U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics

June 2010, NCJ 230521

Crime Data Brief

Percent of officers who are women

Women in Law Enforcement, 1987–2008

Lynn Langton

BJS Statistician

uring the 1990s and 2000s, the percent

of sworn law enforcement officers who

were women increased only slightly in

federal, state, and local agencies.

By 2007 nearly 4,000 state police, 19,400 sheriffs’,

and 55,300 local police officers were women.1

 In

2008, across 62 reporting federal law

enforcement agencies there were about 90,000

sworn officers, of whom approximately 18,200

(20%) were women.2 These 2007 and 2008

numbers suggest a combined total of almost

100,000 female sworn officers nationwide in

federal, state, and local law enforcement

agencies.

Using data primarily from the Bureau of Justice

Statistics’ Census of Federal Law Enforcement

Officers (FLEO) and the Law Enforcement

Management and Administrative Statistics

(LEMAS) series, this report examines the

current state of and trends in the employment of

female sworn officers in federal, state, and local

law enforcement agencies.

In 2008 nearly a quarter of the sworn law 

enforcement officers in Offices of 

Inspectors General were women

Of all the federal law enforcement agencies with

sworn officers, the Offices of Inspectors General

had the largest percent of female officers (25%)

(figure 1). Among other agencies, those with

more than 500 sworn officers employed more

than double the percent of officers who were

women (21%), compared to both medium-sized

(9%) and small (10%) agencies. The Federal

Bureau of Investigation (19% women), Federal

Bureau of Prisons (14% women), and the

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (46%

women) (not shown) were the largest employers

1

Data for sheriffs’ offices and local police departments are 

estimated from a nationally representative sample.

2

Data available for 62 of 67 federal law enforcement agencies. 

In 2004, four of the five missing agencies reported an estimated 11,000 sworn officers of whom approximately 1,500 

were women.

Figure 1. 

Percent of federal law enforcement officers who are 

women, by type and size of agency, 2008

0

Percent of officers who are women

Type and size of agency (number of full-time sworn officers)

D

Note: Data obtained from the BJS Census of Federal Law Enforcement Officers.

*Includes the 53 federal agencies that were consistently organized and consistently reported data on 

the sex of officers from 1998 to 2008.

Figure 2. 

Percent of federal law enforcement officers who are women, from 1998–2008*
2 Women in Law Enforcement, 1987–2008

of female officers. These three agencies each

employed more than 2,000 female officers. 

Overall, the percent of sworn federal law 

enforcement officers who were women 

increased slightly from 1998 to 2008

Due to the reorganization of several large federal

law enforcement agencies after the September 11,

2001 terrorist attacks and inconsistencies among

some agencies in the reporting of data on the sex of

officers, the trend analysis was limited to 53

agencies that were consistently organized and had

data available on the sex of officers from 1998 to

2008. Among these common reporting agencies,

there was relative stability in the percent of female

sworn officers. Over the 10-year period, the percent

of officers who were women increased slightly from

14.0% in 1998 to 15.2% in 2008 (figure 2).

The percent of female sworn officers 

increased from 1998 to 2008 in 10 of the 13 

largest federal law enforcement agencies

Among federal law enforcement agencies

employing more than 500 full-time sworn officers

and reporting data on the sex of officers in both

1998 and 2008, women accounted for

approximately 16% of the total sworn force (not

shown). From 1998 to 2008, the U.S. Postal

Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Internal

Revenue Service (IRS) had the greatest increase in

the percent of law enforcement officers who were

women (7%) (table 1). In 2008 the USPIS employed

just over 500 (22%) women out of about 2,300 total

officers. The agency employed nearly the same

number of female officers in 2008 as in 1998, but

employed about 1,200 fewer law enforcement

officers overall in 2008. 

The U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, and the Veterans Health Administration

(VHA) each experienced slight declines in the

percent of women in law enforcement positions.

The percent of female officers among Forest Service

law enforcement officers decreased marginally from

16.1% in 1998 to 15.9% in 2008. The total number

of Forest Service officers who were women

increased slightly, from 97 to 103. Both the overall

size of and the number of female law enforcement

officers employed by the Fish and Wildlife Service

decreased during the 10-year period, from 84

female officers out of 836 officers total in 1998 to 50

female officers out of 565 total in 2008. 

From 1998 to 2008, the VHA police force grew

substantially, from 262 to 3,175 sworn officers.

Although the percent of female officers in the VHA

declined from 9% to 8% over the 10-year period, the

number of sworn officers who were women

increased by more than 200, from 24 to 248 female

officers.

Among local agencies in 2007, women 

accounted for more than double the percent 

of sworn personnel in large agencies 

compared to small agencies

In 2007 women accounted for about 15% of the

total sworn law enforcement officers in large local

police departments (figure 3). In large sheriffs’

Percent of officers who are women

Size of agency (number of full-time sworn officers)

Figure 3. 

Percent of full-time sworn law enforcement officers who are women among local 

police departments and sheriffs’ offices, by size of agency, 2007

Table 1. 

Percent and number of full-time sworn officers who are women, by federal law 

enforcement agencies employing 500 or more full-time officers, 1998 and 

2008

Percent Number

Agency 1998 2008 1998 2008

Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation 25 % 32 % 848 835

U.S. Postal Inspection Service 15 22 513 516

Federal Bureau of Investigation 16 19 1,816 2,428

National Park Service - Ranger Division 15 19 230 263

U.S. Capitol Police 18 19 189 303

U.S. Forest Service 16 16 97 103

Federal Bureau of Prisons 12 14 1,545 2,304

National Park Service - U.S. Park Police 9 13 62 72

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives 12 13 211 333

Bureau of Diplomatic Security 8 11 33 113

Drug Enforcement Administration 8 10 261 421

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 10 9 84 50

Veterans Health Administration 9 8 24 248

Note: Does not include U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement because these did not exist in 1998. U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Secret Service did 

not provide 2008 data on the sex of officers, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and 

Pentagon Force Protection Agency did not provide 1998 data on the sex of officers; these four agencies are also excluded from the table.
June 2010 3

offices, female officers comprised about 13% of the

total sworn officers. In contrast, local police

departments with between 1 and 10 full-time sworn

officers employed fewer than 2,000 female law

enforcement officers nationwide (6%). Small

sheriffs’ offices across the county employed just

over 200 total sworn officers who were women (4%)

in 2007.

Trends in the percent of female officers varied 

across state and local police departments and 

sheriffs’ offices, from 1987 to 2007

From 1987 to 2007 trends in the percent of sworn

law enforcement officers who were women varied

among state police departments, local police

departments, and sheriffs’ offices. The percent of

female officers in local police departments

increased steadily over the two decades, from 7.6%

in 1987 to nearly 12% in 2007 (figure 4). From 1987

to 2007, state police departments also increased the

percent of sworn officers who were women, but at a

slower rate than the local police departments. In

2007, 6.5% of state police officers were women,

compared to 3.8% in 1987. While the percent of

female officers was higher in 2007 than in 1987,

state police departments did experience a slight

decline in the percent of female officers from 2003

(6.7%) to 2007 (6.5%).

After reaching a high of 15.6% female officers in

1997, the percent of sheriffs’ officers who were

women declined to 11.2% in 2007. The 2007 survey

excluded sheriffs’ offices that did not perform law

enforcement functions. The decline in female

officers may be due in part to this exclusion. 

From 1997 to 2007, the percent of female 

sworn officers increased in 12 of the 13 largest 

local police departments nationwide

In 2007, women accounted for an average of 18% of

the officers among local police departments with

2,000 or more sworn personnel. The Detroit Police

Department had the highest percent of female

officers (27%) among the largest police

departments (table 2).

From 1997 to 2007, 12 of the 13 largest police

departments that reported data on the sex of officers

had increases in the percent of sworn officers who

were women. The Detroit Police Department had the

largest increase in the percent of female officers, from

22% in 1997 to 27% in 2007. Because the Detroit

Police Department decreased in size by over 1,000

sworn officers overall from 1997 to 2007, the number

of female officers actually declined by approximately

50 officers. 

The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police

Department had a 2% decline in the percent of

officers who were women, though the number of

female officers in the department increased by 12

officers from 1997 to 2007. 

Figure 4. 

Percent of full-time sworn law enforcement officers who are women among 

state and local law enforcement agencies, 1987–2007

Table 2. 

Percent and number of full-time sworn officers who are women among the 

largest police departments, 1997 and 2007

Percent Number

Agency 1997 2007 1997 2007

Detroit 22 % 27 % 880 829

Philadelphia 22 25 1,461 1,666

District of Columbia 25 23 904 916

Chicago 19 23 2,549 3,097

Los Angeles 17 19 1,644 1,779

Memphis 17 19 250 386

New York City 15 17 5,743 6,151

Dallas 16 17 444 527

San Francisco 15 16 303 378

Baltimore 14 16 432 485

Boston 13 14 275 293

Houston 12 13 637 656

Las Vegas Metro* 8 9 113 219

Note: Data obtained from the BJS 1997 and 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) surveys. Includes police departments with 2,000 or more sworn officers in 

2007. Phoenix police department did not provide a distribution of officers by sex and was excluded. 

*Las Vegas Metro numbers do not include correctional officers.

Note: Data on state police and highway patrol agencies were obtained from the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports. Data on local police departments and sheriffs’ offices were 

obtained from the BJS Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) series.
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/BJS

Permit No. G-91

*NCJ230521*

4 Women in Law Enforcement, 1987–2008

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistics agency of the

U.S. Department of Justice. Michael D. Sinclair is acting

director.

This Crime Data Brief was written by Lynn Langton, under the

supervision of Joel Garner. Brian Reaves verified the report.

Jill Duncan edited the report, Barbara Quinn produced the

report, and Jayne E. Robinson prepared the report for final

printing under the supervision of Doris J. James.

June 2010, NCJ 230521

This report in portable document format and in ASCII and its

related statistical data and tables are available at the BJS World

Wide Web Internet site: <http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/

index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2274>.

Office of Justice Programs

Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Methodology

Data on local police departments and sheriffs’ offices were

compiled from the BJS Law Enforcement Management and

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey. LEMAS collects data

from all state and local agencies with 100 or more sworn officers

and a nationally representative sample of smaller agencies.

Agencies that did not primarily perform law enforcement

functions were excluded in 2007. For local police in 2007, the

95% confidence interval around the number of officers was

between 51,600 and 59,000 and around the percent of female

officers was between 11.1% and 12.7%. Among the agencies that

responded to LEMAS in 2007, over 99% of local police and 98%

of sheriffs’ offices provided data on the sex of officers. See Local

Police Departments, 2003 (http//bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/

pdf/lpd03.pdf ) and Sheriffs’ Offices, 2003. (http://

bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/so03.pdf) for more

information on the LEMAS survey. Data on state police agencies

were compiled from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime

in the United States series (http;//www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).

Data on federal agencies with full-time sworn law enforcement

officers were compiled from the BJS Census of Federal Law

Enforcement Officers (FLEO). In 2008, FLEO data were collected

from 62 of 67 federal agencies. The U.S. Supreme Court,

Environmental Protection Agency, Agency for International

Development, Bureau of Industry and Security, and U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not provide 2008

data on the number and sex of law enforcment officers. The sex of

officers in the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Marshals Service was

estimated using the ratio of male to female officers from 2004,

applied to the total number of officers in 2008. See htt;//

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#fleo for more information

on the FLEO survey methodology.