Personnel

 ̆ As of June 1997, local police departments had an

estimated 531,496 full-time employees, including

420,000 sworn personnel. Local police employment

was up by an average of about 3% per year since

1993, compared to about 1% per year from 1987 

to 1993. 

 ̆ Racial and ethnic minorities comprised 21.5% 

of full-time sworn officers in local police departments

in 1997. This compared to 19.1% in 1993, 17.0% 

in 1990, and 14.6% in 1987.

 ̆ Nearly all officers worked for departments 

that used criminal record checks (99%),

background investigations (98%), driving

record checks (98%), and medical exams

(97%) to screen applicants. Psychological (91%), aptitude (84%), and 

physical agility (78%) tests were also

widely used. 

 ̆ In 1997, 1% of departments required 

a 4-year degree of new officer recruits 

and 8% a 2-year degree. Overall, 14% 

of departments, employing 31% of all

officers, required new recruits to have

completed at least some college in 1997,

up from 12% and 15% in 1993.

 ̆ Field and classroom training requirements for new officer recruits averaged

more than 1,000 hours combined. About

7 in 8 departments required officers to complete

in-service training, with an average annual requirement of 29 hours. 

Expenditures and pay

 ̆ Local police departments had total operating

expenditures of $29.2 billion during fiscal 1997, 

8% more than in 1993 after adjusting for inflation.

Expenditures averaged $67,100 per sworn officer,

and $150 per resident.

 ̆ Starting salaries for local police officers averaged

about $28,400, ranging from an average of $18,800

in the smallest jurisdictions to $30,600 in the largest.

U.S. Department of Justice Revised 1/7/00

Office of Justice Programs

You can use a frame like this one to span a headline over multiple columns

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Executive Summary

Local Police

Departments, 1997

October 1999, NCJ 178934 

Minority local police officers, 1987, 1990, 1993, and 1997

Percent of f ull-time

sworn personnel

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

1987199019931997

*Includes blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Pacif ic Islanders,

 American Indians, and Alaska Nativ es.

All minorities* Blacks Hispanics
About two-thirds of all local police officers

worked for a department that authorized

collective bargaining.

Operations

 ̆ More than 99% of local police departments were responsible for responding to

citizen calls for service, providing routine

patrol services, and enforcing traffic laws.

Ninety-one percent, including all but a few 

of those serving a population of 10,000 or

more, were the primary investigating

agency for crimes occurring in their

jurisdiction.

 ̆ About 7 in 8 local police departments had primary

drug enforcement responsibilities (88%). About a

third had officers assigned full time to a drug

enforcement unit, with 13,200 officers so assigned

nationwide. About a third of departments had

officers assigned to a multi-agency drug task force,

with a total of 6,200 officers assigned full time

nationwide.

 ̆ Forty-three percent of local police departments,

employing 82% of all officers, had drug asset forfeiture receipts during fiscal 1997. Collectively, departments received an estimated $490 million in money,

goods, and property. 

 ̆ In 1997, 85% of local police departments, employing 97% of all officers, participated in a 9-1-1

emergency telephone system compared to 68% 

and 89% in 1993. In 1997, 53% of departments,

employing 80% of all officers, had an enhanced

9-1-1 system, capable of pinpointing the source 

of a call automatically, compared to 41% and 65% 

in 1993. 

Community policing

 ̆ More than 60% of the departments serving

100,000 or more residents had a formal written

community policing plan. Overall, about 9 in 10 local

police officers worked for a department with some

type of community policing plan.

 ̆ Sixty-six percent of departments serving 50,000 or

more residents had a full-time community policing

unit. Fifty-four percent of departments serving

10,000 or more residents had either a full-time unit

or designated community policing personnel.

 ̆ During the 3-year period ending June 30, 1997,

more than 80% of the departments serving a

population of 25,000 or more trained at least some 

in-service officers and new officer recruits in

community policing. In a majority of the departments serving a population of 10,000 or more, all

new officer recruits received such training.

 ̆ Nearly all local police departments serving a

population of 10,000 or more regularly met with

community groups during 1997. A majority of those

serving 25,000 or more residents formed 1 or more

problem-solving partnerships through written agreements. 

 ̆ About 3 in 8 departments had sworn personnel

assigned full-time as school resource officers.

Nationwide, about 9,400 local police officers worked

as school resource officers in 1997.

Equipment

 ̆ Ninety-four percent of local police departments,

employing 98% of all officers, authorized the use 

of semiautomatic sidearms in 1997. These percentages represented increases over the 1993 figures 

of 84% and 96%.

 ̆ In 1997, nearly all local police departments

authorized the use of nonlethal weapons by officers.

From 1993 to 1997, the percent of officers employed

by an agency that authorized them to use pepper

spray went from 69% to 91%.

2 Executive Summary: Local Police Departments, 1997

Percent of agencies

Under 10,000

10,000 - 49,999

50,000 - 249,999

250,000 or more

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

Population served

Percent of agencies

1997

1993

Local police departments authorizing officers

to use pepper spray, 1993 and 1997
 ̆ In 1997, about half of all local police

officers were employed by a department that

required them to wear protective body

armor while on duty, compared to about

two-fifths in 1993.

 ̆ Nationwide, local police departments

operated approximately 215,000 cars

during 1997, or about 1 for every 2 officers

employed. About a third of these cars 

were unmarked. 

 ̆ A majority of departments serving a

population of 500,000 or more used boats

and helicopters. Forty-four percent of those

serving 1 million or more residents had at

least 1 airplane.

 ̆ A fourth of all departments, including nearly all of

those serving 100,000 or more residents, used dogs

for law enforcement work, with 6,100 in use nationwide. Two percent had horses, with a total of about

1,200 in use. 

Computers and information systems

 ̆ Nearly all local police departments serving a

population of 2,500 or more used 1 or more types of

computers during 1997. About two-thirds of those

serving fewer than 2,500 residents used them.

 ̆ A majority of the departments serving a population

of 10,000 or more used computers for crime analysis and dispatch. A majority of those serving a

population of 100,000 or more used them for fleet

management, resource allocation, and crime

mapping.

 ̆ From 1993 to 1997, the percentage of local police

departments using in-field computers increased from

13% to 29%. Departments using in-field computers

employed 73% of all officers in 1997, up from 55%

in 1993.

 ̆ In about a sixth of departments, at least some

officers could access vehicle and driving records by

computer while in the field. This was the case in a

majority of the departments serving a population of

100,000 or more.

 ̆ In 7 of 8 local police departments, officers primarily transmitted criminal incident field data to a central

information system through paper reports. Methods

used in other departments included laptop download,

disk transfer, wireless transmission, or telephone lines.

Written policy directives

 ̆ Nearly all local police departments (93%) had a

written policy on pursuit driving. Three-fifths

restricted vehicle pursuits according to specific criteria such as speed or offense. About a fourth had a

policy that left the decision to the officer’s discretion.

Six percent discouraged all vehicle pursuits.

 ̆ Ninety-one percent of local police departments,

employing 99% of all officers, had a written policy 

on the use of deadly force. Eighty-four percent,

employing 96% of all officers, had a policy on the

use of nonlethal force. 

 ̆ About 5 in 6 departments, employing 96% of

officers, had written policies on the handling of both

domestic disputes and juveniles. About 3 in 5

departments, employing 70% of officers, had a 

discretionary arrest policy.

 Executive Summary: Local Police Departments, 1997 3

Under 10,000

10,000 - 49,999

50,000 - 249,999

250,000 or more

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

Population served

Percent of agencies

1993

1990

1997

Local police departments using in-field

computers or terminals, 1990, 1993, and 1997
4 Executive Summary: Local Police Departments, 1997

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