fourth of sheriffs' departments, employing about half of all

sheriffs' officers, had some type of

drug testing program that included

regular field officers. Drug testing programs that were mandatory for all

regular field officers were reported by

6% of sheriffs' departments, employing

5% of all officers. More common were

testing programs limited to officers

suspected of using illegal drugs (13%)

or to those selected through a random

selection process (12%). Nearly half

of the departments serving a population of 500,000 or more tested regular

field officers suspected of using illegal

drugs and 39% of all sheriffs' officers

nationwide were employed by a 

department with such a program. 

Departments with a random selection

testing program for regular field officers employed 24% of all officers

nationwide. 

About a fourth of all sheriffs' departments included civilian employees 

under one or more types of drug testing program. These departments 

employed about half of all nonsworn

sheriffs' department personnel. 

Twelve percent of departments, 

employing 35% of all nonsworn employees, had a testing program for

such employees suspected of using

illegal drugs. This included nearly 

half of the departments serving a

population of 1 million or more, and

about a third of those serving a population of 250,000 to 999,999.

Mandatory and random selection drug

testing programs for civilian employees

were both found among 8% of all departments; however, departments with

random selection programs employed

twice as many civilian personnel nationwide as those with a mandatory

testing program (18% versus 9%).

6 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 9. Drug testing of applicants for sworn positions, regular field 

officers, and civilian employees in sheriffs' departments, by size of 

population served, 1993

Percent of agencies with a drug testing program

Personnel category 

and population served

Any type 

of testing

program

Mandatory 

(all are tested)

Random 

selection

process

Use of 

drugs is

suspected

Applicants for sworn positions

 All sizes 30% 25% 5% 5%

1,000,000 or more 55% 50% 5% 9%

500,000-999,999 66 65 3 6

250,000-499,999 46 41 1 8

100,000-249,999 46 41 4 6

50,000-99,999 38 36 2 9

25,000-49,999 34 29 5 4

10,000-24,999 24 18 4 6

Under 10,000 20 12 7 3

Regular field/patrol officers

 All sizes 26% 6% 12% 13%

1,000,000 or more 50% 5% 14% 45%

500,000-999,999 54 3 15 49

250,000-499,999 44 4 12 36

100,000-249,999 42 4 16 23

50,000-99,999 37 4 17 20

25,000-49,999 28 9 14 13

10,000-24,999 20 6 10 9

Under 10,000 15 4 7 5

Civilian employees

 All sizes 24% 8% 8% 12%

1,000,000 or more 50% 4% 14% 45%

500,000-999,999 56 21 10 38

250,000-499,999 40 3 7 32

100,000-249,999 35 9 12 19

50,000-99,999 30 8 8 15

25,000-49,999 24 8 10 12

10,000-24,999 19 7 6 8

Under 10,000 17 7 7 6

Note: Some agencies had more than 1 type of testing program.
Expenditures and pay

Operating expenditures

The total annual operating expenditure of sheriffs' departments during fiscal year 1993 was $10.7 billion, an increase of 17% compared to 1990. 

After controlling for inflation, the net 

increase in spending was about 6%.

(These figures do not include capital

expenditures such as those for equipment purchases or construction projects.) Sheriffs' departments accounted for 26% of the $41.9 billion in total 

operating expenditures for all State 

and local law enforcement agencies

during fiscal year 1993. 

Operating expenditures averaged

about $3.5 million per sheriffs' department for fiscal 1993, ranging from an

average of $132,467,000 for departments serving a population of 1 million

or more, to $273,000 among those

serving fewer than 10,000 residents

(table 10). The overall operating cost

per resident was $45, with departments in jurisdictions with a population

of 1 million or more costing the most 

to operate, $60 per resident, followed

by those in jurisdictions with fewer

than 10,000 residents at $48 per resident. Departments in jurisdictions 

with a population of 25,000 to 49,999 

residents had the lowest per resident

cost  $34. 

Nationwide, sheriffs' departments cost

$66,500 per sworn officer to operate

for fiscal 1993, ranging from $104,700

per officer in jurisdictions with more

than 1 million residents to $39,500 per

officer in jurisdictions with fewer than 

10,000 residents. When both sworn

and nonsworn employees are included, the average operating expenditure for sheriffs' departments 

was $45,900 per employee for the

year, ranging from a high of $66,600 

per employee in jurisdictions with 

1 million or more residents to a low 

of $27,600 in the smallest jurisdictions. Overall, employee salaries 

and benefits accounted for about $4 

of every $5 in sheriffs' department 

operating expenditures.

Salaries

The average base starting salary 

offered by sheriffs' departments 

to entry-level deputies was about

$19,300 in 1993. This was an 

increase of 11% compared with 

1990; however, the net increase 

after controlling for inflation was 

just 0.3% (table 11). Departments 

in jurisdictions with 50,000 or more

residents had an average starting 

salary that was higher than the overall average, ranging from $20,600

(population of 50,000 to 99,999) to 

$28,300 (population served of 1 million

or more). The average starting salary

 Sheriffs' Departments 1993 7

Table 11. Average base starting 

salary for selected positions 

in sheriffs' departments, by size 

of population served, 1993

Average base 

starting salary, 1993

Population 

served

Entrylevel 

deputy Sergeant Sheriff

 All sizes $19,300 $24,400 $37,700

1,000,000 

 or more $28,300 $40,200 $89,800

500,000-999,999 23,900 33,300 67,200

250,000-499,999 23,400 31,900 63,800

100,000-249,999 22,200 28,600 53,500

50,000-99,999 20,600 26,200 42,400

25,000-49,999 19,200 23,900 37,900

10,000-24,999 18,500 22,900 33,800

Under 10,000 17,400 20,600 26,700

Note: Salary figures have been rounded to the

nearest $100. Computation of average salary

excludes departments with no full-time employee in that position.

Table 10. Operating expenditures of sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Operating expenditures, fiscal year 1993

Population

served Total

 Per 

 agency

 Per 

 sworn officer

 Per 

employee

Per 

resident

 All sizes $10,732,086,000 $3,480,000 $66,500 $45,900 $45

1,000,000 or more $3,311,663,000 $132,467,000 $104,700 $66,600 $60

500,000-999,999 1,726,039,000 27,397,000 69,000 48,200 41

250,000-499,999 1,474,363,000 15,358,000 67,300 46,400 43

100,000-249,999 1,698,813,000 6,534,000 60,300 41,900 42

50,000-99,999 1,015,455,000 2,701,000 50,700 37,100 38

25,000-49,999 739,475,000 1,200,000 44,700 31,800 34

10,000-24,999 566,436,000 618,000 43,600 30,800 39

Under 10,000 199,842,000 273,000 39,500 27,600 48

Note: Figures are for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, or the most recent fiscal year completed prior to that date. Figures do not include capital expenditures such as equipment purchases

or construction costs. Computation of per officer and per employee averages include both full-time

and part-time employees, with a weight of .5 assigned to part-time employees. Total and per

agency figures are rounded to the nearest $1,000, per officer and per employee figures to the nearest $100, and per resident figures to the nearest $1.

Total State and 

local operating

expenditures

 Billions 

 1993 1990

 $41.9 $36.0

Local police $24.3 $20.6

Sheriff 10.7 9.1

State police 4.2 3.7

Special police 2.8 2.6
for deputies in departments serving a

population of less than 10,000 was

about $2,000 below the overall average. When departments are weighted

according to number of officers employed, the estimated average base

starting salary for entry-level deputies

in 1993 was $23,300.

Except for the largest agencies, base

starting salaries for entry-level officers

were generally lower in sheriffs' 

departments than in comparably sized

local police departments (figure 4).

The greatest difference was found

among agencies with at least 25 officers but fewer than 250  about

$5,000 per year on average. 

Among agencies employing fewer 

than 25 full-time officers, local police 

departments offered an average starting salary that was about $1,600

higher than sheriffs' departments.

Among agencies with 250 to 999 fulltime sworn personnel, the difference

was about $3,400. Sheriffs' departments employing 1,000 or more 

sworn personnel offered a starting 

salary to entry-level officers that was

slightly higher than in local police

departments.

Salaries for the positions of sergeant 

and sheriff increased with jurisdiction

size in a pattern similar to that for

entry-level officers. By department,

the average starting salary for sergeants was $24,400, with sergeants 

in the largest jurisdictions starting at

$40,200 on average, about twice 

as much as in departments in the

smallest jurisdictions ($20,600). 

When departments are weighted 

according to size, the estimated 

average base starting salary for 

sergeants was $31,100.

The overall average base starting 

salary for sheriffs in 1993 was

$37,700, but sheriffs in jurisdictions

with 100,000 or more residents had a

starting salary that was considerably

higher. The average starting salary 

for sheriffs in jurisdictions with 1 million

or more residents was $89,800, more

than 3 times as much as in jurisdictions with a population of less than

10,000 ($26,700). 

Special pay

Some sheriffs' departments offered 

certain types of special pay to full-time

officers (table 12). For example, 16% 

of sheriffs' departments, employing

45% of all sheriffs' officers nationwide,

offered education incentive pay to

qualifying officers. About two-thirds of

the sheriffs' departments in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or

more offered education incentive pay

to officers; however, less than 10% of

agencies serving fewer than 25,000

residents offered this type of pay.

Fifteen percent of all sheriffs' departments offered shift differential pay to

their full-time officers. More than half 

of the departments in jurisdictions with

1 million or more residents, and more

than a third of those serving 100,000

to 999,999 residents, had shift differential pay. Nationwide, about a

fourth of all sheriffs' officers were 

employed by a department with shift

differential pay.

8 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 12. Sheriffs' departments

authorizing special pay for full-time

sworn personnel, by size of population served, 1993

 Percent of agencies

 authorizing pay for:

Population

served

Education

incentive

Shift 

differential Merit

 Haz-

 ard-

 ous 

 duty

 All sizes 16% 15% 13% 5%

1,000,000 

 or more 65% 54% 42% 42%

500,000-999,999 45 42 29 27

250,000-499,999 55 34 38 21

100,000-249,999 32 34 27 7

50,000-99,999 22 24 22 4

25,000-49,999 15 16 13 6

10,000-24,999 9 7 9 1

Under 10,000 8 6 3 2

1,000 or more

250-999

100-249

25-99

Under 25

$0 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $25,000 $30,000

Number of full-time sworn personnel

Base starting salary

Average base starting salary for entry-level officers in sheriffs' departments 

and local police departments, by size of agency, 1993

Local police officers

Sheriffs' deputies

Figure 4
Thirteen percent of all sheriffs' departments offered merit pay to qualifying

officers, including 42% of those serving a population of 1 million or more.

About a third of all sheriffs' officers 

nationwide worked for a department

that offered merit pay.

Hazardous duty pay was offered by 

just 5% of all sheriffs' departments;

however, 42% of the departments 

in jurisdictions with a population of 

1 million or more offered it, as did

more than 20% of the departments 

in jurisdictions with 250,000 to 999,999

residents. Nationwide, a fourth of all 

sheriffs' officers were employed by 

a department that offered hazardous

duty pay.

Collective bargaining and union

membership

Nationwide, 30% of all sheriffs' departments, employing 47% of all 

officers, authorized collective bargaining for sworn personnel (table 

13). A majority of the departments

serving a population of 100,000 or 

more authorized collective bargaining for officers, including about threefourths of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 

or more. Departments in jurisdictions

with fewer than 25,000 residents were

the least likely to authorize collective

bargaining for sworn personnel. 

Nonsworn personnel in sheriffs' departments were slightly less likely to

have collective bargaining rights than

sworn employees. Overall, 24% of

sheriffs' departments, employing 41%

of all nonsworn sheriffs' department

personnel, authorized collective bargaining for civilian employees. A 

majority of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 250,000 

or more authorized collective bargaining for civilians; however, just 1 in 10

departments serving a population of

less than 10,000 did so. 

Twenty-four percent of all sheriffs' 

departments authorized police union

membership by their sworn personnel, including a majority of those 

in jurisdictions with 500,000 or 

more residents (table 14). Nationwide, 43% of all sheriffs' officers

were employed by a department 

that authorized them to belong 

to a police union. 

Six percent of sheriffs' departments,

employing 16% of all sheriffs' 

department officers nationwide,

authorized membership in a nonpolice union. Twenty-five percent 

of all departments authorized 

officer membership in a police 

association. These departments 

employed 30% of all sheriffs' officers nationwide. 

 Sheriffs' Departments 1993 9

Table 14. Sheriffs' departments authorizing police membership organizations,

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies 

authorizing membership in:

Population 

served

Nonpolice

union

 Police 

 union

Police

association

 All sizes 6% 24% 25%

1,000,000 or more 14% 60% 38%

500,000-999,999 11 55 36

250,000-499,999 13 41 38

100,000-249,999 14 37 25

50,000-99,999 7 33 24

25,000-49,999 4 32 29

10,000-24,999 5 20 23

Under 10,000 3 8 21

Table 13. Sheriffs' departments

authorizing collective bargaining, by

size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies

authorizing collective 

bargaining for:

Population

served

Sworn 

employees

Nonsworn

employees

 All sizes 30% 24%

1,000,000 or more 77% 68%

500,000-999,999 73 59

250,000-499,999 58 52

100,000-249,999 51 42

50,000-99,999 41 35

25,000-49,999 35 27

10,000-24,999 20 18

Under 10,000 15 10
Operations

Crime investigation

About 9 in 10 sheriffs' departments 

had primary responsibility for investigating violent crimes occurring in

their jurisdiction (table 15). Departments in jurisdictions with a population of less than 100,000 were more

likely to be responsible for investigating violent crimes than those in

larger jurisdictions. Departments 

serving a population of 500,000 to

999,999 were the least likely to be 

the primary investigative agency for 

violent crimes. 

Ninety-two percent of sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for 

investigating property crimes such as

burglary, larceny, or motor vehicle

theft. As with violent crimes, departments serving a population of 500,000

to 999,999 were the least likely to be

responsible for investigating property

crimes, and those serving fewer than

100,000 residents were the most likely

to handle such investigations. 

Eighty percent of sheriffs' departments

were responsible for investigating 

arson incidents. Again, those serving

a population of less than 100,000 were

most likely to handle such cases, and

those serving a population of 500,000

to 999,999 were least likely. 

An estimated 22% of sheriffs' departments were responsible for the investigation of environmental crimes, with

only a slight variation by population

category.

Investigative support functions

Some sheriffs' departments had

primary responsibility for investigative support functions such as

fingerprint processing, laboratory

testing of substances, or ballistics testing (table 16). A majority

were responsible for fingerprint

processing (55%), including

about two-thirds of those in jurisdictions with a population of 1

million or more, or a population

of 100,000 to 499,999. Nearly

three-fourths (71%) of sheriffs'

officers nationwide were employed by a department that was

responsible for fingerprint

processing.

10 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 15. Crime investigation responsibilities of sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies with primary responsibility for investigation of:

Population

served

Violent crimes Property crimes

Environmental

 Homicide Other crimes a Arson Otherb

 All sizes 89% 91% 80% 92% 22%

1,000,000 or more 75% 75% 61% 79% 19%

500,000-999,999 51 58 46 53 27

250,000-499,999 71 72 65 76 17

100,000-249,999 75 79 68 79 16

50,000-99,999 90 89 85 88 19

25,000-49,999 90 93 81 95 25

10,000-24,999 96 96 84 97 22

Under 10,000 91 94 80 94 25

a

Rape, robbery or assault

b

Burglary, larceny/theft, or motor vehicle theft

Table 16. Investigative support 

functions of sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies with 

primary responsibility for:

Population

served

Fingerprint

processing

Laboratory

testing of

substances

Ballistics 

testing

 All sizes 55% 5% 2%

1,000,000 or more 66% 38% 33%

500,000-999,999 55 16 18

250,000-499,999 67 20 10

100,000-249,999 66 8 2

50,000-99,999 60 7 2

25,000-49,999 51 5 4

10,000-24,999 52 2 --

Under 10,000 54 1 0

--Less than 0.5%.
Overall, few sheriffs' departments were

responsible for laboratory testing of

substances (5%) or ballistics testing

(2%). Departments in jurisdictions with

a population of 1 million or more were

the most likely to be responsible for

these functions: 38% conducted laboratory tests of substances and 33%

conducted ballistics tests. Less than

10% of the departments in jurisdictions

with a population of less than 250,000

performed these functions.

Drug and vice enforcement

An estimated 78% of all sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility

for drug enforcement in their jurisdiction, and these departments employed

78% of all sheriffs' officers nationwide

(table 17). Departments in jurisdictions with a population of less than

25,000 (85%) were the most likely 

to be responsible for drug enforcement, while those in jurisdictions with

500,000 to 999,999 residents (47%)

were the least likely. 

About half of all sheriffs' departments,

employing two-thirds of all sheriffs' 

officers, had primary vice enforcement

responsibilities. By population category, slightly more than half of the 

departments in jurisdictions with a

population of 1 million or more or a

population of 25,000 to 499,999 were

responsible for vice enforcement.

Slightly less than half of the departments in other population categories

were responsible for vice enforcement.

 

Patrol and response 

Eighty-eight percent of all sheriffs'

departments were responsible for

providing routine patrol services 

in their jurisdiction (table 18).

About 90% of the departments in

jurisdictions with a population of

less than 50,000 provided patrol

services. Except for departments

serving a population of 500,000 

to 999,999 (53%), a large majority

of the departments serving other

jurisdiction sizes also provided patrol services. Nationwide, 86% of

all sheriffs' officers were employed

by a department that performed 

patrol services.

About 9 in 10 sheriffs' departments reported they had primary

responsibility for receiving calls 

for service from citizens. The 

percentage of departments that 

received service calls was 90% 

or higher in all population categories less than 100,000. About 

4 in 5 sheriffs' departments also

had responsibility for dispatching

calls for service to officers in the

field, with departments serving a

population of less than 50,000 

the most likely to perform dispatch services. 

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 11

Table 17. Drug and vice enforcement 

responsibilities of sheriffs' departments,

by size of population served, 1993

 Percent of agencies with 

 primary responsibility for:

Population

served

Drug

enforcement

Vice 

enforcement

 All sizes 78% 49%

1,000,000 or more 80% 56%

500,000-999,999 47 47

250,000-499,999 60 56

100,000-249,999 58 57

50,000-99,999 71 56

25,000-49,999 78 56

10,000-24,999 85 45

Under 10,000 85 41

Table 18. Patrol and response 

functions of sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies with 

primary responsibility for:

 Calls for service

Population

served

Routine

patrol

ReceivingDispatching

 All sizes 88% 91% 80%

1,000,000 or more 83% 75% 75%

500,000-999,999 53 61 51

250,000-499,999 73 69 62

100,000-249,999 79 81 64

50,000-99,999 86 90 72

25,000-49,999 92 95 84

10,000-24,999 90 94 86

Under 10,000 90 94 82
911 emergency telephone system

In 1993, 65% of all sheriffs' departments participated in an emergency

telephone system whereby one of 

their units could be dispatched as a 

result of a citizen call to 911 or its

equivalent (table 19). This was a 

significant increase from 1990 when

42% of all sheriffs' departments 

were 911 participants, and more than

twice the percentage of departments

reporting 911 participation in 1987

(28%) (figure 5). A majority of the 

sheriffs' departments in each population category were participating in a 

911 system in 1993, including more

than 70% of those serving a population of 25,000 to 499,999. 

In 1993, slightly over half of the 

sheriffs' departments with a 911 system reported their system was an 

enhanced system, capable of pinpointing the location of a caller automatically. This was in sharp contrast 

to 1990 and 1987, when just a fourth

of the sheriffs' departments with a 911

system had an enhanced capability.

The percentage of sheriffs' departments that had an enhanced 911 system in 1993 (36%) was about 3 times

greater than in 1990 (11%), and about

4 times greater than in 1987 (8%).

Departments in jurisdictions with a

population of 250,000 to 499,999

(68%) and those in jurisdictions with

50,000 to 249,999 residents (61%)

were the most likely to have an enhanced 911 system, while those in 

jurisdictions with a population less than

10,000 (13%) were the least likely. A

majority of the 911 systems operated

by sheriffs' departments in each population category of 25,000 or more were

enhanced systems. 

In 1993, 79% of all sheriffs' officers

worked for a department with 911, and

60% worked for one with enhanced

911. The comparative percentages for

1990 were 68% and 36%, respectively.

Traffic-related functions

About three-fourths of sheriffs' departments were responsible for the 

enforcement of traffic laws (77%),

while about two-thirds handled accident investigation (69%), and traffic 

direction and control (64%) (table 20).

At least half of the departments in

each population category under

500,000 had traffic-related responsibilities, with departments serving a

population of less than 100,000 the

most likely to perform such duties.

More than 80% of the departments

serving a population of less than

10,000 were responsible for traffic 

enforcement (84%) and accident 

investigation (81%).

Jail- and court-related functions

To a much greater extent than their 

local police counterparts, sheriffs' 

departments were responsible for

functions related to court and jail operations. Nearly all sheriffs' departments had primary responsibility for

serving civil process (97%) and

12 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 19. Sheriffs' department 

participation in a 911 emergency 

telephone system, by size 

of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies participating in a 911 system

Population served Total Enhanced Basic

 All sizes 65% 36% 29%

1,000,000 or more 70% 46% 24%

500,000-999,999 56 46 10

250,000-499,999 74 68 5

100,000-249,999 80 61 19

50,000-99,999 75 61 14

25,000-49,999 74 44 30

10,000-24,999 61 28 33

Under 10,000 54 13 41

Note: Participation is defined as the capability

to dispatch a unit as the result of a call to 911.

Detail may not add to total because of rounding. 

Any 911 system Enhanced 911 system

Percent 

of agencies

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

1987

1990

1993

Sheriffs' departments participating in a 911 emergency 

telephone system, 1987, 1990, and 1993

Figure 5
providing court security (93%), while

79% operated a jail (table 21). For

the large majority of departments,

these duties were in addition to traditional law enforcement responsibilities.

Nearly all of the sheriffs' departments serving a population of less 

than 1 million were responsible for

serving civil process. About threefourths of those in jurisdictions with 

a population of 1 million or more 

had process-serving responsibilities.

Nationwide, 92% of all sheriffs' 

officers were employed by a department that handled process serving. 

More than 90% of the departments

serving a population of less than

500,000 provided court security 

services, as did 88% of those serving 

a population of 500,000 to 999,999. 

Departments in jurisdictions with a

population of 1 million or more (68%)

were the least likely to provide court

security. Eighty-nine percent of 

all sheriffs' officers were employed 

by a department that provided court

security. 

About 4 in 5 sheriffs' departments 

operated at least one jail during 1993.

Among departments in jurisdictions

with a population of 1 million or more

or a population of 10,000 to 249,999,

about 5 in 6 operated a jail, a slightly

higher proportion than in other population categories. Ninety percent of 

all sheriffs' officers nationwide were 

employed by a department that operated one or more jails. 

Lockup facilities

Just 6% of sheriffs' departments were

operating a lockup facility in 1993 (table 22). Lockup facilities are temporary holding facilities operated

separately from a jail with a limited

holding time  an average maximum

holding time of 12 hours was reported

by the departments that operated such

a facility. About 3 in 10 departments

in jurisdictions with a population of

250,000 to 999,999 were operating

a lockup, as were about 4 in 10 departments in jurisdictions with 1 million or

more residents. The average total

lockup capacity for all departments 

with a lockup was 49 persons, ranging

from 137 in jurisdictions with 1 million

or more residents to 4 in jurisdictions

with fewer than 10,000 residents.

Special public safety functions

Another important area of responsibility for sheriffs' departments in 1993 

involved the performance of special

functions related to public safety. 

Examples of such functions included

search and rescue, animal control, civil

defense, emergency medical services,

and fire services. About two-thirds of

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 13

Table 20. Traffic-related functions 

of sheriffs' departments, by size 

of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies with

primary responsibility for:

Population 

served

Enforcement of

traffic

laws

Accident investigationTraffic

direction

and

 All sizes 77% 69% 64%

1,000,000 or more 70% 56% 47%

500,000-999,999 49 43 39

250,000-499,999 65 50 55

100,000-249,999 67 54 56

50,000-99,999 80 62 66

25,000-49,999 75 71 62

10,000-24,999 77 69 64

Under 10,000 84 81 72

Table 22. Lockup operation by

sheriffs' departments, by size 

of population served, 1993

Population 

served

Percent of

agencies

operating

a lockup

Average

lockup

capacity

 All sizes 6% 49

1,000,000 or more 41% 137

500,000-999,999 30 90

250,000-499,999 32 88

100,000-249,999 12 61

50,000-99,999 5 54

25,000-49,999 5 14

10,000-24,999 2 7

Under 10,000 5 4

Note: Computation of average lockup 

capacity excludes departments not 

operating such a facility.

Table 21. Jail- and court-related functions of sheriffs' departments, by size

of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies with

primary responsibility for:

Population 

served

Serving

civil

process

Court

security

Jail 

operation

 All sizes 97% 93% 79%

1,000,000 or more 76% 68% 84%

500,000-999,999 98 88 71

250,000-499,999 96 91 73

100,000-249,999 98 93 83

50,000-99,999 97 96 85

25,000-49,999 99 95 85

10,000-24,999 98 94 83

Under 10,000 95 91 67
all departments were responsible for

search and rescue, including a majority

of the departments in all population

categories except 500,000 to 999,999

(table 23). The percentage of sheriffs'

departments responsible for search

and rescue operations was highest

among those serving a population of

less than 10,000 (73%). 

About a fourth of sheriffs' departments

had primary responsibility for animal

control. Departments in jurisdictions

with a population of less than 10,000

(38%) were the most likely to provide

animal control services, followed by

those in jurisdictions with a population

of 10,000 to 49,999 (29%), and those

with a population of 50,000 to 99,999

(26%). Less than 10% of sheriffs' 

departments serving a population 

of more than 500,000 were responsible for animal control.

Twenty-two percent of all sheriffs' 

departments were responsible for civil 

defense functions, including 34% of

those in jurisdictions with fewer than

10,000 residents. Smaller percentages of sheriffs' departments provided

emergency medical services (13%) or

fire services (8%). None of the departments in jurisdictions with 1 million 

or more residents was responsible 

for providing these services. 

Training academy operation

Another area of responsibility for 9% 

of sheriffs' departments was the operation of a training academy (table 24). 

Although just 1 in 11 departments 

operated their own training academy, 

these departments employed 38% 

of all sheriffs' officers. Two-thirds of

the departments in jurisdictions with a

population of 1 million or more operated a training academy, as did nearly

half of those in jurisdictions with

500,000 to 999,999 residents. 

Less than 10% of the sheriffs' 

departments in jurisdictions with a

population of less than 50,000 operated a training academy.

14 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 23. Special public safety functions of sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies with primary responsibility for:

Population 

served

 Search 

 and 

 rescue

 Animal

 control

 Civil

 defense

 Emergency

 medical 

 services

Fire

services

 All sizes 65% 28% 22% 13% 8%

1,000,000 or more 51% 9% 14% 0% 0%

500,000-999,999 44 4 14 14 2

250,000-499,999 57 11 11 13 2

100,000-249,999 64 16 15 13 3

50,000-99,999 64 26 21 9 8

25,000-49,999 59 29 15 11 6

10,000-24,999 67 29 22 12 9

Under 10,000 73 38 34 18 13

Table 24. Training academy 

operation by sheriffs' departments,

by size of population served, 1993

Population served

Percent of agencies 

operating an academy

 All sizes 9%

1,000,000 or more 66%

500,000-999,999 43

250,000-499,999 24

100,000-249,999 20

50,000-99,999 13

25,000-49,999 8

10,000-24,999 3

Under 10,000 2
Equipment

Sidearms

In 1993, 82% of sheriffs' departments,

employing 91% of all sheriffs' officers,

authorized the use of some type of

semiautomatic weapon as a sidearm

(table 25). These figures represent 

increases compared to 1990, when 

73% of departments, employing 83% 

of all officers, authorized semiautomatic sidearms. 

Sheriffs' departments serving a population of 1 million or more (96%) were

the most likely to authorize semiautomatic sidearms in 1993. Such weapons were least likely to be authorized 

by departments in jurisdictions with a

population of less than 25,000, where

just under 80% of departments authorized them.

As in 1990, the 9mm semiautomatic

was the most popular type of sheriffs'

sidearm, with 65% of sheriffs' departments authorizing its use by officers.

Forty-two percent of departments

authorized .45-caliber semiautomatic

sidearms. Smaller percentages authorized 10mm (18%) or .380-caliber

semiautomatics (11%). 

About two-thirds (65%) of sheriffs' 

departments authorized the use of one

or more types of revolvers by officers,

with .357-caliber (57%) and .38-caliber

(34%) revolvers the types most commonly authorized. 

A majority (58%) of sheriffs' departments supplied sidearms to officers,

and another 5% provided a cash 

allowance to officers for the purchase

of sidearms (table 26). At least 70% 

of the departments in each population

category of 50,000 or more supplied

sidearms, compared to 44% of those

serving a population of less than

10,000. Overall, about three-fourths of

all sheriffs' officers nationwide were

employed by a department that either

supplied sidearms (71%) or provided a

cash allowance for their purchase

(6%).

Body armor

Sixty-eight percent of sheriffs' departments, employing 76% of all officers,

supplied protective body armor to their

regular field officers (table 27). An additional 4%, employing 6% of all officers, provided a cash allowance for

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 15

Table 25. Selected types of sidearms authorized for use by sworn officers 

in sheriffs' departments, by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies authorizing:

Population

served

Semi-automatic Revolver

Any type 9mm .45 10mm .380 Any type .357 .38

 All sizes 82% 65% 42% 18% 11% 65% 57% 34%

1,000,000 or more 96% 79% 64% 23% 9% 91% 64% 77%

500,000-999,999 85 70 41 11 13 65 53 47

250,000-499,999 89 75 35 15 18 58 48 33

100,000-249,999 86 75 54 25 15 77 69 50

50,000-99,999 92 68 43 20 11 52 48 33

25,000-49,999 83 66 38 17 15 64 55 31

10,000-24,999 77 65 42 17 10 63 56 32

Under 10,000 78 58 41 18 9 68 61 30

Note: Specific calibers of sidearms listed in table are limited to those for which at least 10% of all

agencies authorized.

Table 26. Supply of/cash allowance for sidearms in sheriffs' 

departments, by size of 

population served, 1993

Percent of agencies

supplying or providing

cash allowance for

sidearms

Population 

served Supplied

 Cash 

 allowance

 All sizes 58% 5%

1,000,000 or more 81% 5%

500,000-999,999 74 3

250,000-499,999 83 7

100,000-249,999 77 9

50,000-99,999 70 3

25,000-49,999 61 3

10,000-24,999 52 6

Under 10,000 44 3

Table 27. Supply of/cash allowance for protective body armor 

in sheriffs' departments, by size 

of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies supplying or providing cash

allowance for armor

Population 

served Supplied

Cash

allowance

 All sizes 68% 4%

1,000,000 or more 68% 5%

500,000-999,999 68 12

250,000-499,999 71 7

100,000-249,999 71 7

50,000-99,999 76 6

25,000-49,999 73 3

10,000-24,999 66 4

Under 10,000 62 1
armor. At least 62% of the departments in each population category

supplied body armor, including more

than 70% of those serving a population

of 25,000 to 499,999. Departments 

in jurisdictions with a population of

500,000 to 999,999 (12%) were the

most likely to provide a cash allowance

for the purchase of body armor.

In 1993, 35% of sheriffs' departments

required at least some of their regular

field officers to wear protective armor

while on duty (table 28). These 

agencies employed nearly half of 

all sheriffs' officers. 

The percentage of sheriffs' departments requiring all regular field officers to wear body armor increased

from 21% in 1990 to 30% in 1993. 

Such an increase was seen in all 

population categories (figure 6). In 

jurisdictions with 500,000 or more 

residents, 28% of the sheriffs' departments required all officers to wear 

armor in 1993, compared to 19% 

in 1990. Among departments 

serving a population of 100,000 to

499,999, the increase was from 26% 

to 36%, and among those serving a

population of 25,000 to 99,999, the 

increase was from 21% to 36%.

Among departments serving fewer

than 25,000 residents, 26% required 

all officers to wear armor in 1993, 

compared to 19% in 1990. The percentage of all sheriffs' officers employed by a department with such a

policy increased from 23% in 1990 

to 35% in 1993. 

16 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

500,000 or more

100,000-499,999

25,000-99,999

Under 25,000

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Population served

Sheriffs' departments requiring all regular field officers 

to wear protective armor, 1990 and 1993

Percent of agencies

1990

1993

Figure 6

Table 28. Body armor requirements

for officers in sheriffs' departments,

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies

requiring regular field

officers to wear protective

armor while on duty:

Population 

served Total

All

officers

Some

offficers

 All sizes 35% 30% 5%

1,000,000 or more 49% 32% 17%

500,000-999,999 36 26 10

250,000-499,999 49 43 5

100,000-249,999 43 34 9

50,000-99,999 43 39 4

25,000-49,999 38 33 4

10,000-24,999 31 27 3

Under 10,000 29 24 4

Note: Detail may not add to total because of

rounding.
Nonlethal weapons

In nearly all sheriffs' departments

(97%), officers were authorized to use

one or more types of nonlethal weapons (table 29). Impact devices such

as batons were the type most commonly authorized: 85% of all departments, employing 94% of all officers,

authorized this type of nonlethal

weapon. The second most popular

category of nonlethal weapon, chemical agents, were authorized by 77% 

of all departments. These departments employed 84% of all officers.

About a fourth of all departments, 

employing about a third of all officers,

authorized the use of one or more

types of electrical devices as nonlethal

weapons.

Among chemical agents, pepper spray

(56%) was the one most commonly

authorized (table 30). The percentage

of departments authorizing pepper

spray was highest among those serving a population of 500,000 to 999,999

(78%) or 100,000 to 249,999 (75%).

Overall, 64% of a sheriffs' 

officers were employed 

by a department that authorized the use of pepper spray.

Traditional batons (52%) and 

PR-24 batons (51%) were

the only nonlethal weapons

other than pepper spray

authorized by at least half 

of all sheriffs' departments.

Departments serving a population of 1 million or more

(82%) were the most likely 

to authorize the traditional

baton, while those in the

250,000 to 499,999 population category (68%) were the

most likely to authorize use

of the PR-24 baton. Collapsible batons were authorized by 37% of all departments, including a majority of those serving 

a population of 500,000 to 999,999. 

An estimated 64% of sheriffs' officers

nationwide worked for a department

that authorized them to use a traditional baton, 61% for a department 

that authorized the PR-24 baton, and

51% for a department authorizing the

collapsible baton. 

Thirty-five percent of sheriffs'

departments authorized the use of tear

gas. Departments were more likely to

authorize tear gas in the personal issue size (27%) than in the bulk form

(15%). About half of all sheriffs' officers were employed by a department

that authorized the use of tear gas in

one or more forms. 

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 17

Table 29. Types of nonlethal weapons authorized for use by sworn 

officers in sheriffs' departments, by size of population served, 1993

 Percent of agencies authorizing nonlethal weapons

Population served Any 

 type

Impact

devices

Chemical

agents

Electrical

devices

 Other

 types

 All sizes 97% 85% 77% 26% 31%

1,000,000 or more 100% 100% 78% 23% 69%

500,000-999,999 100 92 93 24 59

250,000-499,999 100 94 85 28 57

100,000-249,999 98 89 89 30 50

50,000-99,999 100 92 79 27 36

25,000-49,999 98 85 77 22 27

10,000-24,999 95 82 78 26 25

Under 10,000 96 79 69 26 24

Table 30. Selected nonlethal weapons authorized for use by sworn 

officers in sheriffs' departments, by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies authorizing:

Population

served

 Pepper

 spray

 Tradi-

 tional 

 baton

 PR-24

 baton

 Collap-

 sible

 baton 

Tear

gas,

personal Stun 

 gun

 Tear 

 gas,

 large

 volume

 Flash/ 

 bang 

 grenade

Carotid

hold

Choke

hold

All sizes 56% 52% 51% 37% 27% 24% 15% 15% 10% 10%

1,000,000 or more 60% 82% 55% 33% 47% 14% 40% 60% 47% 9%

500,000-999,999 78 60 51 59 29 22 41 58 6 5

250,000-499,999 59 62 68 48 33 20 35 42 9 4

100,000-249,999 75 57 58 44 27 29 27 38 11 7

50,000-99,999 60 59 54 44 19 25 20 26 6 7

25,000-49,999 51 57 54 41 29 21 16 17 7 9

10,000-24,999 56 49 49 35 25 24 10 6 10 12

Under 10,000 47 43 47 29 29 24 9 4 11 12
About a fourth of sheriffs' departments

authorized the use of stun guns. Fifteen percent authorized the use 

of flash/bang grenades, including 

a majority of those serving a population of 500,000 or more. Just 

10% of all departments authorized 

the use of carotid holds or choke

holds; however, nearly half of the 

departments serving a population 

of 1 million or more (47%) authorized officers to use a carotid hold.

Vehicles

Nationwide, sheriffs' departments 

operated about 52 cars per 100 

sworn personnel (table 31). The 

ratio of cars to officers increased 

as population decreased, ranging

from 29 cars per 100 officers in 

jurisdictions with 1,000,000 or 

more residents to more than 70 

per 100 in jurisdictions with fewer 

than 25,000 residents. An estimated 37% of the cars operated 

by sheriffs' departments were 

unmarked. The proportion of cars 

that were unmarked ranged from 

about half in jurisdictions with 

a population of 500,000 or more 

to about a fourth in jurisdictions with 

a population of less than 25,000. 

Eighty-four percent of sheriffs' 

departments, employing 73% of all

sheriffs' officers, allowed sworn personnel to take marked vehicles home

(table 32). About 9 in 10 departments

in jurisdictions with fewer than 25,000

residents had such an allowance, as

did about 8 in 10 departments in jurisdictions with a population of 25,000 to

249,999. Less than half of the departments in jurisdictions with a population 

of 500,000 or more allowed marked 

vehicles to be taken home by officers.

In a large majority of the sheriffs' 

departments that allowed marked 

vehicles to be taken home, officers 

were allowed only to drive the vehicle to and from work. Just 22% 

of all departments allowed officers

to operate a marked vehicle for

private errands, ranging from 5% 

in jurisdictions with a population 

of 1 million or more to 29% in jurisdictions with fewer than 10,000

residents.

An estimated 30% of sheriffs' 

departments operated at least 

1 boat, including 56% of those 

serving a population of 1 million or

more (table 33). Nearly half of the 

departments in jurisdictions with a

population of least 50,000 but less

than 1 million also operated 1 or 

more boats. Small percentages 

of sheriffs' departments operated 

airplanes (5%) or helicopters (3%); 

although about 1 in 3 departments 

in jurisdictions with a million or more

residents did so. Just over half of

sheriffs' officers were employed by 

a department with at least 1 boat,

while a fourth were employed by 

a department with at least 1 airplane 

or helicopter.

18 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 31. Number of cars per officer

and percent of unmarked cars in

sheriffs' departments, by size 

of population served, 1993

Population 

served

Number 

of cars 

per 100

officers*

Percent 

of cars 

that were

unmarked

 All sizes 52 37%

1,000,000 or more 29 51%

500,000-999,999 41 47

250,000-499,999 50 42

100,000-249,999 58 37

50,000-99,999 65 32

25,000-49,999 70 32

10,000-24,999 73 28

Under 10,000 77 22

*Part-time officers are included with a weight

of .5 assigned.

Table 32. Vehicle use policies in

sheriffs' departments, by size of 

population served, 1993

 

Percent of agencies allowing

officers to take marked 

vehicles home

Population

served Total

Personal

use

allowed

Personal

use not

allowed

 All sizes 84% 22% 61%

1,000,000 or more 46% 5% 41%

500,000-999,999 44 11 33

250,000-499,999 56 12 44

100,000-249,999 78 23 54

50,000-99,999 80 12 68

25,000-49,999 80 21 59

10,000-24,999 90 25 66

Under 10,000 91 29 63

Note: Detail may not add to total because of

rounding.

Table 33. Off-land vehicles operated

by sheriffs' departments, by size 

of population served, 1993

 Percent of agencies

 operating

Population

served Boats

Fixedwing

aircraft

Helicopters

 All sizes 30% 5% 3%

1,000,000 or more 56% 33% 38%

500,000-999,999 46 16 16

250,000-499,999 46 17 21

100,000-249,999 47 12 7

50,000-99,999 47 8 4

25,000-49,999 33 4 1

10,000-24,999 26 2 --

Under 10,000 13 1 1

--Less than .5%.
Animals

An estimated 39% of sheriffs' departments maintained 1 or more dogs 

for use in activities related to law 

enforcement, including a majority 

of those serving a population of

50,000 or more (table 34). In general,

the proportion of departments 

using dogs declined with size of population served. About 5 in 6 departments in jurisdictions with a population

of 1 million or more used dogs, compared to 1 in 6 departments serving

fewer than 10,000 residents. Nationwide, sheriffs' departments maintained

about 3,000 dogs for activities related

to law enforcement, and departments

using dogs employed about threefourths of all sheriffs' officers.

Just 4% of all sheriffs' departments

used horses for law enforcement purposes, with those in jurisdictions with 

1 million or more residents (28%) the

most likely to be maintaining at least 

1 horse. Sheriffs' departments collectively maintained approximately 1,000

horses, and those using horses employed 21% of all sheriffs' officers.

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 19

Table 34. Animals maintained by

sheriffs' departments, by size of

population served, 1993

Percent of agencies

maintaining animals for

law enforcement work 

Population served Dogs Horses

 All sizes 39% 4%

1,000,000 or more 83% 28%

500,000-999,999 70 19

250,000-499,999 72 15

100,000-249,999 59 8

50,000-99,999 63 8

25,000-49,999 43 1

10,000-24,999 31 1

Under 10,000 17 3
Computers

Types of computers used

An estimated 82% of all sheriffs' 

departments were using 1 or more

types of computers in 1993, compared to 63% in 1990. Well over 

90% of the departments in jurisdictions with 50,000 or more residents

were using computers, including all 

departments serving a population 

of 1 million or more (table 35). A

large majority of the departments 

serving a population of 25,000 to

49,999 (86%) and those serving 

a population of 10,000 to 24,999 

(80%) were also using computers.

About two-thirds of the sheriffs' 

departments in jurisdictions with 

fewer than 10,000 residents were 

using computers. The percentage 

of all sheriffs' officers nationwide that

were employed by a department using

computers increased from 89% in

1990 to 96% in 1993. 

The type of computer most commonly

used by sheriffs' departments in 1993

was the personal computer, used by

two-thirds of all departments. This 

represented an increase compared 

to 1990 when just under half of all departments were using personal computers. A majority of the departments

in each population category were using

personal computers with the exception

of those serving fewer than 10,000 

residents (49%). About 90% of the 

departments serving a population of

250,000 or more were using personal

computers in 1993, as were more than

80% of those serving a population of

50,000 to 249,999. Overall, sheriffs'

departments using personal computers

in 1993 employed 87% of all sheriffs'

officers. 

Nearly half of all sheriffs' departments

were using a mainframe computer

(47%) in 1993 compared to just under

a third in 1990. At least two-thirds 

of the departments in each population

category of 50,000 or more were using

a mainframe in 1993, including 91% 

of those serving a population of 1 million or more. About 1 in 6 departments

were using a minicomputer, including 

a majority of those in jurisdictions 

with a population of 500,000 or more.

Departments using mainframes 

employed 73% of all officers in 1993,

and those using minicomputers about

42%. 

More than 3 times as many sheriffs'

departments were using laptop computers in 1993 (17%) as in 1990 (5%).

Nearly two-thirds of the departments 

in jurisdictions with a population of 

1 million or more (64%) were using

laptops in 1993, as were about half of

those serving a population of 250,000

to 999,999. Departments using laptop

computers in 1993 employed about

half of all sheriffs' officers.

An estimated 4% of sheriffs' departments were using mobile digital terminals in 1993, with about three-fourths

of these departments using the carmounted type and a fourth the handheld variety. Overall, 18% of sheriffs'

departments were using either laptop

computers or mobile digital terminals 

in 1993 compared to 6% in 1990. 

During the same period, the percentage of officers working in a department

that utilized laptops or mobile digital

terminals nearly doubled  from 28% 

to 54%.

 20 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Table 35. Types of computers used by sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies using each type of computer:

Population 

served

 Mobile digital terminal

Any type Personal Mainframe Laptop Mini Car-mounted Hand-held

 All sizes 82% 66% 47% 17% 16% 3% 1%

1,000,000 or more 100% 91% 91% 64% 64% 33% 4%

500,000-999,999 98 89 75 51 59 27 3

250,000-499,999 94 91 80 52 30 18 3

100,000-249,999 98 84 69 40 30 8 2

50,000-99,999 97 81 69 31 28 4 2

25,000-49,999 86 70 52 17 20 1 0

10,000-24,999 80 60 37 7 8 0 0

Under 10,000 66 49 26 5 6 0 0
Computer functions

For each of the management 

functions included in the 

LEMAS survey, the percentage

of sheriffs' departments that 

were utilizing computers to 

perform that function was 

greater in 1993 than in 1990. 

An estimated 65% of sheriffs' 

departments, employing 88% 

of all officers, were using computers for recordkeeping in 

1993 (table 36). This included

more than 90% of the departments serving a population of

500,000 or more and more 

than 80% of those serving a

population of 50,000 to

499,999. 

About half of all sheriffs' 

departments utilized computers for criminal investigations

(52%) or jail management

(47%). A majority of the 

departments serving a population of 25,000 or more 

used computers for these 

purposes. Other functions 

for which computers were

used by more than a third 

of sheriffs' departments included dispatch (41%) and

budgeting (37%). A majority

of the departments serving 

a population of 50,000 or 

more used computers for

these functions. About a 

fourth of sheriffs' departments 

used computers for crime analysis 

or fleet management.

Overall, about two-thirds of all sheriffs'

officers worked for a department that

used computers for criminal investigations or dispatch, and nearly threefourths were employed by a department that used computers for jail 

management or budgeting. About half

worked for a department that used

computers for crime analysis or fleet

management. 

Computerized files

Nearly two-thirds of sheriffs' departments (62%) were maintaining computerized files on warrants in 1993,

and a majority (58%) had computerized arrest files (table 37). More than

two-thirds of the departments in each

population category of 50,000 or more

had computerized arrest files in 1993,

and more than three-fourths of the departments in each of these population

categories had computerized warrant

information. 

Nearly half of all sheriffs' departments

had computerized files on stolen property (48%) and criminal histories

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 21

Table 36. Selected functions of computers in sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies using computers for:

Population

served

Recordkeeping

Criminal

investigations

Jail

managementDispatchBudgeting

Crime

analysis

Fleet

management

Manpower

allocation

Research/

statistics

 All sizes 65% 52% 47% 41% 37% 25% 23% 15% 13%

1,000,000 or more 95% 73% 79% 61% 78% 47% 55% 51% 37%

500,000-999,999 94 56 67 53 68 40 46 44 27

250,000-499,999 81 62 61 56 75 61 42 37 36

100,000-249,999 84 68 63 60 68 53 40 26 24

50,000-99,999 87 75 72 59 59 37 41 21 19

25,000-49,999 71 52 53 43 38 28 22 15 12

10,000-24,999 56 46 42 37 22 17 15 11 8

Under 10,000 49 40 25 26 24 11 13 9 8

Table 37. Types of computerized information files maintained 

by at least a third of sheriffs' departments, by size of population 

served, 1993

Percent of agencies maintaining computerized information files on:

Population

served

WarrantsArrests

Stolen

propertyCriminal

histories

Calls

for 

service

Personnel

Stolen

vehicles

UCR

summary

Traffic

citationsInventory

Summonses

 All sizes 62% 58% 48% 46% 42% 41% 41% 37% 36% 35% 34%

1,000,000 or more 87% 79% 47% 87% 61% 87% 41% 55% 47% 87% 47%

500,000-999,999 79 70 44 66 45 84 49 47 39 47 36

250,000-499,999 81 70 51 67 67 74 45 48 46 57 55

100,000-249,999 84 76 59 63 64 69 53 49 48 52 57

50,000-99,999 82 86 61 56 64 63 48 51 47 55 49

25,000-49,999 71 63 57 50 51 47 49 43 42 37 43

10,000-24,999 55 51 45 41 33 25 39 33 29 24 27

Under 10,000 41 40 33 33 22 23 28 22 27 27 17
(46%). A majority of the departments

serving a population of 50,000 or more

maintained computerized criminal history information during 1993, including 

87% of those serving a population 

of 1 million or more. 

Other types of computerized information files maintained by at least 

a third of all sheriffs' departments 

in 1993 included calls for service 

(42%), agency personnel (41%), 

stolen vehicles (41%), summary 

Uniform Crime Reports (37%),

traffic citations (36%), inventory 

(35%), and summonses (34%). 

Except for the 500,000 to 999,999

population category, a majority of 

the departments in each category 

of 25,000 or more maintained computerized information on calls for 

service. A majority of the departments serving a population of 

50,000 or more had computerized 

personnel information. 

For each subject area covered by 

the LEMAS survey, sheriffs' departments were more likely to be maintaining that type of information in a

computerized format in 1993 than 

in 1990 (figure 7). For example, 

the 62% of departments with computerized warrant information in 

1993 represented a significant 

increase over 1990, when 47% of 

departments had this type of information computerized. Similar increases in use of computerized 

files were seen for arrests (58% 

in 1993 versus 42% in 1990), 

stolen property (48% versus 34%),

criminal history information (46% 

versus 35%), and calls for service

(42% versus 28%).

Less than a third of sheriffs' departments reported that they maintained

computer files containing information

on the following: traffic accidents

(29%), evidence (29%), vehicle registration (28%), payroll (26%), driver's

license information (26%), incidentbased Uniform Crime Reports (24%),

and fingerprints (7%) (table 38). A

majority of the departments in jurisdictions with a population of 1 million or

more maintained computerized files 

on evidence and fingerprints. A 

majority of the departments serving 

a population of 100,000 or more had

computerized payroll information.

 22 Sheriffs' Departments 1993

Arrests

Criminal histories

Calls for service

Stolen property

Warrants

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Type of information

Percent of agencies

1993

1990

Sheriffs' departments maintaining selected types 

of computerized information files, 1990 and 1993

Figure 7

Table 38. Types of computerized information files maintained 

by fewer than a third of sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies maintaining computerized information files on:

Population 

served

Traffic

accidents Evidence

Vehicle

registration Payroll

Driver's 

license

information

UCRincidentbased

Fingerprints

 All sizes 29% 29% 28% 26% 26% 24% 7%

1,000,000 or more 47% 61% 46% 78% 46% 23% 56%

500,000-999,999 35 31 38 72 37 34 28

250,000-499,999 31 55 29 63 27 28 22

100,000-249,999 35 52 41 58 39 36 18

50,000-99,999 41 44 31 40 32 31 12

25,000-49,999 36 31 27 26 24 26 4

10,000-24,999 25 21 23 14 22 22 3

Under 10,000 20 15 26 11 22 15 2
Policy directives

An estimated 90% of all sheriffs' departments maintained a written policy

directive on the use of deadly force, 

including 94% or more of those in each

population category of 25,000 or more.

More than 80% had written directives

pertaining to employee conduct and 

appearance (86%), and pursuit driving

(83%). Overall, departments with a

policy directive on deadly force employed 97% of all sheriffs' officers 

nationwide; those with a directive on

employee conduct and appearance,

95% of all officers; and those with a directive on pursuit driving, 

89% of all officers.

More than three-fourths of all sheriffs'

departments had written policy directives pertaining to the handling of 

juveniles (79%) and domestic disputes (78%). At least two-thirds had

policy directives that addressed strip

searches (72%), off-duty employment

by officers (70%), citizen complaints

(69%), and mentally ill persons (67%). 

Sheriffs' departments with a policy 

directive pertaining to off-duty employment by officers employed 90% of all

sheriffs' officers nationwide. Eighty

percent or more of all officers were

employed by a department with a policy directive on the handling of juveniles, strip searches, citizen complaints, domestic disputes, and mentally ill persons. More than 70% of all

sheriffs' officers were employed by a

department with a policy directive on

use of confidential funds and employee

counseling assistance.

Except for the subjects of juveniles,

private security firms, and homeless

persons, departments serving fewer

than 10,000 residents were less likely

than those in larger jurisdictions to

have a policy directive for each subject

area covered by the LEMAS survey. 

A majority of these smaller departments, however, did have a directive

covering most of the subject areas 

included in the survey. 

Sheriffs' Departments 1993 23

Table 39. Selected subject areas of written policy directives maintained by sheriffs' departments, 

by size of population served, 1993

Percent of agencies maintaining a written policy directive pertaining to:

Population 

served

Deadly

force

Code of

conduct

Pursuit

driving Juveniles

Domestic

disputes

Strip

searches

Off-duty

employment

Citizen

complaints

Mentally

ill

persons

Confidential

funds

Employee

counseling

Private

security

firms

Homeless

persons

 All sizes 90% 86% 83% 79% 78% 72% 70% 69% 67% 57% 36% 24% 23%

1,000,000 or more 100% 100% 87% 92% 80% 83% 100% 92% 74% 79% 100% 23% 19%

500,000-999,999 98 89 80 79 66 72 88 76 76 50 72 17 20

250,000-499,999 100 99 81 86 74 87 90 81 71 61 86 19 14

100,000-249,999 97 95 87 82 76 85 87 77 75 67 51 19 14

50,000-99,999 96 95 89 82 83 80 85 70 67 66 52 34 15

25,000-49,999 94 90 86 79 81 68 74 72 69 61 30 22 23

10,000-24,999 87 84 83 76 80 70 66 70 67 59 32 25 29

Under 10,000 82 76 77 78 72 66 53 58 61 43 22 21 25
Methodology

The Law Enforcement Management

and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS)

survey collects data from a nationally

representative sample of the more

than 17,000 publicly funded State 

and local law enforcement agencies 

in the United States. This report 

focuses on sheriffs' departments 

and offices operated by a county or 

independent city government. Consolidated police-sheriffs' departments 

are defined as local police for the

LEMAS survey. 

The LEMAS survey uses official Census Bureau county (or equivalent)

population figures. In many counties,

the actual population served by the

sheriff's department for law enforcement purposes is less than the actual

county population due to the existence

of local police departments that have

primary jurisdiction over specified 

areas within the county. However,

since other aspects of sheriffs' department operations, such as those related

to jail and court functions, often involve

serving the entire county, the county

population is deemed appropriate for

use as the "population served" in this

report.

All 854 State and local law enforcement agencies in the United States

with 100 or more sworn officers (as 

reported in the 1992 BJS Directory

Survey of Law Enforcement Agencies)

received the full-length LEMAS questionnaire. The 854 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 2,416 NSR agencies received a slightly abbreviated

version of the LEMAS questionnaire

that was mailed to the SR agencies.

The initial mailing of the survey questionnaire was conducted in August

1993. The pay period containing June

15, 1993, was used as the reference

date for personnel-related questions

and June 30, 1993, for other questions. The data were collected by the

Bureau of the Census for the Bureau

of Justice Statistics.

After two followup mailings and additional telephone calls as needed, a 

final total of 3,028 agencies responded

to the LEMAS questionnaire, including

831 SR agencies and 2,197 NSR

agencies. The overall response rate

was 92.6%. The final database 

includes responses from 1,827 local 

police departments, 918 sheriffs' 

departments, 234 special police 

departments, and the 49 primary 

State police departments.

The base weight for all SR agencies is

1. For NSR local and special police

departments, the base weight is 8, and

for NSR sheriffs' departments it is 4.

The final weight associated with every

agency, both SR and NSR, is the product of the base weight and a factor that

adjusted for any nonresponding agencies in each cell. This agency nonresponse factor was based on number 

of sworn officers for SR agencies 

and on number of agencies for NSR

agencies. 

Some responding agencies did not

fully complete the LEMAS questionnaire. When an agency did not supply

a response to an item, a donor agency

was randomly selected from responding agencies in the same sample cell.

The donor agency's value for the item

was placed into the nonresponding

agency's response field with an indicator that the value had 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. All

statements of comparison in this 

report have been tested to ensure that

observed differences between values

are significant at 2 standard errors (the

95-percent confidence level) or higher.

Data on the number of employees and

on the amount of agency expenditures

in this report are not comparable with

figures based on the BJS Survey of

Criminal Justice Expenditure and 

Employment series. In the latter,

these data are presented by governmental function, whereas in the 

LEMAS survey, expenditures are classified by type of agency. For example,

what might be attributed to sheriffs' 

departments in the LEMAS survey

would be apportioned among various

functions, such as police protection

and corrections, in the expenditure and

employment series. Also, the LEMAS

figures for operating expenditures 

include employee benefits, but the 

expenditure and employment figures

do not.

24 Sheriffs' Departments 1993