Bureau of Justice Statistics

 U.S. Department of Justice

 Office of Justice Programs 

Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics

Local Police

Departments 1999

 

Under 10,000

10,000 - 49,999

50,000 - 249,999

250,000 or more

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

1990

Population served

Percent of agencies

Local police departments using in-field

computers or terminals, 1990 and 1999

1999
 

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Local Police

Departments 1999

Matthew J. Hickman and 

Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D.

BJS Statisticians

May 2001, NCJ 186478
U.S. Department of Justice

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Lawrence A. Greenfeld

Acting Director

Matthew Hickman and Brian Reaves,

BJS statisticians, prepared this report.

Debra Cohen, Karin Schmerler, and

Meg Townsend of the Office of

Community Oriented Policing Services

(COPS) developed the community

policing content of the 1999 LEMAS

survey instrument. Matthew Scheider,

Pam Cammarata, Greg Cooper, Gil

Kerlikowske, and Bob Phillips of COPS

also provided assistance on the 1999

LEMAS project. 

COPS provided funding for the 1999

LEMAS survey. More information on 

COPS can be obtained at their web

site: <www.usdoj.gov/cops>

The 1999 LEMAS data were collected

and processed by the U.S. Census

Bureau under the supervision of

Stephanie Brown of the Governments

Division. Census Bureau staff on the

project included Carolyn Gates,

Theresa Reitz, Martha Haselbush,

Martha Greene, Bill Bryner, Patricia

Torreyson, and Henrietta Herrin. 

Sample design, selection, and imputation procedures were conducted by

Suzanne Dorinski and Yukiko Ellis of

the Economic Statistical Methods and

Programming Division of the Census

Bureau under the supervision of Carma

Hogue.

In BJS, Thomas Hester and Ellen

Goldberg provided report production

assistance, and Jayne Robinson

administered final report production.

Data presented in this report may be

obtained from the National Archive of

Criminal Justice Data at the University

of Michigan, 1-800-999-0960. The

report and data are available on the

Internet at: <www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs>.

Highlights iii

The LEMAS survey 1

Personnel 1

 Operations 4

Community policing 9

Computers and information systems 13

Written policies and procedures 19

Methodology 20

ii Local Police Departments 1999
Personnel

• As of June 1999, the more than

13,000 local police departments

nationwide had an estimated 556,631

full-time employees. This included

about 436,000 sworn personnel. 

• From 1997 to 1999, the number of

full-time local police employees

increased by about 25,000, or 4.7%. 

When only sworn personnel are

considered, employment increased by

about 16,000 officers, or 3.8%.

• As of June 1999, the Nation’s largest

local police force, the New York City

Police Department, had 39,099 fulltime officers. This was about 3 times

as many as the next largest, the

Chicago Police Department (13,307

officers). 

• Forty-six departments employed

1,000 or more officers, and these

agencies accounted for about a third of

all local police officers. Nearly 800

departments employed just 1 officer.

• About 282,000, or 65%, of all local

police officers had regularly assigned

duties that included responding to calls

for service. The percent of officers

assigned to respond to calls ranged

from 90% in departments serving

fewer than 2,500 residents to less than

60% in those serving 100,000 or more

residents.

Operations

• From 1997 to 1999, the percent of

residents served by a department that

routinely used bicycle patrol increased

from 66% to 76%, the percent served

by a department that used routine foot

patrol increased from 59% to 68%, and

the percent served by a department

using one or both of these types of

patrol increased from 78% to 85%.

• In 1999, 88% of local police departments, employing 98% of all officers,

participated in a 9-1-1 emergency

telephone system. Sixty-seven percent

of departments, employing 90% of all

officers, had enhanced 9-1-1 in 1999,

compared to 53% of departments,

employing 80% of all officers, in 1997. 

• Ninety-two percent of departments,

employing 99% of all officers, were

responsible for investigating at least

some types of crimes. About two-fifths

handled computer crime investigations,

including more than two-thirds of those

serving 10,000 or more residents.

• About 1 in 4 departments were

responsible for providing court security,

and 1 in 6 served civil process. Just 1

in 12 departments operated a jail.

• Nearly all departments had traffic and

vehicle-related responsibilities such as

enforcement of traffic laws (99%),

accident investigation (98%), parking

enforcement (90%), and traffic direction and control (87%).

Community policing

• More than 90% of the departments

serving 25,000 or more residents had

some type of community policing plan,

and most of those serving 50,000 or

more residents had a written plan. 

• About 7 in 8 local police officers

worked for a department that trained at

least some new recruits in community

policing skills such as problem-solving

and building community partnerships.

Most departments serving 10,000 or

more residents offered such training 

to all recruits.

• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of departments had full-time community policing

officers. Nationwide, an estimated

91,000, or 21%, of all local police

officers were regularly engaged in

community policing activities.

• Nearly a third (30%) of departments

had full-time school resource officers,

with a total of more than 9,100

assigned overall.

• Nearly all departments serving 10,000

or more residents regularly met with

community groups. A majority of those

serving 50,000 or more residents had

formed problem-solving partnerships,

and a majority of those serving 25,000

or more residents provided community

policing training to citizens.

Computers and information systems

• All departments serving 25,000 or

more residents used computers during

1999, as did nearly all of those serving

2,500 to 24,999 residents. Just 1% of

all local police officers worked for a

department not using computers.

• In 1999, 56% of local police dispatch

systems were computer-aided, including nearly all of those in departments

serving 50,000 or more residents. In

1990, 40% of departments used

computer-aided dispatch. 

• From 1990 to 1999, the percent of

officers employed by a department with

computerized arrest records increased

from 81% to 95%. Increases were also

observed for criminal histories (60% to

79%), warrants (68% to 78%), and

summonses (28% to 52%).

• About a third of departments used

computers for crime analysis (38%)

and crime mapping (32%) during 1999,

including most departments serving a

population of 10,000 or more.

• From 1990 to 1999, the percent of

local police officers working for a

department using in-field computers or

terminals increased from 31% to 73%.

Local police departments had about 20

in-field computers or terminals per 100

officers as of June 1999.

 

• More than half of local police officers

worked in a department where at least

some officers in the field could use

in-field computers to access information on wanted suspects (62%) or

driving records (54%). About 2 in 5

officers were in departments where

calls for service (41%) or criminal

history (39%) records could be accessed.

Written policies and procedures

• Nearly all local police officers worked

for a department which had written

policies or procedures pertaining to

conduct and appearance (99%), use of

deadly force (99%), domestic disputes

(97%), citizen complaints (96%), and

the use of nonlethal force (96%).

Highlights

Local Police Departments 1999 iii
 Local Police Departments 1999
The LEMAS survey

During 1999, the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics (BJS), as a part of its Law 

Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) program,

surveyed a nationally representative

sample of State and local law enforcement agencies operating nationwide.

Previous LEMAS surveys were conducted in 1987, 1990, 1993, and 1997.

This report presents data from the

1999 survey describing the more than

13,000 local police departments

operating in the United States in terms

of their personnel, operations, community policing initiatives, computers and

information systems, and written

policies. Comparisons are made with

prior years where appropriate.

Nearly all local police departments are

operated by municipal (86%) or

township (13%) governments. As of

1996, about 100 general purpose local

police departments were operated by

tribal governments, and approximately

50 by county governments.

The 1999 LEMAS survey questionnaire

was mailed to 3,319 State and local

law enforcement agencies, and 3,246

of them provided data for a response

rate of 97.8%. (See Methodology on

page 20 for a description of sampling

procedures.) 

This report and its companion report

(Sheriffs’ Offices 1999, May 2001, NCJ

186479), summarize data collected

from agencies of all sizes. Detailed

agency-by-agency tabulations from the

1999 LEMAS survey were previously

published for agencies with 100 or

more officers (see Law Enforcement

Management and Administrative Statistics, 1999: Data for Individual State

and Local Agencies with 100 or More

Officers, November 2000, NCJ

184481). 

Personnel

As of June 30, 1999, local police

departments had an estimated 556,631

full-time employees (table 1). About

436,000, or 78%, of full-time local

police department employees were

sworn officers. This accounted for

nearly two-thirds (64%) of full-time 

officers working for State and local

general purpose law enforcement

agencies nationwide. Local police

departments also employed about

28,000 part-time sworn officers.

The estimated 120,449 full-time

nonsworn local police employees

comprised nearly half (47%) of all

nonsworn employees in general

purpose law enforcement agencies.

Local police departments had about

36,000 part-time nonsworn employees.

From 1990 to 1999, local police

employment increased by about

97,000, or 21% C an average of 2.3%

annually (figure 1). The number of fulltime sworn officers increased by about

73,000, or 20%, during this period. 

There were about 25,000 more fulltime local police employees in 1999

than in 1997, an increase of 4.7%.

When only sworn personnel are

considered, local police employment

increased by about 16,000, or 3.8%,

from 1997 to 1999. 

From 1990 to 1999, the number of fulltime civilian local police employees

rose from 96,890 to 120,449, an

increase of 24.3%. This included an

increase of about 9,000, or 8.2%, from

1997 to 1999. 

 Local Police Departments 1999 1

Figure 1

1990, 1993, 1997, and 1999

1990 1993 1997 1999 

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

Sworn

officers

Full-time employment by local police departments,

Number of full-time employees

Total

Note: Data are for the pay period that included June 30, 1999. Table excludes State and local

law enforcement agencies that serve special jurisdictional areas or have limited enforcement

responsibilities. Sworn employees are those with general arrest powers. Detail may not add to

total because of rounding.

Primary State 49 85,442 55,892 29,550 926 0 926

Sheriff 3,088 290,707 185,859 104,848 19,670 9,238 10,432

Local police 13,524 556,631 436,182 120,449 63,575 27,824 35,751

Total 16,661 932,780 677,933 254,847 84,171 37,062 47,109

Total Sworn Civilian Total Sworn Civilian

Number of Full-time Part-time

agencies

Type of 

agency

Number of employees

Table 1. Employment by general purpose State and local 

law enforcement agencies in the United States, 1999
Nationwide, 573, or 4.2%, of local

police departments employed at least

100 sworn personnel (table 2). This

included 46 departments with 1,000 or

more officers. An estimated 7,095, or

52.4%, of departments employed fewer

than 10 sworn personnel, including

nearly 800 with just 1 officer.

About a third of all full-time local police

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

about three-fifths were employed by a

department with at least 100 officers.

Departments with fewer than 10 sworn

personnel accounted for about 5% of 

all local police officers.

Revised, 8/03/01 th

2 Local Police Departments 1999

Note: Sworn employees are those with general arrest powers. Officers not assigned to respond to calls for 

service typically were assigned to other functional areas of duty related to administration, investigations, 

technical support, jail operations, or court operations. 

a

In some cases, county populations were adjusted to more accurately reflect the population for which an 

agency provided law enforcement services.

b

Includes all uniformed officers whose regularly assigned duties included responding to citizen calls for service.

c

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

New Orleans (LA) 1,630 34 70 Minneapolis (MN) 917 26 50

Baltimore Co. (MD) 1,639 23 55 Tampa (FL) 930 33 64

Columbus (OH) 1,776 27 50 Buffalo (NY) 944 30 65

Memphis (TN) 1,815 30 73 Oklahoma City (OK) 978 21 48

Cleveland (OH) 1,837 37 53% Cincinnati (OH) 1,004 29 65%

San Antonio (TX) 1,986 19 45 Portland (OR) 1,008 21 46

Clark Co. (NV) 1,998 19 49 Indianapolis (IN) 1,037 14 58 c

San Diego (CA) 2,028 17 46 Montgomery Co. (MD) 1,038 13 48

Milwaukee (WI) 2,079 35 63 Fairfax Co. (VA) 1,048 12 56

Honolulu (HI) 2,100 24 61% Pittsburgh (PA) 1,061 30 66%

San Francisco (CA) 2,186 30 47 El Paso (TX) 1,062 18 49

Boston (MA) 2,226 40 69 Austin (TX) 1,100 20 44

Phoenix (AZ) 2,532 22 41 Miami (FL) 1,117 31 61

Suffolk Co. (NY) 2,648 20 43 Fort Worth (TX) 1,153 24 62

Dallas (TX) 2,858 27 36% Kansas City (MO) 1,215 28 42%

Miami-Dade Co. (FL) 2,949 14 52 Nashville (TN) 1,245 24 33

Baltimore (MD) 3,005 44 67 Seattle (WA) 1,252 24 61

Nassau Co. (NY) 3,103 24 42 San Jose (CA) 1,343 16 78

Washington (DC) 3,443 63 54 Charlotte-Mecklenberg Co. (NC) 1,363 31 43

Detroit (MI) 4,016 40 52% Prince George’s Co. (MD) 1,405 18 58%

Houston (TX) 5,433 31 55 Newark (NJ) 1,415 53 64

Philadelphia (PA) 7,013 47 59 Denver (CO) 1,440 29 43

Los Angeles (CA) 9,573 27 52 Atlanta (GA) 1,500 37 72

Chicago (IL) 13,307 49 79 Jacksonville (FL) 1,502 22 60

New York (NY) 39,099 53 54% St. Louis (MO) 1,604 46 62%

Percent 

responding

to callsb

Number

per 10,000

residentsa

Total

Jurisdiction number

 Percent 

 responding

 to callsb

 Number 

 per 10,000

 residentsa

Total

Jurisdiction number 

Full-time sworn personnel Full-time sworn personnel

The 50 largest local police departments, by total number of full-time sworn personnel, 

number of full-time sworn personnel per 10,000 residents, and percent of full-time 

sworn personnel regularly assigned to respond to calls for service, 1999

Note: Sworn employees are those with general arrest powers. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding. 

--Less than 0.05%.

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

1 771 5.7 514 0.1 17 --

2-4 2,789 20.6 5,788 1.3 729 0.6

5-9 3,535 26.1 16,654 3.8 3,037 2.5

10-24 3,361 24.9 42,970 9.9 9,888 8.2

25-49 1,727 12.8 53,780 12.3 13,965 11.6

50-99 767 5.7 51,185 11.7 13,968 11.6

100-249 385 2.8 54,570 12.5 16,907 14.0

250-499 104 0.8 35,514 8.1 10,782 9.0

500-999 38 0.3 26,462 6.1 8,358 6.9

1,000 or more 46 0.3% 148,744 34.1% 42,798 35.5%

 Total 13,524 100% 436,182 100% 120,449 100%

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Full-time 

civilian personnel

Full-time 

 Agencies sworn personnel

Number

of sworn

personnel*

Table 2. Local police departments, by number of sworn and civilian 

personnel, 1999
Although 77% of local police departments served fewer than 10,000 residents, these agencies employed just

15% of all local police officers (table 3).

About half of all officers served a jurisdiction with 100,000 or more residents,

including nearly a fourth in jurisdictions

with 1 million or more residents. 

With 39,099 officers, New York City

had a police force about 3 times as

large as Chicago, the city with the

second largest force (see box on page

2). While departments serving the

largest cities had thousands of officers

on average, those serving fewer than

2,500 residents had an average of just

3 full-time officers each (table 4).

Overall, nearly two-thirds (65%) of fulltime sworn local police employees had

regularly assigned duties that included

responding to calls for service (table 5).

By population category, the proportion

of officers responding to calls ranged

from about 3 in 5 in departments

serving 50,000 or more residents, to

more than 4 in 5 in those serving fewer

than 10,000 residents. 

Overall, 89% of sworn personnel

worked in field operations (table 6).

Officers working in the field operations

area, but not assigned to respond to

calls, often performed supervisory or

investigative duties. 

The next highest area of employment for

sworn personnel was administration

(6.2%). This included positions related

to the chief’s office, financial affairs,

human resources, and internal affairs. 

About 4% of officers handled technical

support duties primarily related to

communications, fleet management,

crime prevention, or training. Few

officers were assigned duties related to

jail (0.3%) or court (0.3%) operations.

Among civilian local police employees,

most worked in technical support jobs

(68.7%). Other areas of employment

for nonsworn employees included field

operations (11.1%), administration

(9.2%), and jail operations (4.7%). 

 Local Police Departments 1999 3

Note: Sworn employees are those with

general arrest powers. Percent calculations

based on agencies with 10 or more full-time

sworn or civilian employees. 

Other 0.2 5.6

Court operations 0.3 0.6

Jail operations 0.3 4.7

Technical support 3.6 68.7

Field operations 89.4 11.1

Administration 6.2% 9.2%

 Total 100% 100%

Sworn Civilian

Percent of full-time

Job function employees 

category

Table 6. Job function category of 

full-time employees in local police

departments, 1999

*Includes all uniformed officers whose

regularly assigned duties included 

responding to citizen calls for service.

Under 2,500 17,745 90

2,500-9,999 38,610 81

10,000-24,999 41,542 74

25,000-49,999 30,784 67

50,000-99,999 29,333 61

100,000-249,999 27,056 58

250,000-499,999 21,303 56

500,000-999,999 20,393 59

1,000,000 or more 55,276 56%

 All sizes 282,041 65%

Number Percent

Full-time sworn personnel

assigned to respond to

Population citizen calls for service*

served

Table 5. Officers assigned to respond

to citizen calls for service in local

police departments, by size 

of population served, 1999

Note: Sworn employees are those with general arrest powers. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

--Less than 0.5.

Under 2,500 4 3 -- 2 2 --

2,500-9,999 14 12 3 4 3 2

10,000-24,999 39 31 8 5 2 3

25,000-49,999 82 64 17 9 1 8

50,000-99,999 163 126 37 16 2 14

100,000-249,999 394 298 96 24 1 23

250,000-499,999 1,099 825 274 38 1 36

500,000-999,999 1,839 1,436 403 106 3 103

1,000,000 or more 7,973 6,199 1,774 142 -- 142

 All sizes 41 32 9 5 2 3

Total Sworn Civilian Total Sworn Civilian

Population Full-time Part-time

served

Average number of employees

Table 4. Average number of employees in local police departments,

by size of population served, 1999

Note: Sworn employees are those with general arrest powers. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding. 

Under 2,500 6,285 46.5 19,771 4.5 2,694 2.2

2,500-9,999 4,078 30.2 47,526 10.9 11,578 9.6

10,000-24,999 1,820 13.5 56,133 12.9 14,010 11.6

25,000-49,999 718 5.3 46,233 10.6 12,430 10.3

50,000-99,999 381 2.8 47,970 11.0 14,042 11.7

100,000-249,999 156 1.2 46,534 10.7 14,897 12.4

250,000-499,999 46 0.3 38,077 8.7 12,640 10.5

500,000-999,999 24 0.2 34,513 7.9 9,698 8.1

1,000,000 or more 16 0.1% 99,425 22.8% 28,460 23.6%

 All sizes 13,524 100% 436,182 100% 120,449 100%

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Full-time 

civilian personnel

Full-time 

Population Agencies sworn personnel

served

Table 3. Local police departments and full-time personnel, 

by size of population served, 1999
As of June 30, 1999, local police

departments collectively employed

97.6% of the maximum number of

sworn personnel authorized by their

budgets, and 96.5% of their authorized

civilian employee strength (table 7).

Actual-to-authorized ratios for sworn

personnel ranged from about 100%

among departments serving fewer than

2,500 residents to about 94% in those

serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents. 

For nonsworn employees, departments

serving 2,500 to 24,999 residents

(99%) had the highest ratio, and those

serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents

(91%), the lowest.

Some local police departments partly

offset officer shortages through the use

of supplemental personnel such as

sworn reserve or auxiliary officers. As

of June 30, 1999, 43% of departments

were using reserve or auxiliary sworn

officers, with an average of 2 full-time

and 5 part-time officers each (table 8). 

Some departments utilized nonsworn

volunteers such as community service

officers or police service aides. As of

June 30, 1999, 11% were using

community service officers or police

service aides, with an average of 3 fulltime and 2 part-time each. Twelve

percent used other types of nonsworn

volunteers, with an average of 3 parttime volunteers each.

Nationwide, local police departments

had about 14,000 full-time reserve

officers and 31,000 part-time reserve

officers (not shown in table). They also

had about 4,200 community service

officers and police service aides with

about two-thirds of these working fulltime. Departments utilized an

additional 28,000 nonsworn volunteers,

with nearly all working part-time. 

Operations

Stations and substations

As of June 30, 1999, local police

departments operated an estimated

3,566 district or precinct stations and

4,021 neighborhood or community

substations that were separate from

headquarters (table 9). More than 9 

in 10 departments serving 250,000 or

more residents had district or precinct

stations, and more than 8 in 10 had

community substations. About 7 in 10

departments serving 50,000 to 249,999

residents had community substations. 

Among departments operating such

facilities, the average number of district

or precinct stations ranged from 16 in

jurisdictions with 1 million or more

residents to 1 in those with fewer than

50,000 residents. For substations, the

average number operated ranged from

14 in jurisdictions with 1 million or more

residents to 1 in those with fewer than

10,000 residents. 

4 Local Police Departments 1999

Under 2,500 45 1 3 6 1 1

2,500-9,999 42 2 5 8 1 2

10,000-24,999 40 3 8 17 2 2

25,000-49,999 42 6 8 34 3 2

50,000-99,999 47 11 13 41 6 3

100,000-249,999 48 4 18 47 11 4

250,000-499,999 46 5 31 43 23 3

500,000-999,999 37 0 85 37 33 11

1,000,000 or more 37% 9 150 38% 37 11

 All sizes 43% 2 5 11% 3 2

ParttimeFulltimeParttimeFulltime

Average number

 Percent

 using

Average number

 Percent

 using

Population 

served

Community service officers

or police service aides

Reserve or auxiliary 

sworn officers

Table 8. Use of sworn reserve/auxiliary officers, and nonsworn

community service officers/police service aides by local police

departments, by size of population served, 1999

Note: Sworn employees are those with general arrest powers.

Under 2,500 19,686 100.4 2,769 97.3

2,500-9,999 47,856 99.3 11,677 99.2

10,000-24,999 56,719 99.0 14,202 98.6

25,000-49,999 48,491 95.3 12,698 97.9

50,000-99,999 49,002 97.9 14,722 95.4

100,000-249,999 47,797 97.4 15,857 93.9

250,000-499,999 40,382 94.3 13,152 96.1

500,000-999,999 35,616 96.9 10,669 90.9

1,000,000 or more 101,375 98.1% 29,030 98.0%

 All sizes 446,924 97.6% 124,774 96.5%

Percent 

Authorized employed

Percent 

Authorized employed

Population 

served

Sworn Civilian 

Full-time employees

Table 7. Authorized full-time strength of local police

departments, and percent of authorized strength

employed, by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 18 1,113 1 3 225 1

2,500-9,999 20 863 1 8 441 1

10,000-24,999 22 440 1 22 676 2

25,000-49,999 23 205 1 41 709 2

50,000-99,999 25 155 2 66 713 3

100,000-249,999 47 196 3 76 577 5

250,000-499,999 91 195 5 80 335 9

500,000-999,999 92 142 6 83 146 7

1,000,000 or more 100% 255 16 87% 199 14

 All sizes 20% 3,566 1 12% 4,021 2

Total Average Total Average

 Percent Number

 operating

 Percent Number

 operating

District/precinct stations Community substations

 Agencies operating facilities separate from headquarters

Population

served

Table 9. Stations and substations operated by local 

police departments, by size of population served, 1999
Patrol and response

All local police departments provided

patrol services during 1999, and all

used automobiles for at least some of

their routine patrol units (table 10).

About half used foot patrol units,

including nearly all departments

serving a population of 1 million or

more. Departments with routine foot

patrol employed about three-fourths of

all officers.

Nearly all departments (96%) serving

250,000 or more residents had routine

bike patrols, as did more than 80% of

departments serving a population of

50,000 to 249,999. Overall, 34% of

departments, employing 78% of all

officers, used bicycle patrol units on a

routine basis. 

Just 10% of departments used motorcycle patrol units on a routine basis,

although 86% of those serving 100,000

or more residents did so. Departments

using routine motorcycle patrol

employed about three-fifths of all

officers. Overall, few departments

routinely scheduled marine (3%) or

horse (1%) patrol units. However, a

majority of the departments serving

500,000 or more residents did so. 

About a fourth (24%) of departments

used foot patrol for special events only.

Nine percent used bicycles for special

events patrol, but not routine patrol.

Smaller percentages used motorcycle

(3%), horse (2%), or marine (2%)

patrol units exclusively for special

events.

In 1999, 63% of departments used foot

and/or bicycle patrol on a routine basis,

up from 60% in 1997. Nearly all

departments serving 50,000 or more

residents used one or both of these

patrol types, often in conjunction with

community policing initiatives designed

to enhance police-community interaction.

Of the approximately 195 million U.S.

residents served by a local police

department, 85% were served by one

that used foot and/or bicycle patrol on a

routine basis during 1999, compared to

78% in 1997 (figure 2). From 1997 to

1999 the percentage of residents

served by a department using routine

bicycle patrol went from 66% to 76%,

and the percentage served by a department with foot patrol from 59% to 68%.

Dispatch

Thirty-eight percent of local police

departments, employing 76% of all

officers, had responsibility for dispatching citizen calls for service (table 11).

This included more than 80% of the

departments serving a population of

250,000 or more and more than 70% of

those serving a population of 10,000 to

249,999. 

 Local Police Departments 1999 5

--Less than 0.5%.

Under 2,500 100 50 14 1 1 --

2,500-9,999 100 55 40 5 4 1

10,000-24,999 100 54 60 17 5 1

25,000-49,999 100 58 72 42 7 2

50,000-99,999 100 65 81 63 9 8

100,000-249,999 100 65 87 85 15 23

250,000-499,999 100 82 96 87 24 57

500,000-999,999 100 79 96 92 54 46

1,000,000 or more 100% 94% 94% 88% 56% 62%

 All sizes 100% 53% 34% 10% 3% 1%

served Automobile Foot Bicycle Motorcycle Marine Horse

Percent of agencies using each 

Population type of patrol on a routine basis

Table 10. Types of patrol used on a routine basis by 

local police departments, by size of population served, 1999

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

Type of patrol used

Percent of population served

1999

1997

Either type

Bike

Foot

Percent of population served by a local police department

using foot or bicycle patrol units on a routine basis, 1997 and 1999

Under 2,500 14

2,500-9,999 48

10,000-24,999 72

25,000-49,999 76

50,000-99,999 69

100,000-249,999 78

250,000-499,999 87

500,000-999,999 79

1,000,000 or more 81%

 All sizes 38%

Percent of agencies

dispatching calls 

for service

Population

served

Table 11. Dispatch functions of 

local police departments, by size

of population served, 1999

Figure 2
9-1-1 emergency telephone system

In 1999, 88% of local police departments,

employing 98% of all officers, participated in an emergency telephone

system whereby one of their units could

be dispatched as a result of a call to

9-1-1 or its equivalent (table 12). More

than 90% of the departments in each

population category of 2,500 or more

were 9-1-1 participants, including all of

those serving 250,000 or more residents.

Three-fourths of local police 9-1-1

systems were enhanced, capable of

pinpointing the location of a caller

automatically. More than 90% of 

departments serving a population of

25,000 or more had enhanced 9-1-1,

compared to about half of those serving

fewer than 2,500 residents.

The 67% of local police departments

participating in an enhanced 9-1-1

system in 1999 represented a sizable

increase over 1997, when 53% were

participants. It was nearly 4 times the

proportion with such a capability in

1990 (18%). In 1999, 9 in 10 local

police officers worked in a department

with enhanced 9-1-1 compared to 5 in

10 officers in 1990.

From 1990 to 1999 the percentage of

residents served by a local police

department with 9-1-1 increased from

79% to 98% (figure 3). During this

time, the percentage of residents

covered by an enhanced 9-1-1 system

nearly doubled from 48% to 91%. 

Crime investigation

Overall, 92% of local police departments,

employing 99% of all officers, conducted

investigations of at least some types of

crimes. Eighty-seven percent had

investigative responsibility for violent

crimes such as rape, robbery, or

assault, including nearly all of those

serving a population of 10,000 or more

(table 13). About 3 in 4 departments

handled homicide investigations,

including all of those serving 250,000 or

more residents, and more than 90% of

those serving 10,000 to 249,999

residents. 

Ninety percent of departments were

responsible for investigating property

crimes such as burglary, larceny, or motor

vehicle theft. All departments serving

250,000 or more residents handled

such investigations, as did more than 9

in 10 departments serving 2,500 to

249,999 residents. 

Sixty-three percent of all departments

were responsible for arson investigations, with those serving 2,500 to

99,999 residents the most likely to

handle such incidents. 

About a third of departments were

responsible for investigating environmental crimes. No more than 42% of

the departments in any population

category handled such investigations.

6 Local Police Departments 1999

Note: Participation is defined as the ability to

dispatch a unit as a result of a call to 9-1-1. 

Detail may not add to total because of

rounding.

Under 2,500 82 53 29

2,500-9,999 91 71 20

10,000-24,999 97 84 13

25,000-49,999 97 92 5

50,000-99,999 99 94 6

100,000-249,999 99 92 7

250,000-499,999 100 100 0

500,000-999,999 100 96 4

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

 All sizes 88% 67% 22%

Total Enhanced Basic

Percent of agencies 

Population participating in 9-1-1 system

served

Table 12. Participation in a 9-1-1

emergency telephone system by 

local police departments, by size 

of population served, 1999

Figure 3

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Percent of population served by local police departments

participating in a 9-1-1 emergency telephone system,

1990, 1993, 1997, and 1999

Any 9-1-1 system Enhanced 9-1-1 system Basic 9-1-1 system

1990

1993

1997

Percent of population served

1999

b

Includes burglary, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft.

a

Includes rape, robbery, and assault.

Under 2,500 64 77 51 84 29 22

2,500-9,999 82 93 71 94 37 46

10,000-24,999 91 98 76 98 35 66

25,000-49,999 95 99 82 99 36 67

50,000-99,999 97 100 78 99 35 76

100,000-249,999 98 99 64 97 36 79

250,000-499,999 100 100 54 100 26 69

500,000-999,999 100 100 54 100 42 92

1,000,000 or more 100% 100% 56% 100% 25% 94%

 All sizes 76% 87% 63% 90% 33% 40%

 Otherb Other Arson a Homicide

Computer

crimes

Environmental

crimes

Population Violent crimes Property crimes

served

Percent of agencies with primary responsibility for investigating:

Table 13. Crime investigation functions of local police

departments, by size of population served, 1999
Two-fifths of departments handled

computer crime investigations, including more than 90% of those serving a

population of 500,000 or more, and

about 70% of those serving 10,000 to

499,999 residents.

Investigative support functions

A fourth of all local police departments

were responsible for fingerprint

processing (table 14). This included 

all departments serving a population of

1 million or more, and about 9 in 10

serving 100,000 to 999,999 residents. 

Few departments provided crime lab

services (4%) or performed ballistics

tests (2%), although more than half of

departments serving 250,000 or more

residents were responsible for these

functions. 

Court-related functions

Eighty-five percent of departments,

employing 84% of all officers, were

responsible for executing arrest

warrants (table 15). This included at

least 74% of the departments in each

population category.

Twenty-six percent of departments,

employing 25% of all officers, provided 

court security. No more than 32% of

the departments in any population

category performed such services.

An estimated 16% of departments,

employing 9% of all officers, were

responsible for serving civil process. 

Departments serving fewer than 2,500

residents (21%) were the most likely to

perform this function.

Detention facilities

Just 8% of local police departments,

employing 14% of all officers, operated

a jail during 1999 (table 16). No more

than 19% of the departments in any

population category operated a jail, a

function most commonly handled by

sheriffs’ offices.

Sixteen percent of local police departments, employing 43% of all officers,

operated a temporary holding (lockup)

facility for overnight detention that was

separate from a jail. The percentage of

departments with a lockup ranged from

56% in the largest jurisdictions to 4% in

the smallest.

Departments in the largest jurisdictions

were also the most likely (75%) to have

temporary holding cells not used for

overnight detention. Just 6% of the

departments in the smallest jurisdictions

had them. Overall, 19% of departments, employing 47% of all officers,

had this type of holding cell.

 Local Police Departments 1999 7

Under 2,500 12 2 1

2,500-9,999 27 2 1

10,000-24,999 39 5 2

25,000-49,999 51 12 2

50,000-99,999 67 21 3

100,000-249,999 87 38 10

250,000-499,999 91 63 48

500,000-999,999 96 50 50

1,000,000 or more 100% 81% 75%

 All sizes 25% 4% 2%

 Ballistics 

 testing

 Crime lab

 services

 Fingerprint

 processing

Population

served

Percent of agencies with primary responsibility for:

Table 14. Investigative support functions of local 

police departments, by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 82 24 21

2,500-9,999 87 27 15

10,000-24,999 92 32 7

25,000-49,999 91 26 10

50,000-99,999 83 20 6

100,000-249,999 79 15 4

250,000-499,999 74 11 7

500,000-999,999 83 12 13

1,000,000 or more 75% 31% 12%

 All sizes 85% 26% 16%

Serve 

civil 

process

Provide

court 

security

Execute

arrest

warrants

Population 

served

Percent of agencies with 

primary responsibility to:

Table 15. Court-related functions of local police

departments, by size of population served, 1999

a

Temporary holding facility for overnight detention that is

separate from a jail.

b

Not for overnight detention.

Under 2,500 3 4 6

2,500-9,999 9 17 24

10,000-24,999 12 36 39

25,000-49,999 19 42 42

50,000-99,999 16 35 42

100,000-249,999 19 28 37

250,000-499,999 15 24 44

500,000-999,999 8 29 50

1,000,000 or more 12% 56% 75%

 All sizes 8% 16% 19%

 Holding 

 cellb Lockupa Jail

Population 

served

Percent of agencies operating:

Table 16. Detention facilities of local police 

departments, by size of population served, 1999
Traffic and vehicle-related functions

Nearly all local police departments had

primary responsibility for enforcing

traffic laws (99%) and investigating

traffic accidents (98%) (table 17).

Large percentages also handled traffic

direction and control (87%), and

parking enforcement (90%) duties. 

Nearly half of departments provided

school crossing services (47%), including about three-fifths of those serving

10,000 to 999,999 residents.

About 3 in 8 departments were responsible for enforcement of commercial

vehicle laws. This included more than

3 in 5 departments serving 250,000 or

more residents.

Special operations functions

Twenty-one percent of local police

departments performed tactical operations, commonly associated with SWAT

(Special Weapons and Tactics) teams

(table 18). These departments

employed 71% of all local police

officers. All departments serving

500,000 or more residents performed

SWAT operations, as did a majority of

those serving 25,000 to 499,999

residents.

An estimated 19% of departments,

employing 37% of all officers, had 

responsibility for search and rescue

operations. More than half of the

departments serving a population of

500,000 or more performed this function.

Five percent of departments, employing

34% of all officers, were responsible for

underwater recovery operations. This

included a majority of the departments

serving 500,000 or more residents. 

Bomb disposal was handled by 3% of

departments, including 88% of those

serving 500,000 or more residents, and

76% of those serving a population of

250,000 to 499,999. Departments

handling bomb disposal employed 42%

of all officers.

Special public safety functions

Fifty-eight percent of departments were

responsible for animal control services

in their jurisdiction (table 19). This

included about three-fifths of the

departments serving fewer than 10,000

residents, and about half of those

serving 10,000 to 99,999 residents.

Departments handling animal control

employed 38% of all officers.

Other special public safety functions

handled by local police departments

included civil defense (21%), emergency

medical services (16%), and fire

services (12%). Departments performing civil defense functions employed

13% of all officers, those handling

emergency medical services 9%, and

those providing fire services, 5%.

8 Local Police Departments 1999

Under 2,500 1 19 7 3

2,500-9,999 2 17 17 4

10,000-24,999 2 20 43 7

25,000-49,999 6 21 59 12

50,000-99,999 18 20 79 18

100,000-249,999 40 26 96 20

250,000-499,999 76 39 93 33

500,000-999,999 88 54 100 54

1,000,000 or more 88% 56% 100% 56%

 All sizes 3% 19% 21% 5%

Underwater 

recovery

Tactical

operations

(SWAT)

Search 

and 

rescue

 

Bomb

disposal

Population 

served

Percent of agencies with 

primary responsibility for:

Table 18. Special operations functions of local police 

departments, by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 63 22 19 17

2,500-9,999 57 23 16 10

10,000-24,999 52 15 12 6

25,000-49,999 54 17 13 6

50,000-99,999 49 20 8 4

100,000-249,999 35 10 5 3

250,000-499,999 17 7 2 0

500,000-999,999 29 13 4 4

1,000,000 or more 6% 19% 13% 0%

 All sizes 58% 21% 16% 12%

Fire 

services

 Emergency

 medical 

 services

Civil

defense

 Animal

 control

Population 

served

Percent of agencies with 

primary responsibility for:

Table 19. Special public safety functions of local police 

departments, by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 98 96 81 85 37 33

2,500-9,999 99 100 91 94 52 39

10,000-24,999 100 100 92 97 58 46

25,000-49,999 100 100 91 96 62 49

50,000-99,999 99 100 89 90 63 53

100,000-249,999 100 99 87 78 63 47

250,000-499,999 96 100 87 83 54 61

500,000-999,999 100 100 83 79 67 62

1,000,000 or more 100% 100% 75% 56% 50% 69%

 All sizes 99% 98% 87% 90% 47% 38%

Commercial

vehicle

enforcement

 School 

 crossing 

 services

 Parking

 enforce-

 ment

 Traffic 

 direction

and control

 Accident 

 investi-

 gation

 Enforce-

 ment of

traffic laws

Population 

served

 Percent of agencies with primary responsibility for:

Table 17. Traffic and vehicle-related functions of local 

police departments, by size of population served, 1999
Community policing

Community policing is a philosophy that

promotes and supports organizational

strategies to address the causes and

reduce the fear of crime and social

disorder through problem-solving strategies and community partnerships. A

fundamental shift from traditional

reactive policing, community policing

stresses the prevention of crime.

Community policing supports and

empowers front-line officers, decentralizes command, and encourages

innovative problem solving. (See

Community Policing in Local Police

Departments, 1997 and 1999, BJS

Special Report, February 2001, NCJ

184794.)

In 1999, 17% of local police departments, employing 45% of all officers, 

had a formal, written community policing plan (table 20). A majority of the

departments serving 50,000 or more

residents had a written plan, including

about two-thirds of those serving a

population of 100,000 to 999,999.

Departments serving fewer than 2,500

residents (9%) were the least likely to

have a written plan. 

In each of the four major population

categories, a majority of local police

departments had either a formal,

written community policing plan or an

informal, unwritten plan (figure 4).

Departments serving fewer than 50,000

residents were more likely to have an

unwritten plan than a formal, written

one. Overall, 91% of all local police

officers worked for a department with

some type of community policing plan.

Community policing training

During the 2-year period ending June

30, 1999, 54% of all local police departments, employing 87% of all officers,

trained at least some of their new officer

recruits in community policing skills such

as problem-solving and developing

community partnerships (table 21). 

Forty-one percent of departments,

employing 67% of all officers, trained

all new recruits in community policing.

The larger the jurisdiction, the more

likely a department trained all recruits

in community policing, ranging from

95% of those serving 500,000 or more

residents to 24% of those serving fewer

than 2,500 residents.

Sixty-three percent of departments,

employing 85% of all officers, trained at

least some in-service officers during the

2-year period. Twenty-eight percent of

departments, employing 32% of all

officers, trained all of their in-service

officers in community policing.

 Local Police Departments 1999 9

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

Under 2,500 50 9 40

2,500-9,999 73 16 58

10,000-24,999 81 28 53

25,000-49,999 90 38 52

50,000-99,999 93 53 40

100,000-249,999 96 65 31

250,000-499,999 95 69 26

500,000-999,999 96 67 29

1,000,000 or more 94% 56% 37%

 All sizes 65% 17% 48%

 Informal,

 unwritten

 Formal,

Total written 

Population 

served

Percent of agencies with 

a community policing plan

Table 20. Local police departments 

with a community policing plan, 

by size of population served, 1999

Figure 4

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

*Eight or more hours during the 2-year period ending June 30, 1999.

Under 2,500 35 24 11 49 28 21

2,500-9,999 63 46 17 69 26 43

10,000-24,999 76 61 15 82 27 55

25,000-49,999 87 69 17 88 34 54

50,000-99,999 88 74 14 91 41 50

100,000-249,999 92 81 10 90 40 50

250,000-499,999 89 85 4 85 43 41

500,000-999,999 100 96 4 83 54 29

1,000,000 or more 100% 94% 6% 81% 31% 50%

 All sizes 54% 41% 14% 63% 28% 35%

Total All Some Total All Some

New officer recruits In-service sworn personnel

Percent of agencies with community policing training* 

Population 

served

Table 21. Community policing training for new officer recruits and in-service

officers in local police departments, by size of population served, 1999

Under 10,000

10,000 - 49,999

50,000 - 249,999

250,000 or more

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Community policing plans of local police departments, 1999

Population served

Percent of agencies

Formal, written

Informal, unwritten

None

 Figure 4
Community policing personnel

Overall, 64% of local police departments,

serving 87% of all local police officers,

had full-time sworn personnel serving

as community policing officers, community resource officers, community

relations officers, or otherwise regularly

engaged in community policing activities

(table 22). As of June 30, 1999, an

estimated 91,000, or 21%, of local

police officers served in this capacity.

About 9 in 10 departments serving a

population of 25,000 or more had 

full-time community policing officers.

Those serving a population of 1 million 

or more employed about 1,700 such

officers on average. Among departments serving fewer than 2,500

residents that had community policing

officers, an average of 2 each were so

designated.

The percentage of full-time sworn

personnel designated as community

policing officers was highest in the

smallest jurisdictions (40%) (figure 5).

Departments serving jurisdictions with

1 million or more residents had the next

highest percentage C 28%. Percentages in other population categories

ranged from 24% in those with 2,500 to

9,999 residents, to 13% in those with

250,000 to 999,999 residents.

Thirty percent of local police departments, employing 62% of all officers,

had full-time school resource officers

during 1999 (table 23). These officers

use a community policing approach to

provide a safe environment for students

and staff. In addition to handling calls

for service within the school, they work

closely with school administrators and

staff to prevent crime and disorder by

monitoring crime trends, problem

areas, cultural conflicts, and other

areas of concern.

As of June 30, 1999, local police

departments had about 9,100 full-time

sworn personnel assigned as school

resource officers. A majority of the

departments serving 10,000 or more

residents had school resource officers.

Among departments using them, the

average number of school resource

officers ranged from 66 in departments

serving a population of 1 million or

more, to 1 in those serving fewer than

2,500 residents.

10 Local Police Departments 1999

*Excludes agencies that did not employ any 

full-time sworn school resource officers.

Under 2,500 15 1,330 1

2,500-9,999 30 1,920 2

10,000-24,999 50 1,455 2

25,000-49,999 67 1,093 2

50,000-99,999 73 996 4

100,000-249,999 81 895 7

250,000-499,999 78 541 15

500,000-999,999 58 308 22

1,000,000 or more 56% 592 66

 All sizes 30% 9,130 2

Average

number 

of officers* 

Total 

number 

of officers

Percent of

agencies

using

Population

served

School resource officers

Table 23. School resource officers in local police 

departments, by size of population served, 1999

*Excludes agencies that did not employ any 

full-time sworn community policing officers.

Under 2,500 54 7,880 2

2,500-9,999 64 11,200 4

10,000-24,999 77 10,902 8

25,000-49,999 88 7,976 13

50,000-99,999 92 7,804 22

100,000-249,999 95 8,030 54

250,000-499,999 91 5,018 119

500,000-999,999 88 4,536 216

1,000,000 or more 100% 27,724 1,728

 All sizes 64% 91,072 11

Average

number 

of officers* 

Total 

number 

of officers

Percent of

agencies

using

Population 

served

Full-time community policing officers

Table 22. Community policing officers in local 

police departments, by size of population served, 1999

 Figure 5

Percent of full-time officers

Under 2,500

2,500 - 9,999

10,000 - 24,999

25,000 - 49,999

50,000 - 99,999

100,000 - 249,999

250,000 - 499,999

500,000 - 999,999

1,000,000 or more

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Percent of local police officers designated as

community policing officers, by size of population served, 1999

Population served
Community-oriented policies 

and programs

Forty-two percent of all local police

departments, employing 78% of all

local police officers, gave patrol officers

responsibility for specific geographic

areas or beats during 1999 (table 24).

This included about 90% of the departments serving a population of 50,000

or more. Just 8% of departments,

employing 43% of all officers, assigned

cases to investigators by geographic

area, although a majority of the departments serving a population of 100,000

or more did so.

Twenty-nine percent of departments,

employing 48% of all officers, actively

encouraged patrol officers to become

involved in problem-solving projects. 

A majority of the departments serving a

population of 25,000 or more had such

a policy.

Eighteen percent of all departments,

employing 33% of all officers, included

problem-solving projects in the

performance evaluation criteria for

patrol officers. This included about half

of the departments serving a population of 100,000 or more. 

During the 2-year period ending June

30, 1999, 25% of local police departments, employing 44% of all officers,

formed partnerships with community

groups, local agencies, or others

through written agreements (table 25).

This included nearly two-thirds of the

departments serving 100,000 to 

999,999 residents. 

Twenty-four percent of departments,

employing 68% of all officers, offered

training to citizens on community policing topics such as community mobilization and problem-solving. A majority of

departments serving 25,000 or more

residents offered such training. 

About 4 in 5 departments, including

nearly all of those serving 10,000 or

more residents, regularly met with

community groups during the 2-year

period ending June 30, 1999. Departments holding regular meetings

employed 96% of all local police

officers.

About 6 in 7 officers worked for a department that regularly met with school

groups (85%) and neighborhood

associations (84%) (figure 6). The

percentages for other types of groups

were as follows: business (78%),

senior citizen (70%), domestic violence

(66%), youth service (65%), tenant

(59%), and religious (59%).

 Local Police Departments 1999 11

Religious

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

Percent of officers employed

Percent of local police officers employed by a

department that met regularly with citizen

groups to discuss crime-related problems, 1999

Business

Senior citizen

Domestic violence

Youth service

Type of group

School

Neighborhood

Tenant

a

During 1-year period ending June 30, 1999.

b

During 2-year period ending June 30, 1999.

Under 2,500 65 14 10

2,500-9,999 86 30 25

10,000-24,999 96 37 44

25,000-49,999 100 44 57

50,000-99,999 99 53 67

100,000-249,999 99 63 76

250,000-499,999 100 67 87

500,000-999,999 96 62 79

1,000,000 or more 100% 44% 87%

 All sizes 79% 25% 24%

 Citizen

 trainingb

 Problem-

 solving

 partnershipb

 Community 

 group

 meetingsa

Population

served

 Percent of agencies engaging 

 in community policing activities

Table 25. Community policing activities 

of local police departments, by size of 

population served, 1999

Figure 6

Under 2,500 26 3 18 11

2,500-9,999 45 8 33 19

10,000-24,999 63 10 39 22

25,000-49,999 77 16 53 33

50,000-99,999 87 30 63 39

100,000-249,999 95 57 72 50

250,000-499,999 98 69 65 59

500,000-999,999 96 71 58 50

1,000,000 or more 88% 69% 62% 44%

 All sizes 42% 8% 29% 18%

 Included in

 evaluation

 Actively 

Investigators encouraged

 Patrol 

 officers

Population

served

Patrol officer 

Geographic assignments problem-solving projects

Table 24. Community-oriented policies for sworn personnel 

in local police departments, by size of population served, 1999
Citizen surveys

Nearly 3 in 10 local police departments,

employing about half of all officers,

surveyed citizens in their jurisdiction

during the year ending June 30, 1999

(table 26). This included a majority of

the departments serving a population 

of 25,000 or more.

Twenty-five percent of departments,

employing 39% of all officers, surveyed

citizens’ about their satisfaction with

police services. Eighteen percent of

departments, employing 32% of all

officers, surveyed citizens regarding

their perception of crime problems.

Eleven percent of departments, employing 22% of officers, surveyed citizens

about their personal crime experiences.

A majority of departments conducting

surveys used the data to provide information to officers (72%), evaluate

program effectiveness (57%), or 

prioritize crime-related problems (52%)

(figure 7). About two-fifths used the

information for training officers (42%),

formulating policy and procedures

(42%), or allocating resources to

targeted neighborhoods (39%).

Sixteen percent used it to redistrict

beats or reporting areas.

Citizen access to crime statistics

Seventy-three percent of local police

departments, employing 92% of all

local police officers, provided citizens

with routine access to crime statistics

or crime maps (table 27). This included

more than 90% of departments serving

10,000 or more residents.

Departments were most likely to provide

access to crime statistics at the city or

county level (60% of departments

employing 83% of all officers). An

estimated 23% of departments,

employing 54% of all officers, provided

routine access to crime statistics by

neighborhood. 

12 Local Police Departments 1999

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Percent of surveying agencies 

Purposes for which local police departments used

information collected in citizen surveys, 1999

Redistricting beats/reporting areas

Providing information to officers

Evaluating program effectiveness

Prioritizing crime/disorder problems

Formulating policy/procedures

Allocating resources to neighborhoods

Training officers

Agency uses of survey information

Note: Neighborhood category includes apartment complexes. Other 

levels of statistics not included in table were available in some jurisdictions.

Under 2,500 58 47 11 5 7 3

2,500-9,999 82 68 24 18 10 9

10,000-24,999 91 76 40 32 22 14

25,000-49,999 91 74 47 42 39 24

50,000-99,999 95 89 55 40 50 29

100,000-249,999 98 89 57 42 52 48

250,000-499,999 98 93 68 48 54 66

500,000-999,999 100 96 50 54 79 79

1,000,000 or more 87% 81% 56% 37% 50% 81%

 All sizes 73% 60% 23% 16% 14% 9%

 District or 

 precinct

 Patrol 

 beat

 Street 

 or block

 Neighbor-

 hood

 County 

 or city

 Any

 level

Population

served

 Percent of agencies providing citizens with 

 routine access to crime statistics or crime maps by:

Table 27. Local police departments providing citizens with routine

access to crime statistics or crime maps, by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 22 19 11 6

2,500-9,999 26 24 17 9

10,000-24,999 34 30 24 18

25,000-49,999 51 49 39 24

50,000-99,999 57 50 44 29

100,000-249,999 57 52 46 34

250,000-499,999 53 47 35 24

500,000-999,999 54 50 37 29

1,000,000 or more 62% 56% 50% 37%

 All sizes 28% 25% 18% 11%

 Personal 

 crime

 experiences

 Perceptions 

 of crime

 problems

 Satisfaction

 with 

 services

Any 

topic

 Percent of agencies that surveyed citizens during

 12-month period ending June 30, 1999 regarding:

Population

served

Table 26. Surveying of citizens by local police departments,

by size of population served, 1999

 Figure 7
Sixteen percent of departments,

employing 36% of all officers, made

statistics available at the street or block

level, and 14% of them, employing

38% of all officers, provided statistics

by patrol beat. Just 9% of departments

provided district or precinct crime

statistics. However, most departments

serving 250,000 or more residents did

so, and departments providing such

statistics employed 47% of all officers.

Ninety percent of the departments that

provided citizens with routine access to

crime statistics or crime maps made

them available to those who inquired in

person (figure 8). Just over half

provided statistics in response to

requests made by telephone (57%) or

in writing (56%). About two-fifths of

departments routinely published crime

statistics in newspapers (40%) or

agency reports (38%). Some provided

access to statistics by fax (16%), radio

(14%), newsletter (11%), television

(11%), or the Internet (10%).

Computers and information systems

Administrative functions

All local police departments serving

25,000 or more residents, and 97% of 

those serving 2,500 to 24,999

residents, used computers for administrative purposes during 1999 (table 28).

Just 1% of local police officers worked

for a department not using computers. 

An estimated 78% of departments,

employing 96% of all officers, used

personal computers (PC’s) in 1999.

This was an increase over 1997 when

67% of departments, employing 93% of

officers, used them. In 1999 all departments serving 250,000 or more

residents, and 99% of those serving

25,000 to 249,999 residents, used

PC’s. 

Twenty-four percent of departments,

employing 59% of all officers, used

mainframes during 1999. This was a

decrease from 1997 when 37% of

departments, employing 75% of all

officers, used them. 

Local police departments stored various

types of administrative records in 

computer files during 1999. Forty-six

percent of them, employing 84% of all

officers, had computerized personnel

files (table 29). This included a majority

of departments serving 2,500 or more

residents and more than 90% of those

serving a population of 100,000 or more. 

Forty-four percent, employing 69% of all

officers, had computerized inventory

files. This included a majority of departments serving 10,000 or more residents.

An estimated 29% of departments,

employing 68% of all officers, had

computerized payroll files. This

included a majority of departments

serving 25,000 or more residents.

 Local Police Departments 1999 13

Under 2,500 30 15 25

2,500-9,999 49 32 53

10,000-24,999 60 47 72

25,000-49,999 73 57 78

50,000-99,999 77 68 84

100,000-249,999 77 84 92

250,000-499,999 87 85 96

500,000-999,999 96 88 100

1,000,000 or more 87% 81% 100%

 All sizes 44% 29% 46%

Inventory Payroll Personnel

 Percent of agencies with 

Population computerized files on:

served

Table 29. Administrative records 

stored in a computerized format 

by local police departments, 

by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 70 62 13 4 10

2,500-9,999 97 87 27 12 54

10,000-24,999 98 93 37 18 83

25,000-49,999 100 99 44 27 87

50,000-99,999 100 100 57 33 84

100,000-249,999 100 99 48 41 93

250,000-499,999 100 100 68 46 94

500,000-999,999 100 100 83 54 100

1,000,000 or more 100% 100% 81% 81% 100%

 All sizes 85% 78% 24% 11% 41%

 Mini Server

MainPersonal frameAny 

type

Population

served

Percent of agencies using each type of computer:

Table 28. Selected types of computers used by local police departments for

administrative functions, by size of population served, 1999

 Figure 8

Radio

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

Percent of statistics-providing agencies

Methods for accessing crime statistics provided

to citizens by local police departments, 1999

Written request

Newspaper

Agency report

Television

Newsletter

Method of access provided

Fax

In person

Telephone

Internet
Computer-aided dispatch

Among the approximately 5,000 local

police departments with responsibility

for dispatching calls for service (see

table 11), more than half (56%) used

computer-aided dispatch systems

(table 30). This included all departments serving a population of 500,000

or more, and nearly all departments

serving 50,000 to 499,999 residents.

The percentage of local police department dispatch systems that were

computerized increased significantly

from 1990 to 1999. For example,

among departments that handled

dispatch functions and served 250,000

or more residents, the percent with

computer-aided dispatch rose from

88% to 99% (figure 9).

From 1990 to 1999, among departments serving 50,000 to 249,999

residents, the percentage with computerized dispatch increased from 72% to

97%; among those serving 10,000 to

49,999 residents, from 48% to 74%; and

in jurisdictions with a population of less

than 10,000, the percentage of

dispatch systems that were computerized increased from 16% to 36%. 

Offender and suspect records

Seventy percent of local police departments had computerized arrest records

in 1999 (table 31). This included nearly

all departments serving a population 

of 10,000 or more, and about 4 in 5

departments serving a population 

of 2,500 to 9,999. 

More than two-fifths of departments

had computerized criminal history

(44%) and warrant (43%) information.

This included more than 70% of the

departments in each population category

of 10,000 or more, and about half of

those serving 2,500 to 9,999 residents.

Just 28% of all departments had

computerized summons records.

However, about two-thirds of the

departments serving a population 

of 1 million or more had them, as did

about half of those serving 10,000 

to 999,999 residents. 

From 1990 to 1999 the percentage of

departments with computerized information on arrests, criminal histories,

warrants, and summonses increased

substantially. Accordingly, the percentage of officers employed by a department storing these types of records in a

computerized format also increased.

14 Local Police Departments 1999

Under 2,500 47 20 14 21

2,500-9,999 82 53 34 51

10,000-24,999 97 73 46 72

25,000-49,999 98 82 47 74

50,000-99,999 99 83 46 75

100,000-249,999 97 81 48 81

250,000-499,999 100 85 50 78

500,000-999,999 100 75 54 88

1,000,000 or more 94% 87% 69% 87%

 All sizes 70% 44% 28% 43%

Summonses Warrants

Criminal

 Arrests histories

Population 

served

Percent of agencies with computerized files on:

Table 31. Offender and suspect records stored in a computerized 

format by local police departments, by size of population served, 1999

Figure 9

Note: Table excludes agencies not 

responsible for providing dispatch services.

Under 2,500 18

2,500-9,999 44

10,000-24,999 70

25,000-49,999 85

50,000-99,999 96

100,000-249,999 98

250,000-499,999 98

500,000-999,999 100

1,000,000 or more 100%

 All sizes 56%

Percent of

agencies

Population 

served

Table 30. Local police departments

using computer-aided dispatch,

by size of population of served, 1999

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

Percent of agencies

Percent of local police department dispatch systems that were

computerized, by size of population served, 1990 and 1999

Population served

50,000 - 249,999

Under 10,000

250,000 or more

10,000 - 49,999 1990

1999
The percentage of local police officers

working for a department with computerized arrest records increased from

81% in 1990 to 95% in 1999 (figure

10). Similar increases in computerization were observed for information

pertaining to criminal histories (from

60% in 1990 to 79% in 1999), warrants

(from 68% to 78%), and summonses

(from 28% to 52%). 

Investigations

Nearly half (45%) of all departments

used computers for criminal investigation purposes other than word processing (table 32). This included about 9 in

10 departments serving a population of

100,000 or more, 8 in 10 departments

serving a population of 25,000 to

99,999, and 7 in 10 departments

serving 10,000 to 24,999 residents. 

Departments using computers for

criminal investigation purposes

employed 80% of all local police

officers in 1999. In 1990, 30% of

departments, employing 71% of all

officers, were using computers for

criminal investigations.

Most departments maintained various

types of computerized information

related to the investigative process.

For example, 69% of them, employing

90% of all officers, had computer files

pertaining to incident reports. This

included more than 90% of the departments serving 10,000 to 999,999

residents.

Sixty-two percent of departments,

employing 73% of all officers, stored

incident report narratives in a computerized format. This included about 3 in

4 departments serving a population of

100,000 to 999,999 or 2,500 to 49,999.

Just over half of all departments had

computerized information on stolen

property other than vehicles. This

included at least 84% of the departments in each population category of

10,000 or more. Departments with

computer files on stolen property

employed 83% of all officers. 

Forty-three percent of departments,

employing 82% of all officers, had

computer files containing evidence

information. This included all departments serving a population of 1 million

or more, and a large majority of those

serving 10,000 to 999,999 residents. 

Thirty-six percent of departments,

employing 68% of all officers, had

computer files containing field interview

information. This included about 3 in 4

departments serving 50,000 or more

residents, and about 3 in 5 departments serving a population of 10,000 

to 49,999. 

 Local Police Departments 1999 15

1999

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

Percent of officers employed

Percent of local police officers employed by a department with

computerized offender and suspect information, 1990 and 1999

Type of information

Criminal histories

Warrants

Arrests

Summonses

1999

1990

Under 2,500 21

2,500-9,999 57

10,000-24,999 70

25,000-49,999 78

50,000-99,999 82

100,000-249,999 89

250,000-499,999 87

500,000-999,999 92

1,000,000 or more 94%

 All sizes 45%

Percent of

agencies

Population 

served

Table 32. Local police departments

using computers for criminal 

investigations, by size of population

served, 1999

Under 2,500 21 18 47 45 28

2,500-9,999 48 41 83 76 66

10,000-24,999 74 58 93 80 84

25,000-49,999 84 66 94 76 86

50,000-99,999 88 76 93 63 85

100,000-249,999 90 79 95 75 86

250,000-499,999 83 83 91 74 91

500,000-999,999 92 71 92 79 88

1,000,000 or more 100% 81% 81% 62% 87%

 All sizes 43% 36% 69% 62% 53%

 Stolen

 property

Incident

report 

narratives

 Incident

 reports

Field 

 Evidence interviews

Population 

served

 Percent of agencies with computerized files on:

Table 33. Investigative records stored in a computerized format 

by local police departments, by size of population served, 1999

Figure 10
Traffic and vehicle-related records

In 1999 most local police departments

had computer files on traffic citations

(60%) and accidents (54%) (table 34).

More than 80% of those serving a

population of 10,000 or more had these

types of computerized information.

Departments with computer files on

traffic accidents employed 85% of all

officers, and those with computerized

traffic citation files, 66% of all officers.

About two-fifths (39%) of departments

had computer files containing information on traffic stops, including more

than three-fifths of those serving a

population of 10,000 to 999,999.

About half (52%) of all local police

officers worked for a department that

had computer records on traffic stops.

Forty-eight percent of all departments,

employing 81% of all officers, had

computer files on stolen vehicles. This

included about 80% of the departments

serving 10,000 or more residents. 

Crime and calls for service records

Overall, 56% of departments, employing 91% of all officers, had computer

records on calls for service (table 35).

This included more than 90% of the

departments serving 10,000 or more

residents. 

Just under half (46%) of all departments had computerized alarm records.

These departments employed 80% of

all officers. More than 80% of departments serving a population of 10,000 or

more had alarm-related computer files.

Fifty percent of departments, employing

83% of all officers, had computerized

incident-based crime data, including

more than 80% of the departments

serving a population of 10,000 or more.

About a third (34%) of departments,

employing 53% of all officers, had

computerized files related to the

National Incident-Based Reporting

System of the Uniform Crime Reporting

(UCR) program. About half (48%),

employing 83% of all officers, had

summary UCR computer files.

Crime analysis and crime mapping

In 1999, 38% of departments, employing 81% of all officers, used computers

for crime analysis (table 36). A large

majority of the departments serving

10,000 or more residents used computers for this function. About a fourth

(23%) of departments, employing 63%

of all officers, maintained linked files for

crime analysis purposes.

Related to crime analysis efforts in

local police departments is the use of

crime mapping. In 1999, 32% of all

departments, employing 74% of all

officers, used computers for this

purpose. This included a large majority

of those serving a population of 50,000

or more.

16 Local Police Departments 1999

Under 2,500 15 17 8

2,500-9,999 46 35 27

10,000-24,999 66 48 38

25,000-49,999 72 54 48

50,000-99,999 84 74 56

100,000-249,999 97 86 70

250,000-499,999 100 98 85

500,000-999,999 100 100 83

1,000,000 or more 94% 94% 81%

 All sizes 38% 32% 23%

Crime

mapping

Crime 

analysis

Population

served

With linked 

files for 

crime analysis 

Using computers for: 

Percent of agencies

Table 36. Use of computers for crime analysis 

and crime mapping by local police departments, 

by size of population served, 1999

*National Incident-Based Reporting System.

Under 2,500 21 29 27 16 23

2,500-9,999 55 70 61 45 60

10,000-24,999 81 90 80 56 78

25,000-49,999 85 96 80 58 83

50,000-99,999 91 96 83 57 83

100,000-249,999 88 97 86 58 89

250,000-499,999 91 100 85 50 93

500,000-999,999 92 96 96 42 100

1,000,000 or more 75% 94% 87% 31% 87%

 All sizes 46% 56% 50% 34% 48%

 Uniform 

 Crime

 Reports-

 Summary

 Uniform 

 Crime

 Reports-

 NIBRS*

 Incident-

 based 

crime data

 Calls for 

Alarms service

Population 

served

Percent of agencies with computerized files on:

Table 35. Crime and calls for service records stored 

in a computerized format by local police departments, 

by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 16 24 32 41 22 9

2,500-9,999 34 61 64 71 44 29

10,000-24,999 45 79 84 82 62 36

25,000-49,999 52 83 90 86 66 42

50,000-99,999 55 82 88 82 65 45

100,000-249,999 54 90 86 78 68 54

250,000-499,999 57 91 85 78 69 54

500,000-999,999 54 88 92 63 63 33

1,000,000 or more 44% 81% 94% 69% 37% 37%

 All sizes 29% 48% 54% 60% 39% 22%

 Vehicle

 registration

 Traffic 

 stops

Traffic

citations

Traffic

accidents

Stolen

vehicles

 Driver’s 

 licenses 

Population 

served

Percent of agencies with computerized files on:

Table 34. Traffic and vehicle-related records stored in a computerized

format by local police departments, by size of population served, 1999
Internet

In 1999, 18% of departments, employing 63% of all officers, had an Internet

home page (table 37). This included

more than 80% of the departments

serving 100,000 or more residents, and

represented an increase over 1997

when 11% of departments, serving

49% of officers, had a home page.

Half of all departments, employing 83%

of all officers, used computers for Internet access during 1999. This included

more than 90% of departments serving

100,000 or more residents, and more

than 80% of those serving 25,000 to

99,999 residents.

Use of computers in the field

A large majority of departments serving

25,000 or more residents used in-field

computers or terminals during 1999

(table 38). Overall, 31% of departments,

employing 73% of all officers, used

them. Laptops were the type most

commonly used with 22% of departments, employing 55% of all officers,

using them. 

About 1 in 6 departments used carmounted computers (6%) or terminals

(12%). This included about 5 in 6

departments serving a population of

500,000 or more. Departments using

car-mounted terminals or computers

employed 57% of all officers.

Just 1% of departments used portable

hand-held computers or terminals.

Departments serving a population of 1

million or more (37%) were the most

likely to use them. Overall, 17% of

local police officers were employed by

a department that used them.

Nationwide local police departments

had 20 in-field computers or terminals

per 100 officers as of June 30, 1999.

Those serving 100,000 to 499,999

residents had the highest ratio, 30 per

100 (figure 11). The next highest ratio,

24 per 100, was among departments

serving a population of either 500,000

to 999,999 or 50,000 to 99,999. The

lowest ratio, 9 per 100, was in departments serving fewer than 2,500 residents.

In 1990, 5% of all departments,

employing 31% of all officers, were

using in-field computers or terminals. 

Since then significant growth in their

use has occurred in all population

categories (see cover graph). 

From 1990 to 1999 among departments

serving 250,000 or more residents,

in-field computer use went from 56% to

88%; in departments serving 50,000 to

249,999 residents, from 31% to 76%; in

departments serving 10,000 to 49,999

residents, from 9% to 55%; and in

departments serving fewer than 10,000

residents, from 2% to 22%.

 Local Police Departments 1999 17

--Less than 0.5%.

Under 2,500 15 11 6 1 5 -- 0 --

2,500-9,999 33 24 17 5 12 1 -- 1

10,000-24,999 51 35 31 13 20 1 0 1

25,000-49,999 66 43 46 20 29 4 1 3

50,000-99,999 72 51 53 20 38 6 2 4

100,000-249,999 86 57 65 28 41 14 4 12

250,000-499,999 89 69 65 20 50 13 9 4

500,000-999,999 88 62 83 33 71 17 17 8

1,000,000 or more 87% 62% 81% 25% 75% 37% 12% 31%

 All sizes 31% 22% 17% 6% 12% 1% -- 1%

 Ter-

 minal

 Com-

 puter

 Either 

 type

 Ter-

 minal

 Com-

 puter

 Either 

 type

Laptop

computer

 Any 

 type

Population

served

Car-mounted Hand-held

Percent of agencies using in-field computers or terminal 

Table 38. Types of in-field computers or terminals used 

by local police departments, by size of population served, 1999

Figure 11

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

In-field computers or terminals per 100 officers

Number of in-field computers or terminals per 100 sworn officers

in local police departments, by size of population served, 1999

Under 2,500

Population served

1,000,000 or more

25,000 - 49,999

10,000 - 24,999

2,500 - 9,999

100,000 - 249,999

50,000 - 99,999

500,000 - 999,999

250,000 - 499,999

Under 2,500 33 4

2,500-9,999 55 17

10,000-24,999 70 36

25,000-49,999 82 47

50,000-99,999 85 63

100,000-249,999 93 78

250,000-499,999 98 85

500,000-999,999 96 100

1,000,000 or more 94% 88%

 All sizes 50% 18%

Internet

home page

 Internet

 access

Population

served

Percent of agencies with:

Table 37. Use of computers for 

Internet purposes by local police

departments, by size of population

served, 1999
In 1999, 20% of local police departments,

employing 38% of all officers, used

in-field computers or terminals to

produce field reports (table 39).

Nineteen percent of departments,

employing 59% of all officers, used

them for at least some in-field communications. 

In about a fifth of departments, at least

some officers could use in-field computers or terminals to access information

on wanted suspects (21%) or vehicles

(20%) (table 40). This included a

majority of the departments serving

25,000 or more residents.

In 18% of departments, officers in the

field could access driving records via

computer. This included a majority of

the departments serving a population of

50,000 or more. In 15% of departments, including a majority of those

serving 100,000 or more residents,

information on stolen property could be

accessed with in-field computers.

 

In 11% of departments, infield computers or terminals could be used to access

criminal histories or information on prior

calls for service at a particular location.

Calls for service histories were available in a majority of the departments

serving 250,000 or more residents.

About 3 in 5 local police officers worked

in a department where information on

wanted suspects (62%) was accessible

to at least some patrol officers via

in-field computers (figure 12). About

half worked in departments where

information on driving records (54%) 

or stolen property (48%) was accessible. Approximately two-fifths worked 

in departments where in-field officers

could access calls for service histories

(41%) or criminal history records

(39%). 

In 14% of departments, employing

21% of all officers, computer media or

data devices were used to transfer or

download crime incident reports to a

central information system. Three

percent of departments, employing 8%

of all officers, used telephone or

wireless transmissions.

18 Local Police Departments 1999

Under 2,500 4 5 8 6 9 9

2,500-9,999 11 12 17 17 21 20

10,000-24,999 17 18 31 25 37 37

25,000-49,999 27 27 45 35 50 50

50,000-99,999 32 27 53 39 56 57

100,000-249,999 47 38 63 53 70 70

250,000-499,999 54 43 70 70 83 83

500,000-999,999 58 42 67 75 83 79

1,000,000 or more 69% 62% 75% 69% 87% 87%

 All sizes 11% 11% 18% 15% 21% 20%

 Wanted

vehicles

 Wanted 

suspects

 Stolen 

property

 Driving 

records

 Criminal

histories

Calls for

service

histories

Population

served

Types of information accessible via in-field computer:

Table 40. Computerized information accessible to in-field officers 

of local police departments, by size of population served, 1999

Note: Table excludes agencies not conducting

criminal incident report transmissions.

Under 2,500 90 9 2

2,500-9,999 79 18 3

10,000-24,999 73 23 4

25,000-49,999 75 16 9

50,000-99,999 85 11 5

100,000-249,999 80 10 11

250,000-499,999 91 2 7

500,000-999,999 75 17 8

1,000,000 or more 50% 12% 37%

 All sizes 83% 14% 3%

Phone/ 

wireless

Computer/

data device

 Paper 

report

Population

served

Percent of agencies using:

Table 41. Methods for transmitting 

criminal incident reports to a central

information system in local police

departments, by size of population

served, 1999

Figure 12

Mapping programs

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

Percent of officers employed

Percent of local police officers employed by a department in which patrol

officers have direct access to information through in-field computers, 1999

Stolen property

Prior calls at location

Criminal history records

Type of information

Wanted suspects

Driving records

Crime analysis software

Under 2,500 13 7

2,500-9,999 24 19

10,000-24,999 27 33

25,000-49,999 33 46

50,000-99,999 30 53

100,000-249,999 41 74

250,000-499,999 43 76

500,000-999,999 33 67

1,000,000 or more 44% 87%

 All sizes 20% 19%

 Communi-

 cations

 Field

 reports

Population

served

Percent of agencies using

in-field computers/terminals for:

Table 39. Use of in-field computers for field

reports and communications, by local police

departments, by size of population served, 1999
Written policies and procedures

Many local police departments have 

written policies and procedures to guide

officers through their work activities.

About 9 in 10 departments had written

policies or procedures on dealing with

domestic disputes (table 42). This

included at least 94% of the departments in each population category of

2,500 or more. 

About 3 in 4 departments had some

type of written policy pertaining to

discretionary arrest powers (76%),

including at least three-fourths of the

departments in each population

category of 2,500 or more.

About 3 in 4 departments had written

policies or procedures pertaining to the

handling of juveniles (76%), including

about 9 in 10 departments serving

10,000 or more residents (table 43). 

A majority of departments also had

written policies or procedures on 

responding to the mentally ill (58%). 

Nearly all departments serving a

population of 2,500 or more had written

policies or procedures dealing with the

use of deadly force and nonlethal force

(table 44). More than 80% of the

departments serving fewer than 2,500

residents did as well.

Ninety percent of departments had a

written code of officer conduct and

appearance, including all of those

serving 25,000 or more residents (table

45). Eighty-four percent had written

procedures on how to handle citizen

complaints, including nearly all of those

serving 10,000 or more residents.

Nationwide, nearly all local police officers

were employed by a department with

written policies or procedures on officer

conduct and appearance (99%), use of

deadly force (99%), handling of domestic disputes (97%), handling of citizen

complaints (96%), and use of nonlethal

force (96%) (figure 13).

 

 Local Police Departments 1999 19

Under 2,500 69 81

2,500-9,999 83 94

10,000-24,999 81 97

25,000-49,999 86 98

50,000-99,999 82 97

100,000-249,999 88 99

250,000-499,999 75 100

500,000-999,999 92 96

1,000,000 or more 88% 100%

 All sizes 76% 89%

Domestic 

disputes

Discretionary

arrests 

Population

served

Percent of agencies

Table 42. Written policies or 

procedures on discretionary arrest

powers and domestic disputes in

local police departments, by size 

of population served, 1999

Under 2,500 29 65 47

2,500-9,999 29 84 61

10,000-24,999 33 88 69

25,000-49,999 35 89 77

50,000-99,999 38 90 80

100,000-249,999 43 95 83

250,000-499,999 40 93 96

500,000-999,999 54 100 88

1,000,000 or more 50% 94% 94%

 All sizes 30% 76% 58%

Mentally 

ill 

 Juveniles persons

Homeless 

persons

Population

served

Percent of agencies

Table 43. Written policies or procedures 

on handling special populations in 

local police departments, by size of

population served, 1999

Under 2,500 88 81

2,500-9,999 98 95

10,000-24,999 99 97

25,000-49,999 100 97

50,000-99,999 100 97

100,000-249,999 100 97

250,000-499,999 100 98

500,000-999,999 100 96

1,000,000 or more 100% 94%

 All sizes 94% 89%

Nonlethal

force

Deadly

force

Population

served

Percent of agencies

Table 44. Written policies or

procedures on officer use 

of force in local police 

departments, by size of 

population served, 1999

Under 2,500 74 82 43

2,500-9,999 89 96 53

10,000-24,999 95 99 56

25,000-49,999 96 100 66

50,000-99,999 97 100 64

100,000-249,999 99 100 73

250,000-499,999 98 100 71

500,000-999,999 100 100 75

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

 All sizes 84% 90% 50%

Maximum 

work 

hours

Conduct 

and

appearance

Citizen

complaints

Population

served

Percent of agencies

Table 45. Written policies or procedures 

on conduct and appearance, maximum 

work hours, and handling of citizen

complaints in local police departments, 

by size of population served, 1999

Figure 13

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

Percent of officers employed

Percent of local police officers employed by a department

with written policies or procedures, by subject area, 1999

Subject area

Citizen complaints

Domestic disputes

Conduct and appearance

Deadly force

Nonlethal force

Juveniles

Mentally ill persons

Maximum work hours

Homeless persons

Discretionary arrests
Methodology

The Law Enforcement Management

and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS)

survey collects data from a nationally

representative sample of the approximately 19,000 publicly funded State

and local law enforcement agencies in

the United States. 

This report presents data from the

1999 survey describing local police

departments in terms of their

personnel, operations, community

policing initiatives, computers and information systems, and written policies

and procedures. 

The 1999 LEMAS survey questionnaire

was mailed to 3,319 State and local law

enforcement agencies. The initial

mailing of the questionnaire was

conducted in June 1999, and, unless

otherwise indicated, June 30, 1999,

was used as the reference date for

survey questions. 

Allowing for the exclusion of certain

types of special jurisdiction police, 895

law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

with 100 or more sworn officers as of

June 30, 1996 were included in the

sample as self-representing (SR)

agencies. This included 529 local

police departments, 306 sheriffs’

offices, the 49 primary State law

enforcement agencies, and 11 special

jurisdiction police agencies.

The self-representing (SR) agencies

were supplemented by a nationally

representative sample of agencies with

fewer than 100 sworn officers. These

nonself-representing (NSR) agencies

were chosen using a stratified random

sample with cells based on the type of

agency (local police, sheriff, or special

police), size of population served, and

number of sworn officers. The 2,424

NSR agencies selected included 1,556

local police departments, 694 sheriffs’

offices, and 174 special jurisdiction

police agencies. 

A total of 3,246 agencies responded to

the 1999 LEMAS survey for a response

rate of 97.8%. This included 883 SR

agencies and 2,363 NSR agencies.

The final database includes 2,052 local

police departments, 967 sheriffs’

offices, 178 special jurisdiction police

departments, and the 49 primary State

law enforcement agencies.

The base weight for all SR agencies is

1. For NSR local police departments,

the base weights are determined by

number of sworn officers employed as

of June 30, 1996. For agencies with 0

to 6 sworn officers, the base weight is

15.55; for 7 to 13 officers, it is 9.65; for

14 to 23 officers, it is 7.09; for 24 to 39

officers, it is 4.95; for 40 to 62 officers,

it is 3.38; and for 63 to 99 officers, the

base weight is 2.14.

The final weight associated with every

agency, both SR and NSR, is the

product of the base weight, a factor that

adjusted for changes in the universe

since 1996, and a factor that adjusted

for any nonresponding agencies in

each cell. 

Some responding agencies did not fully

complete the LEMAS questionnaire.

When an agency did not supply a

response to an item, median value

imputation or ratio imputation was

used. Median value imputation uses

the median value of an item reported by

agencies in the same sample cell.

Ratio imputation uses the median value

of a ratio reported by agencies in the

same sample cell. 

Median value imputation was used to

impute counts of facilities, reserve

sworn officers, community service

officers, and nonsworn volunteers.

Ratio imputation was used to impute

counts of employees and computer

equipment. Every imputed item on the

database has an indicator that the

value has been imputed. Complete

documentation regarding sampling

procedures and nonresponse adjustments is available upon request.

Because the data from agencies with

fewer than 100 sworn personnel were

collected from a sample, the results are

subject to sampling error. Statements

of comparison in this report have been

tested to ensure that observed differences between values are significant at

2 standard errors (the 95%-confidence

level) or higher. The survey data are

also subject to response and processing errors.

20 Local Police Departments 1999