U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Program Report April 2016 | NCJ 249681

Revised October 4, 2016

National Sources of Law Enforcement 

Employment Data

Duren Banks and Joshua Hendrix, RTI International

Matthew Hickman, Seattle University

Tracey Kyckelhahn, United States Sentencing Commission1

The United States has three national data resources that 

collect law enforcement employment statistics along 

with other information unique to each collection. The 

FBI, U.S. Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics 

(BJS) data collections programs have different purposes, 

data definitions, respondent universes, and data collection 

procedures. This report details the similarities and differences 

among these three collections and discusses when the use of 

one may be preferred over the others. 

Law enforcement in the United States is made up of about 

18,000 federal, state, county, and local agencies. Each agency 

has varying legal and geographic jurisdictions, ranging from 

single-officer police departments to those with more than 

30,000 officers. The most common type of agency is the small 

town police department that employs 10 or fewer officers. The 

decentralized, fragmented, and local nature of law enforcement 

in the United States makes it challenging to accurately count the 

number of agencies and officers.

The three primary data sources provide comprehensive 

information about the nature and scope of law enforcement 

employment in the United States:

 The FBI collects data on the number and type of law 

enforcement employees as part of its Uniform Crime 

Reporting (UCR) Program.

 The Census Bureau collects data on all government agency 

employees, including police agencies, as part of its Annual 

Survey of Public Employment and Payroll (ASPEP).

 BJS collects law enforcement employment data through 

its periodic Census of State and Local Law Enforcement 

Agencies (CSLLEA).

These three sources provide information about the number of 

sworn and nonsworn officers at the state and national levels. 

The sources vary in the type of information they provide about 

law enforcement employees and in the number and size of law 

enforcement agencies that report the information. This report 

describes and compares the three data sources, including the 

information collected and how different agencies and personnel 

are defined and enumerated.

Uniform Crime Reporting Program, 

Police Employee Data

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The FBI has administered the UCR Program since 1930. 

State and local law enforcement agencies voluntarily report 

to the UCR Program crimes known to law enforcement, 

arrest information, and law enforcement employee data. The 

UCR Program provides information on the level of crime in 

the United States, including the number and type of crimes 

reported to state and local law enforcement agencies, and 

arrests made by these agencies. More detailed incident-based 

information for selected crimes and jurisdictions is provided 

through the Supplementary Homicide Reports and the National 

Incident-Based Reporting System.2,3

The UCR Program also collects data on law enforcement 

employees from reporting agencies, including the number, 

type, and characteristics of these employees. In addition, the 

FBI collects information about the number of law enforcement 

officers killed and assaulted, including demographics, patrol 

assignments, and other characteristics of these officers. FBI 

police employee data are reported in the Crime in the United 

States series, available at https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/

ucr-publications.

1The findings in this report are those of the Bureau of Justice Statistics and not 

of the United States Sentencing Commission.

2 Supplementary Homicide Reports provide more detailed information on the 

circumstances surrounding homicides and the characteristics of victims and 

offenders. See The Nation’s Two Measures of Homicide (NCJ 122705, BJS web, 

May 2003).

3The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) provides more details 

about crime incidents in selected states and jurisdictions that report to NIBRS. 

See http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/nibrs and http://www.fbi.gov/aboutus/cjis/ucr/nibrs/2012/resources/nibrs-participation-by-state.
2 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Each year, state and local law enforcement agencies across 

the United States voluntarily report to the UCR Program the 

total number of sworn law enforcement officers and civilians 

employed by their agencies as of October 31. Law enforcement 

employees include sworn law enforcement officers and 

nonsworn (or civilian) personnel. Sworn employees carry 

a firearm and a badge, have full arrest powers, and are paid 

from government funds set aside specifically for sworn law 

enforcement staff. Full-time nonsworn staff include clerks, 

radio dispatchers, meter attendants, stenographers, jailers, 

correctional officers, and mechanics. Employees who do not 

perform primary law enforcement functions or officers who 

are not paid out of police funds are excluded, as are employees 

who primarily serve the civil justice system, provide courtroom 

security, or provide staffing at jail facilities. Law enforcement 

employees of federal agencies are also excluded.

UCR law enforcement employee data include information 

on the number and characteristics of employees responsible 

for performing primary law enforcement functions. Data 

are also available for nonsworn employees. The data provide 

information on the size of the population uniquely served by 

the reporting agency, the rate of officers per 1,000 population 

(calculated by the FBI), and the sex of employees.4 An analysis 

of the UCR law enforcement employee data archived at the 

University of Michigan’s Inter-university Consortium for 

Political and Social Research (ICPSR) indicates that there were 

750,340 sworn law enforcement officers employed by the state 

and local agencies that reported law enforcement employee 

data to the UCR in 2012. The annual national estimate of sworn 

officers per 1,000 U.S. residents ranged from 2.23 in 1992 to 

2.51 in 2008 (table 1).

5

Table 1

Number and rate of full-time officers reported to the UCR, by sworn status, 1992–2012

Total full time Sworn Nonsworn

Year Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents

1992 779,914 3.05 569,703 2.23 210,211 0.82

1993 799,373 3.09 579,488 2.24 219,885 0.85

1994 838,109 3.19 603,099 2.30 235,010 0.89

1995 873,356 3.29 629,762 2.37 243,594 0.92

1996 892,262 3.32 640,492 2.38 251,770 0.94

1997 890,389 3.28 642,753 2.36 247,636 0.91

1998 930,310 3.38 666,492 2.42 263,818 0.96

1999 962,122 3.46 680,934 2.45 281,188 1.01

2000 975,511 3.46 690,195 2.45 285,316 1.01

2001 1,003,441 3.52 705,559 2.48 297,882 1.05

2002 1,011,967 3.52 705,871 2.45 306,096 1.06

2003 1,017,718 3.51 712,371 2.46 305,347 1.05

2004 1,039,931 3.55 725,334 2.48 314,597 1.07

2005 1,044,228 3.53 727,084 2.46 317,144 1.07

2006 1,066,024 3.57 740,592 2.48 325,432 1.09

2007 1,095,989 3.64 751,526 2.49 344,463 1.14

2008 1,099,463 3.62 762,944 2.51 336,519 1.11

2009 1,102,599 3.59 764,635 2.49 337,964 1.10

2010 1,089,054 3.52 758,854 2.45 330,200 1.07

2011 1,098,778 3.53 768,287 2.47 330,491 1.06

2012 1,076,054 3.43 750,340 2.39 325,714 1.04

Note: Totals provided for Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program law enforcement employee data are the counts reported by the convenience sample of agencies that reported 

at least one employee to the FBI that year and do not represent a national estimate. All rates are calculated from state-level Census population statistics for the reference year. 

Because reporting to the UCR is voluntary and information on the number of sworn officers is based on a convenience sample of the agencies that reported, the number and 

rate of sworn officers in this report are likely to be lower than the actual number and rate of officers nationally.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the FBI, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program police employee data, 1992–2012; and U.S. Census Bureau, Intercensal 

Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, 1992–2012.

4The UCR allocates population served to the agency that has primary 

law enforcement responsibility for that population. In most instances, it 

is a municipal police department or a county sheriff. There are occasional 

exceptions depending on the state. Some agencies serve populations that are 

primarily served by other agencies (e.g., a transit police department). In such 

cases, the agency is classified as a “zero population agency.” However, a zero 

population is never assigned to an agency in the UCR because of missing 

information.

5Counts provided from the UCR police employee data are based on a 

convenience sample of agencies that voluntarily reported to the FBI and do 

not represent a national sample. Agencies that reported no employees to the 

UCR were eliminated from the sample so their populations would not affect 

population-based officer rates.
3 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

The FBI estimates that the approximately 18,000 agencies that 

report annually to the UCR cover 98% of the U.S. population.6

In 2012, a total of 17,379 agencies, or 95% of the agencies 

that participated in the UCR Program that year (N = 18,290), 

reported at least one law enforcement employee.7 In each year 

from 1992 through 2012, more than two-thirds of the agencies 

that reported employment data served jurisdictions with a 

population of less than 10,000 (table 2).

The UCR Program does not impute missing law enforcement 

employee data. It eliminates duplicate entries and conducts 

data quality checks. Data are published on an annual basis 

approximately 1 year after the reference year through the 

Crime in the United States report. Public use data files are 

available within 18 months after the reference year. Files from 

1998 are archived and available for download at the ICPSR. 

Data from all years are available upon request from the FBI’s 

Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Crime Statistics 

Management Unit.

Annual Survey of Public Employment 

and Payroll

U.S. Census Bureau, Governments Division

Since 1957, the Census Bureau’s Governments Division has 

conducted the ASPEP to measure the number of federal, 

state, and local civilian government employees and their gross 

monthly payroll for March of the survey year. The ASPEP 

collects employment information for the federal government 

and for state and local governments.

The ASPEP tracks 28 defined government functions.8 Of 

these functions, police protection provides the most complete 

information on law enforcement employees. Employees 

classified as police protection by the ASPEP conduct all 

activities concerned with the enforcement of law and order, 

including local police departments, sheriffs’ offices, state police, 

coroners’ offices, police training academies, investigation 

bureaus, and temporary holding or lockup facilities.9

Information on employees who provide police protection is 

collected from payroll records for agencies that include general 

police, sheriff, state police, and other government departments 

that preserve law and order; protect persons and property 

from illegal acts; and work to prevent, control, investigate, and 

reduce crime.

Police protection employee statistics do not provide 

information on special jurisdiction agencies such as park 

rangers or fish and game wardens, federal postal inspectors, 

campus police, and transit police; law enforcement employees 

of legal offices; traffic control and engineering performed 

by nonpolice agencies; police jails that hold people beyond 

arraignment; and civil or bailiff activities of sheriffs’ offices.

6FBI. (2014). Summary of the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. 

Crime in the United States, 2013. Available at: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/

ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/about-ucr/aboutucrmain_

final.pdf.

7FBI. (2013). FBI Releases 2012 Crime Statistics. Available at: http://www.fbi.

gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2012-crime-statistics.

8Government functions include elementary and secondary education, higher 

education, police protection, fire protection, financial administration, central 

staff services, judicial and legal services, highways, public welfare, solid waste 

management, sewerage, parks and recreation, health, hospitals, water supply, 

electric power, gas supply, transit, natural resources, correction, libraries, 

air transportation, water transport and terminals, other education, state 

liquor stores, social insurance administration, and housing and community 

development. Three functions apply only to the federal government and have 

no counterpart at the state and local government levels: national defense and 

international relations, postal service, and space research and technology.

9Temporary holding or lockup facilities typically detain individuals for no more 

than 72 hours and are not part of a larger correction facility that holds inmates 

for longer periods of time.

Table 2

Number of agencies reporting to the UCR, by size of population 

served, 1992–2012

Size of population served

Year

9,999 or 

fewera

10,000–

24,999

25,000–

99,999

100,000 

or more Total

1992 9,992 2,724 1,684 320 14,720 

1993 10,134 2,734 1,706 333 14,907 

1994 10,283 2,741 1,708 336 15,068 

1995 10,351 2,766 1,723 339 15,179 

1996 10,411 2,798 1,740 346 15,295 

1997 10,502 2,798 1,751 350 15,401 

1998 10,543 2,808 1,801 365 15,517 

1999 10,675 2,818 1,819 368 15,680 

2000 10,827 2,838 1,892 382 15,939 

2001 10,983 2,851 1,914 384 16,132 

2002 11,297 2,859 1,920 387 16,463 

2003 11,477 2,852 1,946 396 16,671 

2004 11,514 2,862 1,966 405 16,747 

2005 11,597 2,875 1,985 410 16,867 

2006 11,679 2,887 2,005 414 16,985 

2007 11,875 2,886 2,028 418 17,207 

2008 11,726 2,872 2,041 429 17,068 

2009 11,847 2,874 2,049 434 17,204 

2010 11,950 2,862 2,078 434 17,324 

2011b 12,479 2,914 2,167 453 18,013 

2012 12,028 2,852 2,067 451 17,398 

Note: Agencies that reported zero employees to the UCR in the reference year were 

excluded from all reported counts.

aSome agencies were classified by the UCR as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) 

state police or non-MSA police and were assigned no population by the FBI because 

all the population under their jurisdiction was served primarily by other law 

enforcement agencies.

bThe number of small agencies (those serving populations of 9,999 or fewer) 

reporting police employee data to the UCR in 2011 was greater than that reported 

in any other year examined. Targeted analyses revealed that agencies reporting in 

2011, but not in 2010 or 2012, were often specialized agencies (e.g., transit police) 

or agencies that may be covered by others (e.g., county-level reports from state 

agencies).

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the FBI, Uniform Crime 

Reporting (UCR) Program police employee data, 1992–2012.
4 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

The ASPEP provides information on all employees, full-time 

employees, full-time-equivalent employees, and total March

payroll by government function.10 Information about police 

protection employees is provided separately for police officers 

(i.e., employees who have the power of arrest) and other (i.e., 

nonsworn) employees. In 2012, the ASPEP reported a total of 

687,657 sworn and 891,289 total police protection employees 

in the United States at a rate of 2.19 sworn officers per 1,000 

U.S. residents. The number of sworn police protection 

employees ranged from a low of 516,418 in 1992 to 695,981 

in 2009 (table 3).

The ASPEP is completed annually by government agencies 

that handle payroll at the federal, state, and local levels.11 The 

survey collects information about employees in all federal and 

state jurisdictions in each survey year, and about employees in 

all local jurisdictions in years ending in 2 or 7. The ASPEP is 

distributed to a sample of local government jurisdictions in all 

other years.12 Data are collected on all civilian employees of all 

federal government agencies (except the Central Intelligence 

Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Defense 

Intelligence Agency), all agencies of the 50 state governments, 

and more than 90,000 local governments (including the District 

of Columbia), representing counties, municipalities, townships, 

special districts, and school districts.13 In 2012, the federal 

government and all 50 states had ASPEP unit response rates of 

100%, and the local government response rate was 81% (2012 

was a census year for local governments).

The Census Bureau imputes missing ASPEP data due to 

nonresponse. The imputation procedure relies on historical data 

from the same reporting agency or, if the agency’s data are not 

available, it uses data from a similar agency. Historical data are 

adjusted by current growth trends in government employment 

numbers and payroll to impute the missing information.

The Census Bureau releases data from the ASPEP about 2 years 

after the reference year. A summary report, summary tables, 

online analysis, and downloadable data from 1992 (excluding 

1996) are available for each level of government at http://www.

census.gov/govs/apes/. Data prior to 1992 can be obtained 

by contacting the Census Bureau Outreach and Education 

Branch directly.

10Prior to 1996, the reference month was October.

11The ASPEP was not conducted with state and local agencies in 1996, when 

the reference month for payroll was changed from October to March.

12Local government jurisdictional boundaries do not always coincide with the 

geography served by the law enforcement agencies. As a result, it is difficult 

to compare local ASPEP data to those collected by the CSLLEA or UCR law 

enforcement employee program data.

13Prior to 2005, the District of Columbia was included with state governments. 

Since 2005, the District of Columbia has been categorized as a local 

government.

Table 3

Number and rate of full-time officers reported to the ASPEP, by sworn status, 1992–2012

Total full time Sworn Nonsworn

Year Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents

1992 669,445 2.62 516,418 2.02 153,037 0.60

1993 692,469 2.67 533,816 2.06 158,653 0.61

1994 716,563 2.73 551,764 2.10 164,799 0.63

1995 743,805 2.80 574,802 2.16 169,003 0.64

1996a

1997 766,811 2.82 592,940 2.18 173,871 0.64

1998 784,138 2.85 606,064 2.21 178,074 0.65

1999 809,674 2.91 623,844 2.24 185,830 0.67

2000 825,659 2.93 635,043 2.25 190,616 0.68

2001 844,191 2.96 646,744 2.27 197,447 0.69

2002 846,605 2.94 645,973 2.25 200,632 0.70

2003 854,026 2.94 649,596 2.24 204,430 0.70

2004 853,254 2.91 648,629 2.22 204,625 0.70

2005 861,441 2.92 655,966 2.22 205,475 0.70

2006 878,007 2.94 669,206 2.24 208,801 0.70

2007 893,078 2.96 677,357 2.25 215,721 0.72

2008 912,592 3.00 692,887 2.28 219,705 0.72

2009 913,532 2.98 695,981 2.27 217,551 0.71

2010 902,372 2.92 687,817 2.22 214,555 0.69

2011b 901,850 2.89 691,498 2.22 210,352 0.68

2012 891,289 2.84 687,657 2.19 203,632 0.65 aThe Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll (ASPEP) was not conducted with state and local agencies in 1996, when the reference month for payroll was changed 

from October to March.

bData collected from Illinois in 2011 were determined to be unreliable. Therefore, statistics reported for 2011 use an average of the 2010 and 2012 estimates for Illinois.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll, 1992–2012; and Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, 

1992–2012.
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Census of State and Local Law 

Enforcement Agencies

Bureau of Justice Statistics

In 1983, BJS awarded a grant to the University of Maryland to 

review existing law enforcement data collections, focusing on 

both the quality and the utility of the data. To assess the utility 

of the data, two user surveys were conducted: (1) a survey 

of 152 large police departments (i.e., those serving 100,000 

persons or more) and (2) telephone interviews of police, 

researchers, and policymakers. The police department survey 

produced information about the availability and desirability of 

various data items, while the interviews revealed differences in 

the perceived utility of data items for the police as compared to 

researchers and policymakers. The final report recommended 

that BJS continue to develop a national-level data collection, 

and outlined eight steps toward this goal.14 An initial sample 

survey, conducted in 1987, used the Directory Survey of Law 

Enforcement Agencies as a sampling frame and was identified 

as the first Law Enforcement Management and Administrative 

Statistics Survey conducted by BJS.15 The basic structure of 

recurring BJS law enforcement data collections includes two 

parts. The CSLLEA is conducted about every 4 years and 

collects a limited and essential core set of measures regarding 

police agencies and provides an accurate sampling frame for the 

second part of the collection. A more detailed Sample Survey of 

Law Enforcement Agencies is conducted in years between the 

census years.16

BJS has conducted the CSLLEA since 1992. CSLLEA surveys 

were administered in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.17 

Data are used to measure the number and type of state and 

local law enforcement and special jurisdiction agencies in 

the United States, along with some characteristics of those 

agencies, including the number of sworn and nonsworn 

employees in each agency. CSLLEA agency employee data can 

be disaggregated by full-time or part-time status, population 

served, and patrol assignments.

The CSLLEA universe is made up of all state and local law 

enforcement agencies in the United States, including primary 

state police, sheriffs’ offices, local police departments, tribal 

police, special jurisdiction agencies, and other agencies. Federal 

agencies were excluded from the CSLLEA. In 2008, there were 

an estimated 461,063 sworn officers in local agencies, 182,979 

in sheriffs’ offices, and 60,772 in state police agencies. Across 

all agency types, the CSLLEA reported 2.52 sworn officers per 

1,000 U.S. residents in 2008 (table 4).

16The sample survey is now part of BJS’s Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics series.

17The 2014 Census of Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies was 

in the field at the time of this report.

Table 4

Estimated number and rate of full-time officers reported to the CSLLEA, by agency type and sworn status, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 

and 2008

1992 1996 2000* 2004 2008

Agency type and 

sworn status Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents

All agencies 841,099 3.29 931,977 3.47 1,019,496 3.61 1,076,949 3.54 1,133,915 3.73

Sworn 603,954 2.36 663,535 2.47 708,022 2.51 731,895 2.50 765,246 2.52

Nonsworn 237,145 0.93 268,442 1.00 311,474 1.10 345,054 1.18 368,669 1.21

Local 476,261 1.86 518,964 1.93 561,903 1.99 573,199 1.96 593,013 1.95

Sworn 373,061 1.46 408,875 1.52 438,123 1.55 446,974 1.53 461,063 1.52

Nonsworn 103,200 0.40 110,089 0.41 123,780 0.44 126,225 0.43 131,950 0.43

Sheriffs’ offices 225,342 0.88 257,712 0.96 293,823 1.04 326,538 1.12 353,461 1.16

Sworn 136,542 0.53 152,922 0.57 164,711 0.58 175,018 0.60 182,979 0.60

Nonsworn 88,800 0.35 104,790 0.39 129,112 0.46 151,520 0.52 170,482 0.56

State police 78,570 0.31 83,742 0.31 87,028 0.31 89,265 0.30 93,148 0.31

Sworn 52,980 0.21 54,587 0.20 56,348 0.20 58,190 0.20 60,772 0.20

Nonsworn 25,590 0.10 29,155 0.11 30,680 0.11 31,075 0.11 32,376 0.11

All other 60,926 0.24 71,559 0.27 76,742 0.27 87,947 0.30 94,293 0.31

Sworn 41,371 0.16 47,151 0.18 48,840 0.17 51,713 0.18 60,432 0.20

Nonsworn 19,555 0.08 24,408 0.09 27,902 0.10 36,234 0.12 33,861 0.11

Note: Based on full-time employees. Excludes federal agencies.

*Statistics for 2000 combine employees classified as nonsworn and officers without arrest powers. This distinction was not made in other Census of State and Local Law 

Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA) administrations.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008; and U.S. Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the 

Resident Population for the United States, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 .

14Uchida, C. D., Bridgeforth, C., & Wellford, C. F. (1984). Law Enforcement 

Statistics—The State of the Art. College Park, MD: University of Maryland, 

Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. 

15Profile of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 1987 (NCJ 113949, 

BJS web, March 1989). See also Police Departments in Large Cities, 1987 

(NCJ 119220, BJS web, August 1989). 
6 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

BJS develops a roster of all state and local law enforcement 

agencies in the United States for each survey administration. 

The roster is developed from the previous survey 

administration list along with a thorough review of FBI lists, 

consultation with various police membership organizations, 

and lists provided by State Peace Officer Standards and Training 

offices and other state agencies. BJS realizes that this list may 

not be comprehensive because it is difficult to identify all 

small agencies.

Surveys are then mailed or distributed electronically to all 

agencies on the roster (about 20,000 in 2008), with extensive 

nonresponse follow-up. Responding agencies are screened 

for eligibility to be included in the final CSLLEA database. 

Agencies are determined to be ineligible if they (1) employ only 

part-time officers and the total combined hours of those officers 

average less than 35 hours a week, (2) contract or outsource 

to another agency for the performance of all services, (3) are 

private (i.e., they do not operate with funds from a state, local, 

or special district, or a tribal government), (4) have officers that 

are unpaid volunteers only, or (5) were not fully operational 

at the time of the survey administration. Some agencies in the 

CSLLEA universe are not included in the UCR law enforcement 

employee data. Since the CSLLEA was first administered in 

1992, about 18,000 responding agencies met these inclusion 

criteria, ranging from 17,358 agencies in 1992 to 18,769 

agencies in 1996 (table 5).

CSLLEA data are reported voluntarily, and unit response 

rates have historically been close to 100% due to a number 

of nonresponse follow-up efforts. Data quality checks are 

performed by survey staff, and item nonresponses for critical 

measures are replaced with agency data from the previous 

survey administration and flagged as such.

BJS releases information from the CSLLEA through several 

agency publications and downloadable datasets. BJS bulletins 

present summary findings from each CSLLEA administration, 

and periodic special reports based on CSLLEA data provide 

information on topics such as tribal law enforcement. Data are 

available at the agency level and can be aggregated to the city, 

county, state, and national levels. Data are available from ICPSR 

and are released about 2 to 3 years after the reference year.

Table 5

Number of agencies reporting to the CSLLEA, by number of full-time sworn officers, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008

Year All agencies 0–1 2–4 5–9 10–24 25–49 50–99 100–249 250 or more

1992 17,358 3,116 3,506 3,393 3,701 1,838 968 525 311

1996 18,769 3,409 3,663 3,624 4,018 2,028 1,085 604 338

2000 17,784 2,138 3,453 3,623 4,124 2,237 1,177 669 363

2004 17,875 2,202 3,286 3,512 4,213 2,304 1,259 714 385

2008 17,985 2,125 3,225 3,446 4,300 2,402 1,300 778 409

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA), 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.
7 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Comparing the three sources

The three national sources of law enforcement employment 

data have a number of similarities, but also differ in coverage, 

timing, and level of detail (figure 1). For example, the CSLLEA 

is generally conducted every 4 years, while the ASPEP and 

UCR data are available annually. The ASPEP is the only source 

for comparing the number of employees and payroll of those 

serving in police protection functions to other government 

employee functions. These and other differences may indicate 

that one source has more advantages than others for certain 

research or policy purposes.

Each source relies on voluntary reporting from government 

agencies. The FBI follows up with the largest nonresponding 

agencies to encourage them to provide complete data. In 

2012, 95% of the state and local law enforcement agencies that 

participated in the UCR reported at least one law enforcement 

employee. Although the FBI conducts data quality checks and 

follow-up, it does not adjust for missing data. The CSLLEA has 

a high local agency response rate (100% in 2008), likely due to 

the extensive nonresponse follow-up procedures. The ASPEP 

has a 100% response rate at the state and federal levels, and 

about an 80% response rate for local jurisdictions. The ASPEP 

imputes data missing due to agency nonresponse, while the 

CSLLEA imputes missing information due to unit nonresponse 

and item nonresponse for critical categories.

All UCR and CSLLEA program data are reported voluntarily; 

therefore, coverage may vary from year to year, although 

the extent to which the programs cover all law enforcement 

agencies in the United States is unknown. An estimate of the 

extent to which the law enforcement employment data from 

the UCR and CSLLEA include information from all eligible law 

enforcement agencies in the United States is needed; however, 

a comprehensive and current roster of all law enforcement 

agencies in the United States is currently unavailable.

Figure 1

Comparing the three national sources of law enforcement employment data

Uniform Crime Reporting

Annual Survey of Public Employment 

and Payroll

Census of State and Local Law 

Enforcement Agencies

Administered by FBI. Census Bureau, Governments Division. BJS.

Periodicity Annually. Annually. Every 4 years.

Agencies included Government agencies having statutory 

power of arrest whose primary function is 

that of apprehension and detention.

General police, sheriff, state police, and other 

government departments that preserve law 

and order; protect persons and property from 

illegal acts; and work to prevent, control, 

investigate, and reduce crime.*

State and local law enforcement and 

special jurisdiction agencies, such as 

campus police.

Federal agencies Excluded. Included. Excluded through 2008.

Agencies that do not employ any 

sworn officers

Excluded. Included, provided they are classified as 

having a police protection function.

Excluded.

Campus police Included. Excluded, categorized as having an education 

function.

Included.

Transit police Included. Excluded, categorized as having a transit 

function.

Included.

Employees of agencies that 

perform primarily jail- or courtrelated functions

Excluded. Included, provided they work for an agency 

defined as having a police protection 

function.

Included, provided they work for an 

agency that meets the CSLLEA definition 

of a state or local law enforcement 

agency.

Definition of sworn employees Individuals who carry a firearm and a badge, 

have full arrest powers, and are paid from 

government funds specifically set aside for 

sworn law enforcement representatives.

Employees with arrest powers in agencies 

designated as having a police protection 

function.

Employees of eligible agencies with 

general arrest powers.

Sex and race/Hispanic origin of 

employees

Sex available. Not available. Not available.

Payroll of employees Not available. Available. Not available.

Patrol assignments Available for officers killed or assaulted only:

Day, evening, night, or other shifts.

One- or two-man patrol.

Vehicle, foot, or other patrol.

Not available. By primary capacity (e.g., responding 

to citizen calls for service, or a school 

resource officer).

By operational area (e.g., law 

enforcement duties only or jail-related 

duties only).

*The ASPEP police protection category excludes sheriffs’ agencies that primarily conduct civil or bailiff functions as opposed to police protection functions.
8 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Each source provides information on sworn officers or those 

with general arrest powers who carry a firearm, although the 

sources differ in how they categorize sworn employees. Unlike 

the UCR and CSLLEA, the ASPEP excludes sworn officers 

who are employed by transit police or school police agencies 

and instead categorizes these employees with arrest powers 

under other government functions. UCR data are limited to 

employees of agencies that primarily have law enforcement 

functions. UCR data exclude officers employed by agencies that 

serve court- and jail-related functions, while these officers are 

included in CSLLEA data.

There are also differences in how each source defines nonsworn 

or civilian law enforcement employees. The ASPEP definition of 

police protection employees other than police (sworn) officers 

includes employees working for agencies that may not employ 

any sworn officers, such as coroners’ offices. The UCR and 

CSLLEA define nonsworn employees as those who work for 

agencies that primarily conduct law enforcement functions.

The ASPEP provides a national source of information on 

federal law enforcement employees, while the CSLLEA and 

UCR include state and local law enforcement agencies only. 

BJS conducted a separate collection, the Census of Federal 

Law Enforcement Officers, every 2 years between 1996 and 

2008, and it was discontinued after the 2008 administration. 

Measures of federal law enforcement employees are now 

included in the 2014 CSLLEA, which was in the field at the time 

of this report. These data are similar to the ASPEP coverage of 

federal law enforcement in that they include supervisory and 

nonsupervisory personnel with federal arrest authority who 

were also authorized to carry firearms while on duty. Both 

the ASPEP and BJS definitions of federal law enforcement 

employees exclude U.S. Armed Forces agencies and the Central 

Intelligence Agency.

Agency-level data are only available from the UCR and 

CSLLEA. Although the ASPEP data are collected at the local 

level, information on police protection employees is not 

available for individual law enforcement agencies that serve 

local jurisdictions. The ASPEP provides information about 

the number of police protection employees in a specific local 

jurisdiction but does not allocate those employees to the 

multiple law enforcement agencies that may have jurisdiction in 

that locality.

The CSLLEA provides additional information on agency 

functions and other agency characteristics, including 

employee functions and assignment types. It provides detailed 

information on patrol assignments, with measures related to 

patrol capacity (e.g., uniformed officers with regularly assigned 

duties that include responding to citizen calls for services, 

community policing officers, or school resource officers) and 

patrol operational area (e.g., law enforcement duties only, 

jail-related duties only, court-related duties only, other single 

operational area, or multiple operational areas that include or 

exclude law enforcement duties).

Compared to the UCR and ASPEP data collections, the 

CSLLEA may provide a more complete frame for enumerating 

all agencies with sworn law enforcement officers because it 

relies on multiple sources, including the UCR, to compile a list 

of agencies to survey in each CSLLEA administration. Specific 

data elements collected during the survey administration are 

analyzed to determine if those agencies meet the CSLLEA 

definition of a law enforcement agency. The CSLLEA may also 

offer more complete agency-level data for small agencies. It 

includes more agencies that report at least one full-time sworn 

employee compared to the UCR, although the gap decreased 

from 3,474 agencies in 1996 to 917 agencies in 2008. The 

number of agencies is different because the CSLLEA captures 

more agencies with one employee (table 6 and table 7).
9 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Table 6

Number of agencies reporting employees, by number of full-time sworn officers employed, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008

Size of agency reporting

1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA

All agencies 14,720 17,358 15,295 18,769 15,939 17,784 16,747 17,875 17,068 17,985

0–1 1,340 3,116 1,269 3,409 1,282 2,138 1,447 2,202 1,494 2,125

2–4 2,854 3,506 2,782 3,663 2,738 3,453 2,948 3,286 2,998 3,225

5–9 3,256 3,393 3,331 3,624 3,454 3,623 3,459 3,512 3,360 3,446

10–24 3,688 3,701 3,973 4,018 4,120 4,124 4,316 4,213 4,419 4,300

25–49 1,854 1,838 2,012 2,028 2,202 2,237 2,316 2,304 2,398 2,402

50–99 929 968 1,049 1,085 1,150 1,177 1,207 1,259 1,270 1,300

100–249 508 525 553 604 636 669 684 714 735 778

250 or more 291 311 326 338 357 363 370 385 394 409

Note: Agencies that reported zero employees to the UCR in the reference year were excluded from all reported counts. The CSLLEA universe excludes by definition all agencies 

that report less than the equivalent of one full-time sworn officer.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA), 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008; and FBI, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) 

Program police employee data, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.

Table 7

Percent of agencies reporting employees, by number of full-time sworn officers employed, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008

1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

Size of agency reporting UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA UCR CSLLEA

All agencies 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

0–1 9 18 8 18 8 12 9 12 9 12

2–4 19 20 18 20 17 19 18 18 18 18

5–9 22 20 22 19 22 20 21 20 20 19

10–24 25 21 26 21 26 23 26 24 26 24

25–49 13 11 13 11 14 13 14 13 14 13

50–99 6 6 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7

100–249 3 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4

250 or more 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Note: Agencies that reported zero employees to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program in the reference year were excluded from all reported counts. 

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA), 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008; and FBI, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) 

Program police employee data, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.
10 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Table 8

Number and rate of full-time sworn officers reported, by source, 1992–2012

UCR CSLLEA ASPEP

Year Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents Number Per 1,000 U.S. residents

1992 569,703 2.23 603,954 2.36 516,418 2.02

1993 579,488 2.24 533,816 2.06

1994 603,099 2.30 551,764 2.10

1995 629,762 2.37 574,802 2.16

1996 640,492 2.38 663,535 2.47

1997 642,753 2.36 592,940 2.18

1998 666,492 2.42 606,064 2.21

1999 680,934 2.45 623,844 2.24

2000 690,195 2.45 708,022 2.51 635,043 2.25

2001 705,559 2.48 646,744 2.27

2002 705,871 2.45 645,973 2.25

2003 712,371 2.46 649,596 2.24

2004 725,334 2.48 731,895 2.50 648,629 2.22

2005 727,084 2.46 655,966 2.22

2006 740,592 2.48 669,206 2.24

2007 751,526 2.49 677,357 2.25

2008 762,944 2.51 765,246 2.52 692,887 2.28

2009 764,635 2.49 695,981 2.27

2010 758,854 2.45 687,817 2.22

2011* 768,287 2.47 691,498 2.22

2012 750,340 2.39 687,657 2.19

Note: Blank cells indicate that the source did not collect law enforcement employment data for that year. Totals provided for Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program law 

enforcement employee data are the counts reported by the convenience sample of agencies that reported at least one employee to the FBI that year and do not represent a 

national estimate. All rates are calculated from state-level census population statistics for the reference year. Because reporting to the UCR is voluntary and information on the 

number of sworn officers is based on a convenience sample of the agencies that reported, the number and rate of sworn officers are likely to be lower than the true number and 

rate of officers nationally.

*Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll (ASPEP) data collected from Illinois in 2011 were determined to be unreliable. Therefore, statistics reported for 2011 use an 

average of the 2010 and 2012 estimates for Illinois.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA), 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008; FBI, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) 

Program police employee data, 1992–2012; and U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll, 1992–2012.

Note: ASPEP = Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll. 

*The ASPEP was not collected in 1996.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement 

Agencies (CSLLEA), 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008; FBI, Uniform Crime Reporting 

(UCR) Program police employee data, 1992–2012; and U.S. Census Bureau, Intercensal 

Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, 1992–2012.

Figure 2

Rate of full-time sworn officers per 1,000 U.S. residents 

reported, by source, 1992–2012

Year

Rate per 1,000 U.S. residents

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

ASPEP

CSLLEA

UCR

'92 '93 '94 '95'96*'97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12

Differences in how the three sources defined sworn law 

enforcement employees and in the number and type of agencies 

reporting to each source likely drove differences in the number 

and rate of sworn law enforcement officers that each reported. 

The CSLLEA and UCR consistently reported more full-time 

sworn officers than the ASPEP; however, all three sources 

followed similar trends over the time period studied. The rate 

of officers per 1,000 U.S. residents increased in the early 1990s, 

but has remained relatively consistent since 2000 at about 

2.5 officers per 1,000 U.S. residents according to the UCR and 

CSLLEA data, and at 2.25 per 1,000 according to the ASPEP. 

The 2012 ASPEP and UCR data show a decrease in the number 

of sworn officers per 1,000 U.S. residents, compared to 2011 

(table 8, figure 2).
11 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Differences across sources are also evident at the state level. 

In 2008, estimates derived from the convenience sample 

of agencies that reported police employee data to the UCR 

indicated that most states (26) reported fewer than 2.25 

sworn officers per 1,000 U.S. residents (figures 3, 4, and 5).

18

According to all three sources, the District of Columbia, 

Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York each reported 

more than 2.75 sworn officers per 1,000 U.S. residents in 2008. 

In addition, 10 states have a rate of 2.0 officers or fewer per 

1,000 U.S. residents: Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, 

Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

Nationally, the rate of officers per 1,000 U.S. residents was 

similar according to the CSLLEA and UCR, and slightly lower 

according to the ASPEP. However, in 2008 the ASPEP sworn 

officer rates for Arizona (2.5) and Massachusetts (3.3) were 

18 State rates were calculated by dividing the total number of sworn officers 

reported to each data source by the total state population for a given year, 

multiplied by 1,000. State population estimates were retrieved from the Census 

Bureau’s State Intercensal Estimates for 1992 to 2012 (July 1 estimates), available 

at http://www.census.gov/popest/data/intercensal/. Because reporting to the 

UCR is voluntary and information on the number of sworn officers is based 

on a convenience sample of the agencies that reported, the number and rate of 

sworn officers presented here are likely to be lower than the true number and 

rate of officers nationally.

2.26 to 2.74

2.75 or more

2.25 or fewer

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State 

and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA), 2008; 

and U.S. Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the 

Resident Population for the United States, 2008.

Figure 5

Number of full-time sworn officers per 

1,000 U.S. residents, according to the 

CSLLEA, 2008

2.26 to 2.74

2.75 or more

2.25 or fewer

Note: Estimates provided for the Uniform Crime 

Reporting (UCR) Program are based on a convenience 

sample of agencies that reported to the FBI and do not 

represent a national sample. Agencies that reported 

zero employees to the UCR were eliminated from the 

sample.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data 

from the FBI, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program 

police employee data, 2008; and U.S. Census Bureau, 

Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for the 

United States, 2008.

Figure 3

Number of full-time sworn officers per 

1,000 U.S. residents, according to the UCR, 

2008

2.26 to 2.74

2.75 or more

2.25 or fewer

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data 

from the U.S. Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of 

the Resident Population for the United States, 2008; 

and Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll 

(ASPEP), 2008.

Figure 4

Number of full-time sworn officers per 

1,000 U.S. residents, according to the 

ASPEP, 2008

higher than the state rates reported by the CSLLEA (2.3 in 

Arizona and 2.8 in Massachusetts) and the UCR (2.1 in Arizona 

and 2.7 in Massachusetts). Differences across the three sources 

were most pronounced in Delaware (from 2.0 in the ASPEP 

to 3.3 in the UCR), the District of Columbia (from 5.3 in the 

ASPEP to 8.7 in the UCR), and Georgia (from 2.2 in the ASPEP 

to 4.0 in the UCR).
12 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Conclusion

The CSLLEA likely captures more comprehensive information 

on the number of law enforcement officers employed by small 

agencies and appears to have the most complete coverage of 

agencies and the most complete data, with a typical 100% 

response rate. It is also likely to provide the most complete 

information on agencies serving specialized functions or 

jurisdictions because these agencies are excluded from the 

ASPEP police protection function and may be less likely to 

participate in the UCR.

UCR data may be best suited to compare the number of law 

enforcement officers to reported crime rates because this is 

the only source that collects both types of information directly 

from participating agencies. However, UCR coverage may be 

limited because about 1,000 fewer agencies participated in the 

UCR than the CSLLEA in 2008.

A comparison of CSLLEA and ASPEP data for local agencies 

only (excluding employees of state and special district 

agencies) shows that the CSLLEA captures a greater number of 

nonsworn officers employed by local law enforcement agencies 

(table 9). This difference is likely due to variations in scope 

between the two collections. The CSLLEA includes employees 

of all agencies with at least one full-time-equivalent sworn 

law enforcement officer, while the ASPEP police protection 

category excludes a number of agencies that would fall into the 

CSLLEA scope (e.g., special forces of nonpolice agencies such 

as park rangers, fish and game wardens, campus police, and 

transit police). Therefore, the CSLLEA may be better suited to 

examine the purpose and functions of nonsworn officers in law 

enforcement agencies.

The percentages of total local employees who were sworn 

officers reported to the CSLLEA and ASPEP were similar 

in most states, with the ASPEP sworn percentage within 10 

percentage points of the CSLLEA’s sworn percentage in 40 

states and the District of Columbia. In the remaining 10 states, 

the ASPEP percentages of sworn local employees were within 

15 percentage points of the CSLLEA sworn percentages. Due 

to different ASPEP and CSLLEA classifications, the reported 

number of nonsworn officers differed significantly between 

the two collections in states in which local sheriffs’ offices had 

little law enforcement functions. Some states relied on sheriffs’ 

offices to perform sworn law enforcement functions, while 

sheriff employees in other states were primarily responsible for 

nonsworn functions.

Therefore, state-level differences in law enforcement 

organizations and functions should also be considered when 

determining which data source is best suited for various 

research purposes. The most complete law enforcement 

employment data source may vary across states, depending on 

the organizational structure and functions of law enforcement 

agencies in the state, whether the state’s reporting systems are 

compatible with the UCR, and how closely law enforcement 

agency definition by source aligns with the law enforcement 

structure in the state. As stated previously, the ASPEP’s ratio 

of sworn law enforcement officers to 1,000 U.S. residents in 

Massachusetts and Arizona were greater than in the other two 

collections. This was contrary to the national rate of sworn law 

enforcement officers, which found the ASPEP rate to be lower 

than those produced by the UCR and CSLLEA. Massachusetts 

and Arizona may have fewer specialized law enforcement 

agencies that were excluded from the ASPEP, such as school 

districts that employ police officers.

UCR and CSLLEA data may be used in combination with other 

sources, such as the National Directory of Law Enforcement 

Agencies, to develop a comprehensive roster of law enforcement 

agencies in the United States. It has been difficult to develop 

and maintain this roster from one source alone because of—

 the voluntary nature of submitting data to the UCR along 

with reporting methods that resulted in one agency reporting 

for multiple agencies

 the fact that ASPEP data were not maintained at the agency 

level

 the 4-year interval between CSLLEA administrations, during 

which time a number of smaller agencies were likely to be 

created or subsumed under larger agencies

 the need to develop and follow one common definition of 

what constitutes a law enforcement agency and a sworn law 

enforcement officer.

To answer key policy and research questions, it is critical to 

have a national and regularly updated roster of law enforcement 

agencies in the United States. For example, the currently 

available data cannot be used to compare the number and 

functions of law enforcement officers to public safety and 

indicators of social and economic health. Also, there is 

currently no thorough accounting of the number and type of 

agencies that serve the same or overlapping jurisdictions. Such 

information could greatly inform research on the overlapping 

or supporting role of tribal and local police agencies, explore 

the extent to which concurrent jurisdictional responsibilities are 

outlined in agency policies or memoranda of understanding, 

and lead to a better understanding of the nature and extent of 

conflicts that may occur between state and local agencies with 

overlapping jurisdictions.
13 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Table 9

Number of local law enforcement agency employees reported to the CSLLEA and ASPEP, by agency type and sworn status, 2008

Local police departments only Local police departments and sheriffs’ offices

CSLLEA CSLLEA ASPEP

State All employees Sworn Nonsworn All employees Sworn Nonsworn All employees Sworn Nonsworn

Total 597,044 464,527 132,517 950,505 647,506 302,999 805,786 625,668 180,118

Alabama 9,652 7,314 2,338 15,348 9,945 5,403 11,779 9,329 2,450

Alaska 1,262 793 469 1,262 793 469 1,269 821 448

Arizona 14,998 10,518 4,480 22,701 12,771 9,930 19,491 14,629 4,862

Arkansas* 5,111 3,934 1,177 8,748 5,511 3,237 6,823 5,528 1,295

California 55,900 39,692 16,208 107,783 67,399 40,384 94,499 66,866 27,633

Colorado* 9,232 6,891 2,341 15,847 10,618 5,229 13,042 9,649 3,393

Connecticut 8,094 6,668 1,426 8,094 6,668 1,426 8,357 6,838 1,519

Delaware 1,413 1,188 225 1,435 1,196 239 1,365 1,087 278

District of Columbia 4,647 3,742 905 4,647 3,742 905 3,643 3,070 573

Florida 31,563 22,506 9,057 73,177 40,673 32,504 62,962 41,714 21,248

Georgia* 16,485 13,151 3,334 33,710 23,177 10,533 24,769 20,277 4,492

Hawaii 3,604 2,807 797 3,604 2,807 797 3,811 2,983 828

Idaho 1,952 1,498 454 4,705 2,773 1,932 3,693 2,701 992

Illinois 33,743 28,358 5,385 47,413 37,531 9,882 40,445 33,004 7,441

Indiana 9,432 7,881 1,551 16,919 11,065 5,854 15,155 11,138 4,017

Iowa 3,956 3,284 672 7,459 4,807 2,652 5,763 4,483 1,280

Kansas 5,400 4,191 1,209 9,300 6,302 2,998 8,099 6,054 2,045

Kentucky 5,571 4,713 858 7,723 6,370 1,353 7,412 6,280 1,132

Louisiana 7,824 6,318 1,506 22,308 15,886 6,422 15,999 12,556 3,443

Maine 2,011 1,592 419 3,029 1,935 1,094 2,452 2,000 452

Maryland 12,590 10,494 2,096 16,041 12,660 3,381 14,409 11,016 3,393

Massachusetts 16,530 13,703 2,827 21,467 15,178 6,289 18,340 15,461 2,879

Michigan 13,515 11,408 2,107 22,239 16,317 5,922 18,569 15,748 2,821

Minnesota 7,291 5,947 1,344 13,595 8,572 5,023 10,099 7,887 2,212

Mississippi 5,322 3,960 1,362 9,658 5,908 3,750 7,552 5,662 1,890

Missouri 12,766 9,810 2,956 17,607 12,683 4,924 15,676 11,773 3,903

Montana 1,024 802 222 2,539 1,514 1,025 2,031 1,460 571

Nebraska 2,603 2,111 492 4,365 3,135 1,230 3,827 2,921 906

Nevada 6,885 4,497 2,388 8,479 5,558 2,921 7,670 5,323 2,347

New Hampshire 2,941 2,322 619 3,185 2,449 736 3,179 2,514 665

New Jersey 26,801 21,875 4,926 31,891 25,783 6,108 29,025 24,459 4,566

New Mexico 4,143 2,882 1,261 5,611 4,004 1,607 5,170 3,825 1,345

New York 72,380 54,145 18,235 84,051 58,166 25,885 73,902 64,578 9,324

North Carolina 15,197 11,933 3,264 29,724 19,634 10,090 22,790 18,671 4,119

North Dakota 773 629 144 1,479 1,066 413 1,246 1,024 222

Ohio 20,755 16,944 3,811 32,127 22,692 9,435 28,861 22,785 6,076

Oklahoma* 7,105 5,551 1,554 10,526 6,990 3,536 8,975 6,220 2,755

Oregon 4,848 3,640 1,208 8,270 5,946 2,324 7,628 5,285 2,343

Pennsylvania 21,691 19,122 2,569 23,637 20,715 2,922 24,556 20,572 3,984

Rhode Island 2,783 2,258 525 2,783 2,258 525 3,044 2,527 517

South Carolina 6,153 4,934 1,219 13,103 9,391 3,712 11,238 9,431 1,807

South Dakota 1,194 900 294 2,039 1,328 711 1,597 1,299 298

Tennessee 10,986 8,620 2,366 21,682 13,691 7,991 17,003 13,411 3,592

Texas* 49,294 37,837 11,457 78,519 50,177 28,342 60,690 45,582 15,108

Utah 3,482 2,653 829 7,118 3,936 3,182 4,824 3,788 1,036

Vermont 746 587 159 925 713 212 829 647 182

Virginia 13,808 10,947 2,861 24,255 19,359 4,896 20,271 16,008 4,263

Washington 8,767 6,635 2,132 14,509 9,622 4,887 13,052 9,877 3,175

West Virginia 1,662 1,427 235 3,059 2,443 616 2,642 2,201 441

Wisconsin 10,149 8,171 1,978 18,438 12,334 6,104 14,488 11,439 3,049

Wyoming 1,010 744 266 2,372 1,315 1,057 1,775 1,267 508

Note: Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll (ASPEP) data cannot be disaggregated by local law enforcement agency type, so Census of State and Local Law 

Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA) data only are presented for local law enforcement agencies, excluding local sheriffs’ offices.

*Estimates include agencies classified as constable/marshal.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2008; and U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll, 2008.
14 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Appendix table

Number and rate of full-time sworn officers reported to the UCR, by state, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012

1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012

State Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents

Total* 569,703 2.23 640,492 2.38 690,195 2.45 725,334 2.48 762,944 2.51 750,340 2.39

Alabama 8,642 2.08 9,513 2.20 10,298 2.31 10,589 2.34 11,201 2.37 11,209 2.32

Alaska 1,024 1.74 1,156 1.90 1,158 1.84 1,252 1.90 1,299 1.89 1,330 1.82

Arizona 7,588 1.94 9,025 1.97 10,455 2.03 11,418 2.02 13,128 2.09 13,082 2.00

Arkansas 3,874 1.60 5,004 1.95 5,573 2.08 5,924 2.15 6,094 2.12 6,465 2.19

California 60,696 2.03 66,339 2.11 73,095 2.15 76,432 2.15 83,889 2.29 78,062 2.05

Colorado 8,232 2.35 9,284 2.37 10,663 2.46 11,485 2.51 12,597 2.58 12,407 2.39

Connecticut 7,166 2.17 7,484 2.24 7,788 2.28 7,925 2.27 8,659 2.44 8,501 2.37

Delaware 1,903 2.74 2,108 2.84 2,649 3.37 2,880 3.47 2,908 3.29 2,313 2.52

District of Columbia 4,424 7.40 3,632 6.35 4,247 7.42 4,764 8.39 5,076 8.75 4,936 7.81

Florida 31,480 2.31 37,350 2.51 41,283 2.57 45,130 2.59 45,637 2.46 47,887 2.48

Georgia 18,887 2.77 31,452 4.19 24,828 3.02 35,438 4.04 38,284 4.03 39,145 3.95

Hawaii 3,002 2.59 2,879 2.39 3,285 2.71 3,133 2.46 3,418 2.57 3,363 2.42

Idaho 2,071 1.93 2,400 1.99 2,576 1.98 2,696 1.94 3,003 1.96 3,082 1.93

Illinois 29,626 2.53 32,579 2.69 36,807 2.96 36,624 2.91 37,470 2.94 34,534 2.68

Indiana 9,225 1.63 9,706 1.64 11,185 1.84 11,509 1.85 11,821 1.84 11,753 1.80

Iowa 4,403 1.56 4,717 1.64 5,107 1.74 5,038 1.71 5,258 1.74 5,231 1.70

Kansas 5,875 2.32 6,331 2.42 6,843 2.54 7,550 2.76 7,625 2.72 7,617 2.64

Kentucky 6,802 1.81 7,204 1.84 8,016 1.98 9,436 2.28 9,899 2.31 10,013 2.29

Louisiana 13,141 3.06 14,132 3.21 17,248 3.86 17,597 3.87 17,933 4.04 17,768 3.86

Maine 1,994 1.61 2,040 1.63 2,221 1.74 2,259 1.72 2,304 1.73 2,308 1.74

Maryland 12,638 2.57 13,658 2.67 14,941 2.81 16,936 3.05 16,141 2.84 17,537 2.98

Massachusetts 14,626 2.43 16,325 2.64 16,955 2.67 16,358 2.55 17,563 2.71 16,898 2.54

Michigan 18,999 2.00 20,087 2.06 21,262 2.14 22,719 2.26 22,071 2.22 19,830 2.01

Minnesota 6,798 1.51 7,917 1.68 8,449 1.71 8,693 1.71 8,977 1.71 8,947 1.66

Mississippi 4,289 1.63 5,220 1.90 5,900 2.07 6,005 2.08 6,086 2.06 6,119 2.05

Missouri 10,059 1.93 11,386 2.10 12,136 2.16 13,660 2.38 15,754 2.66 15,466 2.57

Montana 1,471 1.78 1,591 1.80 1,549 1.71 1,738 1.87 1,811 1.85 2,016 2.01

Nebraska 2,965 1.84 3,174 1.90 3,348 1.95 3,575 2.04 3,615 2.01 3,707 2.00

Nevada 3,365 2.49 3,948 2.37 4,828 2.39 4,777 2.04 5,747 2.17 5,697 2.06

New Hampshire 1,971 1.76 2,138 1.82 2,388 1.93 2,499 1.94 2,775 2.11 2,751 2.08

New Jersey 27,402 3.48 28,429 3.49 30,718 3.64 31,761 3.68 32,486 3.73 29,511 3.33

New Mexico 3,451 2.16 3,835 2.19 4,206 2.31 4,231 2.22 4,385 2.18 4,610 2.21

New York 58,019 3.18 68,511 3.69 67,737 3.56 64,518 3.37 65,611 3.42 62,962 3.22

North Carolina 17,058 2.47 19,164 2.55 20,711 2.56 22,261 2.60 23,972 2.58 24,948 2.56

North Dakota 1,016 1.59 1,053 1.62 1,121 1.75 1,216 1.89 1,251 1.90 1,482 2.12

Ohio 20,159 1.83 21,728 1.93 23,974 2.11 23,682 2.07 25,319 2.20 23,005 1.99

Oklahoma 6,308 1.96 6,707 2.01 7,069 2.05 7,132 2.02 7,846 2.14 8,085 2.12

Oregon 4,756 1.59 5,320 1.64 5,685 1.66 5,571 1.56 6,787 1.80 6,942 1.78

Pennsylvania 23,246 1.93 24,389 2.00 25,862 2.11 26,394 2.13 27,156 2.15 26,726 2.09

Rhode Island 2,249 2.22 2,345 2.30 2,459 2.34 2,482 2.31 2,592 2.46 2,467 2.35

South Carolina 7,603 2.10 8,478 2.23 10,798 2.68 11,834 2.81 12,628 2.79 12,448 2.64

South Dakota 1,049 1.47 1,145 1.54 1,211 1.60 1,379 1.79 1,448 1.81 1,622 1.95

Tennessee 9,902 1.96 11,342 2.09 15,362 2.69 16,578 2.80 16,515 2.64 17,376 2.69

Texas 38,735 2.18 43,359 2.24 47,042 2.25 49,379 2.21 53,420 2.20 54,353 2.09

Utah 3,370 1.83 3,615 1.75 4,753 2.12 4,682 1.95 4,829 1.81 5,091 1.78

Vermont 888 1.55 910 1.53 982 1.61 1,084 1.75 1,088 1.74 1,238 1.98

Virginia 13,808 2.15 15,217 2.25 16,704 2.35 17,721 2.37 19,130 2.44 19,331 2.36

Washington 8,146 1.58 8,755 1.57 9,635 1.63 9,901 1.60 10,706 1.63 10,271 1.49

West Virginia 2,699 1.49 3,045 1.67 3,165 1.75 3,228 1.78 3,121 1.70 3,581 1.93

Wisconsin 11,288 2.25 12,093 2.31 12,701 2.36 12,951 2.35 13,182 2.34 12,825 2.24

Wyoming 1,315 2.82 1,273 2.61 1,219 2.47 1,310 2.57 1,429 2.62 1,492 2.59

Note: Totals provided for Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program law enforcement employee data are the counts reported by the convenience sample of agencies that reported at least 

one employee to the FBI that year and do not represent a national estimate.

*Excludes territories and agencies that did not report at least one full-time sworn or civilian employee.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the FBI, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program police employee data, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012.
15 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Appendix table

Number and rate of full-time sworn officers reported to the ASPEP, by state, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012

1992 1997 2000 2004 2008 2012

State Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents

Total 516,418 2.01 592,940 2.18 635,043 2.25 648,629 2.22 692,887 2.28 687,657 2.18

Alabama 7,291 1.76 9,181 2.10 9,924 2.23 9,407 2.08 10,015 2.12 10,873 2.25

Alaska 1,016 1.73 969 1.58 1,073 1.71 1,044 1.58 1,074 1.56 1,203 1.64

Arizona 7,875 2.01 10,828 2.29 12,235 2.37 13,407 2.37 15,896 2.53 14,169 2.16

Arkansas 3,680 1.52 4,885 1.88 5,615 2.10 5,578 2.03 6,121 2.13 6,218 2.11

California 58,358 1.95 63,845 2.01 64,036 1.88 65,465 1.84 74,427 2.03 70,773 1.86

Colorado 6,931 1.98 8,266 2.06 8,726 2.02 9,579 2.09 10,447 2.14 10,456 2.02

Connecticut 7,065 2.14 7,576 2.26 8,058 2.36 8,341 2.39 8,311 2.34 7,584 2.11

Delaware 1,391 2.00 1,486 1.98 1,680 2.14 1,724 2.08 1,795 2.03 1,880 2.05

District of Columbia 4,369 7.31 3,655 6.44 3,585 6.27 3,646 6.42 3,070 5.29 3,797 6.00

Florida 29,971 2.20 34,215 2.25 36,350 2.27 39,630 2.28 43,905 2.37 41,241 2.13

Georgia 13,563 1.99 16,562 2.16 19,058 2.32 19,621 2.24 21,342 2.25 21,415 2.16

Hawaii 2,795 2.41 2,615 2.16 2,788 2.30 2,807 2.20 2,983 2.24 2,898 2.08

Idaho 1,920 1.79 2,058 1.68 2,352 1.81 2,603 1.87 2,976 1.94 2,772 1.74

Illinois 28,721 2.46 31,975 2.62 33,440 2.69 35,724 2.84 35,285 2.77 36,720 2.85

Indiana 9,347 1.65 10,527 1.77 11,254 1.85 12,034 1.93 12,429 1.93 11,634 1.78

Iowa 4,204 1.49 4,787 1.66 5,163 1.76 5,623 1.90 5,128 1.70 5,166 1.68

Kansas 4,725 1.87 5,550 2.11 6,594 2.45 6,039 2.21 6,450 2.30 6,127 2.12

Kentucky 5,147 1.37 5,845 1.48 6,838 1.69 7,286 1.76 7,269 1.69 7,427 1.70

Louisiana 8,661 2.02 9,523 2.15 11,273 2.52 12,102 2.66 13,758 3.10 12,696 2.76

Maine 1,964 1.59 2,112 1.68 2,240 1.75 2,177 1.66 2,343 1.76 2,159 1.62

Maryland 11,736 2.38 12,817 2.49 12,452 2.34 11,891 2.14 12,566 2.21 13,444 2.28

Massachusetts 13,704 2.27 15,057 2.42 18,785 2.95 18,654 2.91 21,425 3.31 21,423 3.22

Michigan 17,620 1.86 19,015 1.94 19,671 1.98 18,943 1.88 17,483 1.76 16,458 1.67

Minnesota 6,296 1.40 7,509 1.58 7,713 1.56 7,403 1.46 8,425 1.61 8,418 1.56

Mississippi 3,957 1.51 5,620 2.02 5,750 2.02 5,821 2.01 6,373 2.16 6,825 2.29

Missouri 9,492 1.82 11,656 2.13 11,839 2.11 13,010 2.26 12,971 2.19 13,328 2.21

Montana 1,325 1.60 1,494 1.68 1,479 1.64 1,596 1.72 1,678 1.72 1,710 1.70

Nebraska 2,667 1.65 3,069 1.82 3,232 1.89 3,551 2.03 3,416 1.90 3,586 1.93

Nevada 3,187 2.36 3,479 1.97 3,983 1.97 4,255 1.81 5,748 2.17 5,033 1.82

New Hampshire 1,965 1.76 2,289 1.92 2,730 2.20 2,599 2.01 2,840 2.16 2,667 2.02

New Jersey 23,119 2.93 22,063 2.68 24,071 2.86 25,813 2.99 27,394 3.14 24,978 2.82

New Mexico 3,347 2.10 3,745 2.11 3,913 2.15 4,185 2.20 4,400 2.19 4,385 2.10

New York 56,383 3.09 68,457 3.67 71,457 3.76 69,462 3.62 69,440 3.61 71,290 3.64

North Carolina 13,527 1.96 16,415 2.14 17,833 2.21 18,286 2.14 21,251 2.28 21,939 2.25

North Dakota 943 1.48 1,077 1.66 1,097 1.71 1,113 1.73 1,157 1.76 1,329 1.90

Ohio 18,110 1.64 21,754 1.93 24,413 2.15 23,958 2.09 24,267 2.11 22,198 1.92

Oklahoma 5,953 1.85 7,100 2.11 7,812 2.26 7,109 2.02 7,255 1.98 7,748 2.03

Oregon 4,767 1.59 5,327 1.61 6,051 1.76 5,850 1.64 5,945 1.58 5,909 1.52

Pennsylvania 20,585 1.71 23,291 1.90 24,316 1.98 23,967 1.93 25,634 2.03 25,479 2.00

Rhode Island 2,197 2.17 2,219 2.16 2,426 2.31 2,159 2.01 2,742 2.60 2,564 2.44

South Carolina 6,848 1.89 8,136 2.11 9,905 2.46 9,872 2.34 10,884 2.40 10,592 2.24

South Dakota 1,098 1.54 1,210 1.63 1,250 1.65 1,310 1.70 1,489 1.86 1,483 1.78

Tennessee 9,267 1.84 11,615 2.11 13,535 2.37 13,143 2.22 14,559 2.33 15,640 2.42

Texas 33,552 1.89 41,289 2.09 42,915 2.05 45,668 2.04 47,869 1.97 53,197 2.04

Utah 2,734 1.49 3,170 1.50 3,692 1.64 3,829 1.59 4,204 1.58 4,259 1.49

Vermont 808 1.41 824 1.38 883 1.45 903 1.46 947 1.52 967 1.54

Virginia 11,867 1.85 13,408 1.96 14,336 2.02 15,327 2.05 18,290 2.33 16,986 2.08

Washington 7,573 1.47 8,645 1.52 9,741 1.65 9,631 1.56 10,890 1.66 10,269 1.49

West Virginia 2,208 1.22 2,748 1.51 2,941 1.63 2,716 1.50 2,832 1.54 3,055 1.65

Wisconsin 9,564 1.90 10,900 2.07 11,412 2.12 11,508 2.09 12,032 2.13 11,839 2.07

Wyoming 1,025 2.20 1,082 2.21 1,128 2.28 1,260 2.47 1,457 2.67 1,451 2.52

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll (ASPEP), 1992, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012.
16 National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | April 2016 | bjs.gov

Appendix table

Number and rate of full-time sworn officers reported to the CSLLEA, by state, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008

1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

State Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents Number

Per 1,000 

U.S. residents

Total 603,954 2.36 663,535 2.47 708,022 2.51 731,895 2.50 765,246 2.52

Alabama 8,771 2.11 9,767 2.26 10,655 2.39 10,920 2.41 11,631 2.47

Alaska 1,057 1.80 1,254 2.06 1,348 2.15 1,409 2.14 1,298 1.89

Arizona 7,900 2.02 10,088 2.20 11,533 2.23 12,659 2.24 14,591 2.32

Arkansas 4,475 1.85 5,819 2.26 6,157 2.30 6,325 2.30 6,779 2.36

California 65,797 2.20 69,134 2.20 73,662 2.17 75,622 2.13 79,431 2.17

Colorado 8,726 2.50 9,896 2.52 10,309 2.38 11,086 2.42 12,069 2.47

Connecticut 7,639 2.31 8,525 2.55 8,327 2.44 8,008 2.29 8,281 2.34

Delaware 1,572 2.26 1,660 2.24 1,774 2.26 1,982 2.39 2,131 2.41

District of Columbia 5,213 8.72 3,909 6.83 3,963 6.93 4,423 7.79 4,262 7.35

Florida 32,879 2.41 37,395 2.52 39,452 2.46 45,267 2.60 46,105 2.49

Georgia 16,792 2.46 19,115 2.55 21,173 2.57 23,499 2.68 26,551 2.79

Hawaii 2,783 2.40 2,989 2.48 2,914 2.40 3,002 2.36 3,234 2.43

Idaho 2,157 2.01 2,524 2.10 2,749 2.12 2,964 2.13 3,146 2.05

Illinois 35,674 3.05 38,192 3.16 39,847 3.20 39,714 3.15 41,277 3.24

Indiana 10,038 1.77 10,931 1.85 11,900 1.95 12,083 1.94 13,171 2.05

Iowa 4,703 1.67 5,043 1.75 5,333 1.82 5,424 1.84 5,830 1.93

Kansas 5,631 2.22 6,183 2.36 6,563 2.44 7,141 2.61 7,450 2.65

Kentucky 6,085 1.62 6,466 1.65 7,144 1.76 7,655 1.85 7,833 1.83

Louisiana 15,049 3.51 16,125 3.67 18,548 4.15 17,996 3.95 18,050 4.07

Maine 2,267 1.83 2,318 1.86 2,367 1.85 2,571 1.96 2,569 1.93

Maryland 12,601 2.56 13,828 2.71 15,221 2.87 15,144 2.73 16,013 2.82

Massachusetts 16,014 2.66 17,935 2.90 18,082 2.84 18,174 2.83 18,342 2.84

Michigan 19,642 2.07 20,568 2.11 21,673 2.18 20,762 2.06 19,009 1.91

Minnesota 7,365 1.64 7,994 1.70 8,606 1.74 9,018 1.77 9,667 1.84

Mississippi 4,675 1.78 5,813 2.12 6,562 2.30 7,013 2.43 7,707 2.61

Missouri 11,266 2.16 12,998 2.39 13,630 2.43 14,073 2.45 14,554 2.46

Montana 1,410 1.71 1,682 1.90 1,760 1.95 1,912 2.06 1,950 2.00

Nebraska 3,084 1.91 3,297 1.97 3,486 2.03 3,786 2.16 3,765 2.10

Nevada 3,052 2.26 4,363 2.62 5,252 2.60 5,976 2.55 6,643 2.50

New Hampshire 2,139 1.91 2,305 1.96 2,542 2.05 2,805 2.17 2,936 2.23

New Jersey 26,688 3.39 28,058 3.44 29,062 3.45 31,812 3.68 33,704 3.87

New Mexico 3,420 2.14 4,134 2.36 4,456 2.45 4,894 2.57 5,010 2.49

New York 68,208 3.74 71,221 3.83 72,853 3.83 66,037 3.44 66,472 3.46

North Carolina 14,586 2.11 16,953 2.26 18,903 2.34 20,973 2.45 23,442 2.52

North Dakota 1,060 1.66 1,141 1.75 1,293 2.01 1,307 2.03 1,324 2.01

Ohio 20,929 1.90 23,811 2.12 25,082 2.21 25,856 2.26 25,992 2.26

Oklahoma 6,458 2.01 7,232 2.17 7,622 2.21 8,007 2.27 8,639 2.35

Oregon 5,495 1.84 6,064 1.87 6,496 1.89 6,339 1.78 6,695 1.78

Pennsylvania 23,700 1.97 24,873 2.04 26,373 2.15 26,629 2.15 27,413 2.17

Rhode Island 2,389 2.36 2,422 2.37 2,688 2.56 3,071 2.86 2,828 2.68

South Carolina 7,752 2.14 8,675 2.29 9,741 2.42 10,762 2.56 11,674 2.58

South Dakota 1,145 1.61 1,464 1.97 1,708 2.26 1,621 2.10 1,636 2.05

Tennessee 10,379 2.06 12,152 2.24 14,494 2.54 15,248 2.58 15,976 2.56

Texas 41,349 2.33 47,767 2.47 51,478 2.46 54,780 2.45 59,219 2.44

Utah 2,979 1.62 3,699 1.79 4,179 1.86 4,573 1.90 4,782 1.80

Vermont 978 1.71 981 1.65 1,034 1.70 1,156 1.86 1,103 1.77

Virginia 16,365 2.55 18,448 2.73 20,254 2.85 21,655 2.90 22,848 2.92

Washington 8,192 1.59 9,292 1.67 9,910 1.68 10,821 1.75 11,411 1.74

West Virginia 2,622 1.45 2,977 1.63 3,150 1.74 3,207 1.77 3,382 1.84

Wisconsin 11,594 2.31 12,678 2.42 13,237 2.46 13,072 2.37 13,730 2.43

Wyoming 1,210 2.60 1,377 2.82 1,477 2.99 1,662 3.26 1,691 3.10

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA), 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.
Office of Justice Programs

Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

NCJ249681

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal 

federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal 

offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal 

and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, 

analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice 

systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal 

justice information systems, and participates with national and international 

organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics. 

Jeri M. Mulrow is acting director.

This report was written by Duren Banks and Joshua Hendrix of RTI International, 

Matthew Hickman of Seattle University, and Tracey Kyckelhahn of the United 

States Sentencing Commission. RTI International verified the report.

Irene Cooperman and Jill Thomas edited the report. Barbara Quinn and Tina 

Dorsey produced the report.

April 2016, NCJ 249681