U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Bulletin

Celebrating

 35 years

May 2015, NCJ 248677

Local Police Departments, 2013: 

Personnel, Policies, and Practices

Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D., BJS Statistician

As of January 1, 2013, the more than 12,000 

local police departments in the United States 

employed an estimated 605,000 persons on 

a full-time basis (figure 1). This total included about 

477,000 sworn officers (those with general arrest 

powers) and about 128,000 nonsworn employees. Since 

1987, the number of full-time local police employees 

has increased by about 156,000 (up 35%). The 

increase includes about 122,000 (up 34%) more local 

police officers.

Findings are based on the 2013 Law Enforcement 

Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) 

Survey sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics 

(BJS). The LEMAS Survey, conducted periodically since 

1987, collects data on a range of topics from a nationally 

representative sample of state and local law enforcement 

agencies. Prior to the 2013 survey, the most recent 

LEMAS Survey was conducted in 2007. 

This report uses selected variables from the 2013 

LEMAS data to describe the personnel, policies, and 

practices of local police departments. Comparisons are 

made with prior years where appropriate and when data 

are available.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Local police departments employed about 477,000 

full-time sworn personnel in 2013, 35% more than 

in 1987.

 About half (48%) of departments employed fewer 

than 10 officers.

 More than half (54%) of local police officers 

were employed in jurisdictions with 100,000 or 

more residents.

 About 1 in 8 local police officers were female, 

including about 1 in 10 first-line supervisors.

 About 27% of local police officers were members 

of a racial or ethnic minority, compared to 15% 

in 1987.

 From 2007 to 2013, the number of Hispanic or 

Latino local police officers increased by 16%.

 Departments in larger jurisdictions were more 

diverse than those in smaller ones, but diversity has 

increased in all population categories since 1987.

 Nearly 1 in 4 local police officers worked for a 

department that required entry-level officers to 

have at least a 2-year college degree.

 A majority of departments serving 25,000 or more 

residents maintained problem-solving partnerships 

or agreements with local organizations. 

 Most departments with 100 or more officers had 

full-time specialized units to address child abuse, 

juvenile crime, gangs, and domestic violence.

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000 Civilian

Sworn ocers

1987 1990 1993 1997 2000 2003 2007 2013

Number

Year

Figure 1

Full-time employees in local police departments, 

1987–2013

Note: Figure includes all years for which data were collected. See 

appendix table 10 for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1987–2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 2

To facilitate the comparison of police departments with others 

serving similarly sized jurisdictions, the statistics in this report 

are presented mainly by categories of population served. 

Because most departments employ small numbers of officers 

and serve small populations, overall agency-based percentages 

tend to reflect smaller departments more than larger ones. 

To adjust for this effect, the text and selected figures present 

additional overall percentages weighted by the number of 

officers employed.

About two-thirds of state and local law enforcement 

officers worked for local police departments

In 2013, the 605,000 local police employees nationwide 

represented a majority (58%) of the full-time personnel 

working for general purpose state and local law enforcement 

agencies (table 1). The 477,000 full-time local police officers 

nationwide accounted for about two-thirds (66%) of all state 

and local officers working for general purpose agencies. About 

68% of local police officers were assigned to patrol operations, 

and about 16% worked in the investigations area.

The 128,000 full-time nonsworn (or civilian) personnel in 

local police departments accounted for 21% of all full-time 

employees. Nearly all departments with 100 or more officers 

(99.6%) reported that their nonsworn employees performed 

administrative support functions. A majority of these 

departments also reported that their nonsworn employees 

performed duties related to research and statistics (81% of 

departments), accounting (79%), dispatch (72%), information 

technology (57%), forensics (56%), and human resources 

(54%) (not shown).

In addition to full-time employees, local police departments 

employed about 57,000 persons on a part-time basis. While 

more than three-quarters (79%) of full-time local police 

employees were sworn officers, less than half (47%) of parttime employees were sworn.

About a third (32%) of local police departments also used 

unpaid reserve (or auxiliary) officers as needed (appendix 

table 1). Nationwide, there were more than 29,000 local police 

reserve or auxiliary officers.

Table 1

General purpose state and local law enforcement agencies, 2013

Full-time employees Part-time employees

Type of agency Number of agencies Total Sworn Civilian Total Sworn Civilian

Total 15,388 1,045,360 724,690 320,670 83,499 39,101 44,398

Local police 12,326 604,959 477,317 127,642 57,317 26,745 30,572

Sheriff’s office* 3,012 351,904 188,952 162,952 25,179 12,356 12,823

Primary state 50 88,497 58,421 30,076 1,003 0 1,003

Note: Counts are estimates as of January 1, 2013. Detail may not sum to total because of rounding. See appendix table 11 for stndard errors.

*Excludes agencies without a primary law enforcement jurisdiction.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 3

About half of local police departments employed fewer 

than 10 officers

As in prior LEMAS Surveys, about half (48%) of local police 

departments employed the full-time equivalent of fewer than 

10 officers in 2013 (table 2). Collectively, these departments 

employed about 4% of all full-time local police officers. In 

1987, 53% of departments employed fewer than 10 officers.

A total of 645 (5%) local police departments employed 100 or 

more officers in 2013. These departments employed 63% of all 

full-time officers. In 1987, 4% of departments employed 100 or 

more officers.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) remained the 

largest local police department in 2013, with 34,454 full-time 

officers. The NYPD was 1 of 43 local police departments that 

employed 1,000 or more full-time officers (appendix table 2).

More than half of local police officers were employed in 

jurisdictions with 100,000 or more residents

In 2013, 71% of departments served fewer than 10,000 

residents (table 3). These 8,700 departments employed 

13% of all full-time local police officers. About 3% (329) of 

departments served a resident population of 100,000 or more 

and employed 54% of all officers.

Comparatively, about 8,800 (73%) local police departments 

served fewer than 10,000 residents and employed 14% of all 

officers in 1987. During the same year, 222 (2%) local police 

departments served a population of 100,000 or more and 

employed 49% of all officers.

Table 2

Local police departments and full-time employees, by number of sworn personnel, 2013

Departments Full-time sworn personnel Full-time civilian personnel

Number of sworn personnel* Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

All sizes 12,326 100% 477,317 100% 127,642 100%

1,000 or more 49 0.4 161,883 33.9 46,187 36.2

500–999 57 0.5 41,087 8.6 10,639 8.3

250–499 98 0.8 33,165 6.9 10,245 8.0

100–249 441 3.6 63,996 13.4 19,429 15.2

50–99 788 6.4 52,924 11.1 14,321 11.2

25–49 1,653 13.4 56,683 11.9 14,586 11.4

10–24 3,345 27.1 46,655 9.8 9,641 7.6

5–9 2,996 24.3 15,408 3.2 2,192 1.7

2–4 2,294 18.6 5,019 1.1 385 0.3

1 605 4.9 499 0.1 17 --

Note: Detail may not sum to total because of rounding. See appendix table 12 for standard errors.

-- Less than 0.5%.

*Includes both full-time and part-time employees, with a weight of 0.5 assigned to part-time employees.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Table 3

Local police departments and full-time employees, by size of population served, 2013

Departments Full-time sworn personnel Full-time civilian personnel

Population served Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

All sizes 12,326 100% 477,317 100% 127,642 100%

1,000,000 or more 16 0.1 103,609 21.7 32,599 25.5

500,000–999,999 36 0.3 56,355 11.8 13,170 10.3

250,000–499,999 53 0.4 37,364 7.8 10,284 8.1

100,000–249,999 224 1.8 58,588 12.3 18,167 14.2

50,000–99,999 446 3.6 50,764 10.6 14,578 11.4

25,000–49,999 878 7.1 51,007 10.7 13,720 10.7

10,000–24,999 1,986 16.1 59,559 12.5 14,529 11.4

2,500–9,999 3,873 31.4 43,808 9.2 8,527 6.7

2,499 or fewer 4,815 39.1 16,264 3.4 2,069 1.6

Note: Detail may not sum to total because of rounding. See appendix table 13 for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 4

Municipal and township police departments employed an 

average of 2.1 officers per 1,000 residents

Municipal and township police departments, which compose 

98% of local police departments, employed an average of 

2.1 full-time officers per 1,000 residents in 2013. This average 

was less than that observed in the 2007 (2.3 per 1,000) and 

2003 (2.5 per 1,000) LEMAS Surveys. Departments serving 

25,000 to 249,999 residents had the lowest average ratio in 

2013 (about 1.7 per 1,000) (figure 2). In both 2007 and 2013, 

county police departments employed an average of 1.7 fulltime officers for every 1,000 residents served.

About 12% of local police officers were female

In 2013, about 58,000 (12%) of the full-time sworn personnel 

in local police departments were female (table 4). From 2007 

to 2013, female representation remained about the same 

(figure 3). In 1987, there were 27,000 females (8%) serving as 

local police officers.

Since the inception of the LEMAS Survey in 1987, the 

employment of female officers has increased in all population 

categories, but larger jurisdictions have continued to employ 

females at a higher rate. In 2013, the percentage of female 

officers in jurisdictions with 250,000 or more residents (17%) 

was more than twice that in jurisdictions with fewer than 

25,000 residents (7%).

Table 4

Sex of full-time sworn personnel in local police departments, 

by size of population served, 2013

Population served Male Female

All sizes 87.8% 12.2%

1,000,000 or more 82.4 17.6

500,000–999,999 83.6 16.4

250,000–499,999 85.4 14.6

100,000–249,999 88.2 11.8

50,000–99,999 90.3 9.7

25,000–49,999 91.2 8.8

10,000–24,999 92.2 7.8

2,500–9,999 92.5 7.5

2,499 or fewer 93.9 6.1

Note: See appendix table 15 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Per 1,000 residents

1,000–2,499

2,500–9,999

10,000–24,999 

25,000–49,999

50,000–99,999

100,000–249,999

250,000 or more

All sizes*

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0

Per 1,000 residents 

Figure 2

Average number of full-time officers in local police 

departments per 1,000 residents, by size of population served, 

2013

Note: Excludes county and tribal police departments. See appendix table 14 for 

standard errors. 

*Excludes departments serving fewer than 1,000 residents.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Figure 3

Female representation among full-time sworn personnel in 

local police departments, 1987–2013

Note: Figure includes all years for which data were collected. See appendix table 16 

for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1987–2013.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1987 1990 1993 1997 2000 2003 2007 2013

Percent
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 5

About 1 in 10 of first-line supervisors in local police 

departments were female

For the first time in 2013, the LEMAS Survey collected data on 

the representation of females in supervisory and managerial 

positions. The percentage of females working in first-line 

supervisory positions (9.5%) was less than that among sworn 

personnel overall (12.2%). The percentage of female firstline supervisors was more than twice as high in departments 

serving 250,000 or more residents (15%), compared to 

departments serving fewer than 50,000 residents (6%) 

(figure 4). An estimated 3% of local police chiefs were female, 

including about 7% of the chiefs in jurisdictions with 250,000 

or more residents.

About 27% of local police officers were members of a 

racial or ethnic minority

In 2013, more than a quarter (27%) of full-time local police 

officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority (table 5). 

About 130,000 minority local police were employed in 2013. 

The total represented an increase of about 78,000 (up 150%) 

since 1987. From 2007 to 2013, minority representation among 

local police officers increased from 25.3% to 27.3%. Minorities 

made up 14.6% of officers in 1987 (figure 5).

About 58,000 black or African American officers were 

employed by local police departments in 2013. This was about 

3,000 (up 5%) more than in 2007. From 2007 to 2013, the 

percentage of black officers remained at about 12%. About 9% 

of officers were black in 1987.

Table 5

Race and Hispanic origin of full-time sworn personnel in local police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Population served Total White*

Black/African 

American* Hispanic/Latino

Asian/Native 

Hawaiian/other 

Pacific Islander*

American 

Indian/Alaska 

Native* Two or more races*

All sizes 100% 72.8% 12.2% 11.6% 2.4% 0.6% 0.5%

1,000,000 or more 100% 53.4 17.0 24.7 4.4 0.2 0.3

500,000–999,999 100% 59.8 23.2 9.9 4.5 0.4 2.2

250,000–499,999 100% 67.4 18.6 11.0 2.1 0.6 0.3

100,000–249,999 100% 73.9 12.3 10.7 2.5 0.3 0.3

50,000–99,999 100% 80.4 8.0 9.3 1.6 0.3 0.4

25,000–49,999 100% 86.3 5.9 5.7 0.9 0.9 0.4

10,000–24,999 100% 87.8 5.1 5.7 0.7 0.4 0.3

2,500–9,999 100% 89.0 4.4 4.4 0.4 1.4 0.3

2,499 or fewer 100% 84.4 6.0 5.0 0.7 3.3 0.5

Note: Detail may not sum to total because of rounding. See appendix table 19 for standard errors. 

*Excludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

0 5 10 15 20

Chief

9,999 or fewer

10,000–49,999

50,000–249,999

250,000 or more

All sizes

First-line supervisor

Full-time sworn personnel

Percent

Population served

Figure 4

Female representation among selected positions in local police 

departments, by size of population served, 2013

Note: See appendix table 17 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

1987 1990 1993 1997 2000 2003 2007 2013 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Percent Black/African Americana

Hispanic/Latino

Othera,b

Figure 5

Minority representation among full-time sworn personnel in 

local police departments, 1987–2013

Note: Figure includes all years for which data were collected. See appendix table 18 

for standard errors.

aExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.

bIncludes Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islanders; American Indian or 

Alaska Natives; and persons identifying two or more races.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1987–2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 6

About 55,000 Hispanic or Latino officers were employed 

by local police departments in 2013, which was about 

8,000 (up 16%) more than in 2007. From 2007 to 2013, the 

percentage of Hispanic officers increased from 10.3% to 11.6%. 

In 1987, 4.5% of officers were Hispanic.

In 2013, about 14,000 officers were members of other minority 

groups (Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander; or 

American Indian or Alaska Native). These groups accounted 

for 3.0% of local police officers in 2013, about the same as in 

2007 (2.7%) and about 4 times more than in 1987 (0.8%).

Departments serving larger jurisdictions were more 

diverse than departments serving smaller jurisdictions

Consistent with prior LEMAS Surveys, departments in larger 

jurisdictions were more diverse than those in smaller ones. In 

2013, more than 2 in 5 officers in jurisdictions with 500,000 or 

more residents were members of a racial or ethnic minority, 

compared to fewer than 1 in 5 officers in jurisdictions with 

a population of less than 50,000. Since 1987, diversity has 

increased in all population categories. In 1987, about 6% to 

7% of the officers in each population category below 50,000 

were minorities. In 2013, the lowest percentage in population 

categories below 50,000 was 11% (2,500 to 9,999 residents).

The inflation-adjusted average starting salary for entrylevel local police officers in 2013 was unchanged from 2003

The overall average starting salary for entry-level local police 

officers in 2013 was $44,400, about the same as in 2003 after 

controlling for inflation (figure 6). This amount represented a 

7% increase from 1993, when newly hired entry-level officers 

earned the 2013 equivalent of about $41,500. Salaries in 

departments serving 250,000 or more residents, where about 

2 in 5 officers were employed, remained stable from 2003 to 

2013. Salaries in departments serving fewer residents increased 

slightly during this period.

In 2013, the average base starting salary for entry-level 

local police officers was at least $45,000 in all population 

categories of 25,000 or more (table 6). The average starting 

salary was highest in jurisdictions with 100,000 to 249,999 

residents ($50,700) and lowest in jurisdictions with fewer than 

2,500 residents ($30,900). The base starting salary for first-line 

supervisors averaged more than $70,000 in jurisdictions with 

50,000 or more residents, compared to less than $40,000 in the 

smallest jurisdictions. Salaries for local police chiefs started at 

an average of $161,500 in the largest jurisdictions, compared to 

$45,000 in the smallest. These salary comparisons do not take 

into account variations in cost of living.

Table 6

Average base annual salary for selected full-time positions in local police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Entry-level officer First-line supervisor Chief

Population served Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum

All sizes $38,200 $47,000 $54,100 $61,100 $68,800 $77,300 

1,000,000 or more 45,100 75,100 76,000 95,200 161,500 188,200 

500,000–999,999 46,800 64,400 70,500 85,300 140,900 177,900 

250,000–499,999 48,600 68,800 71,000 87,000 127,300 168,900 

100,000–249,999 50,700 68,500 73,000 88,300 127,200 158,000 

50,000–99,999 48,600 64,100 73,400 84,500 114,700 134,600 

25,000–49,999 45,700 62,000 68,200 80,100 100,500 119,500 

10,000–24,999 42,600 54,600 62,100 71,000 87,500 100,600 

2,500–9,999 38,200 46,500 52,100 57,700 68,200 74,600 

2,499 or fewer 30,900 34,100 37,400 40,400 45,000 48,100 

Note: Salary figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. See appendix table 21 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

2013

2003

1993

9,999 or fewer

10,000–49,999

50,000–249,999

250,000 or more

All sizes*

Dollars

Population served

Figure 6

Average base starting salary for entry-level local police 

officers, by size of population served, 1993, 2003, and 2013

Note: All amounts are in 2013 dollars. See appendix table 20 for standard errors. 

*Overall percentages are weighted by number of officers employed.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1993, 2003, and 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 7

Starting salaries for officers were about 19% higher in 

departments with a collective bargaining agreement for 

sworn personnel, compared to departments without a 

collective bargaining agreement. In 2013, a majority of the 

local police departments serving a population of 10,000 or 

more residents had an active collective bargaining agreement 

(appendix table 3). In some departments, officer salaries 

could be supplemented by certain types of special pay related 

to educational achievement, special skills, special duty 

assignments, and other circumstances (appendix table 4).

Overtime compensation was available to sworn personnel in 

90% of local police departments, employing 99% of all officers. 

Nearly all officers worked for a department in which they 

could be compensated for overtime work related to extended 

shifts, investigations, emergency response, court testimony, 

special events, or increased patrol. About a third (34%) of 

departments placed a limit on the amount of overtime an 

officer could earn (not shown).

An estimated 81% of local police departments, employing 

94% of all officers, offered sworn personnel a defined 

benefits (pension) plan. Nearly half (47%) of departments, 

employing about two-thirds (68%) of officers, offered a defined 

contributions plan, such as a 401(k) (not shown).

Overall, the operating costs for local police departments in 

2013 were about $131,000 per sworn officer, $102,000 per 

employee, and $279 per resident. Operating costs per resident 

ranged from about $230 in the smallest jurisdictions to nearly 

$400 in the largest (appendix table 5). Previous LEMAS 

Surveys have shown that personnel costs, including salaries 

and benefits, are typically 80% to 90% of a department’s 

operating expenditures.

Nearly 1 in 4 local police officers worked for a department 

that required entry-level officers to have a 2-year 

college degree

In 2013, the percentage of local police officers employed by a 

department with a college requirement for new officers (32%) 

was similar to that reported in 2003 (34%), and about twice as 

high as in 1993 (16%) (figure 7). In 2013, about 23% of officers 

were employed by a department that required new entry-level 

officers to have a 2-year degree, compared to 7% in 2003.

In 2013, all local police departments serving a population 

of 100,000 or more, and nearly all departments in smaller 

jurisdictions, had a minimum education requirement for new 

officers (table 7). The most common requirement (84% of 

departments) was a high school diploma. An estimated 15% of 

departments had some type of college requirement, including 

10% that required a 2-year degree and 1% that required a 

4-year degree. An estimated 54% of departments with a degree 

requirement considered military service as an alternative (not 

shown). Departments serving a population of 1 million or 

more (29%) were most likely to require a degree. In smaller 

population categories, the percentage of departments with a 

degree requirement ranged from 9% in jurisdictions with fewer 

than 2,500 residents to 20% in jurisdictions with 25,000 to 

49,999 residents.

Table 7

Education requirements for new officers in local police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Population served Total with requirement High school diploma Some college* 2-year college degree 4-year college degree

All sizes 98% 84% 4% 10% 1%

1,000,000 or more 100% 64 7 29 0

500,000–999,999 100% 70 19 7 4

250,000–499,999 100% 70 15 9 7

100,000–249,999 100% 78 8 10 3

50,000–99,999 99% 75 8 12 4

25,000–49,999 99% 75 4 18 2

10,000–24,999 99% 81 6 12 --

2,500–9,999 99% 86 2 9 1

2,499 or fewer 98% 86 3 9 --

Note: Detail may not sum to total because of rounding. See appendix table 23 for standard errors. 

--Less than 0.5%.

*Non-degree requirement. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

1993

4-year degree

requirement

2-year degree

requirement

Some college*

Any college

requirement

Percent of ocers

2003

2013

Figure 7

College education requirements for entry-level local police 

officers, 1993, 2003, and 2013

Note: See appendix table 22 for standard errors. 

*Non-degree requirement.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1993, 2003, and 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 8

Local police departments were more likely to have a 

mission statement that included a community policing 

component in 2013 than in 2003

In 1997, the LEMAS Survey began tracking community 

policing personnel, activities, and policies in response to 

Department of Justice (DOJ) funding programs that were 

impacting local law enforcement agencies. DOJ’s Office of 

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) defines three 

major components of community policing: (1) collaborative 

police-community partnerships; (2) support from agency 

management, structure, personnel, and information systems; 

and (3) a problem-solving process that develops and rigorously 

evaluates effective responses. (For more information on 

community policing, see the COPS website at http://www.cops.

usdoj.gov.)

In 2013, about 7 in 10 local police departments, including 

about 9 in 10 departments serving a population of 25,000 or 

more, had a mission statement that included a community 

policing component (table 8). Departments with a community 

policing component employed 88% of all local police officers 

in 2013. Since 2003, significant increases in the percentage of 

departments with a community policing component occurred 

in all population categories (figure 8). The largest increase 

was among departments serving fewer than 10,000 residents, 

from 39% in 2003 to 61% in 2013. Large increases were also 

observed in other population categories.

A majority of the local police departments serving 25,000 

or more residents reported that they had one or more 

problem-solving partnerships or agreements with local 

organizations in their community in 2013. Departments 

serving a population of 1 million or more (86%) were the 

most likely to have a problem-solving partnership. Overall, 

departments with a problem-solving partnership employed 

63% of all local police officers. The 2003 LEMAS Survey found 

these partnerships and agreements were typically with other 

law enforcement agencies, school groups, neighborhood 

associations, local public agencies, business groups, advocacy 

groups, youth service organizations, senior citizen groups, or 

faith-based organizations.

Table 8

Community policing policies and activities of local police 

departments, by size of population served, 2013

Population served

Mission statement with 

community policing 

component 

Problem-solving 

partnership or agreement 

with local organization

All sizes 68% 32%

1,000,000 or more 86 86

500,000–999,999 97 59

250,000–499,999 91 67

100,000–249,999 87 61

50,000–99,999 91 59

25,000–49,999 87 52

10,000–24,999 81 41

2,500–9,999 74 29

2,499 or fewer 50 21

Note: See appendix table 24 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Under 10,000

10,000–49,999

50,000–249,999

250,000 or more

Percent

2003

2013

Population served

Figure 8

Local police departments with a mission statement that 

included a community policing component, by size of 

population served, 2003 and 2013

Note: See appendix table 25 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1993, 2003, and 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 9

Most departments serving 50,000 or more residents 

encouraged officer involvement in problem-solving 

projects

Most departments serving 25,000 or more residents, including 

more than 90% of those serving a population of 100,000 or 

more, used geographic beat assignments for patrol officers 

(table 9). A majority of the departments serving 50,000 or 

more residents actively encouraged patrol officer involvement 

in problem-solving projects, and most departments serving 

100,000 or more residents included such projects in the 

officer’s performance evaluation.

Overall, about 4 in 5 (79%) local police officers were 

employed by a department that used geographic patrol 

beats. About half (51%) were employed by a department that 

actively encouraged patrol officer involvement in problemsolving projects.

A majority of the departments serving 10,000 or more 

residents trained all new recruits for 8 hours or more in 

community policing skills, such as problem-solving and 

developing community partnerships. About half of the 

departments serving a population of less than 10,000 provided 

such training to at least some recruits. A majority of the 

departments in all population categories provided community 

policing training to in-service officers (appendix table 6).

A majority of larger departments had full-time specialized 

units to address child abuse, juvenile crime, gangs, and 

domestic violence

Many local police departments had personnel designated to 

address crime-related problems and tasks in their community. 

In some instances, these issues were addressed by a specialized 

unit with full-time personnel. Larger departments were more 

likely than smaller ones to have the personnel and budgetary 

resources necessary to operate such units.

In 2013, about 9 in 10 local police departments employing 

100 officers or more had personnel designated (whether part 

of a specialized unit or not) to address child abuse (90%), 

and about 8 in 10 had personnel designated to address gangs 

(83%), juvenile crime (82%), and domestic violence (81%) 

(table 10). A majority of these larger departments had fulltime specialized units to address child abuse (62%), juvenile 

crime (58%), gangs (55%), and domestic violence (54%).

Table 9

Community-oriented policies for patrol officers in local police 

departments, by size of population served, 2013

Patrol officer involvement in 

problem-solving projects

Population served

Geographic 

assignments for 

patrol officers

Actively 

encouraged

Included in 

performance 

evaluation

All sizes 44% 33% 30%

1,000,000 or more 100 57 36

500,000–999,999 90 71 54

250,000–499,999 93 73 64

100,000–249,999 93 74 57

50,000–99,999 83 62 49

25,000–49,999 64 49 42

10,000–24,999 49 43 38

2,500–9,999 32 32 30

2,499 or fewer 40 21 21

Note: See appendix table 26 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Table 10

Personnel designated to address crime-related issues in local police departments, by size of department, 2013

Departments employing 100 officers or more Departments employing 99 officers or fewer

Problem or task Total

Personnel assigned 

full time to special unit

Other designated 

personnel Total

Personnel assigned 

full time to special unit

Other designated 

personnel

Bias/hate crime 38% 10% 28% 15% 5% 10%

Child abuse 90 61 29 39 11 29

Cybercrime 76 39 36 26 6 20

Domestic violence 81 54 28 28 8 20

Gangs 83 55 28 20 6 14

Human trafficking 42 15 27 11 3 8

Impaired driving 75 39 36 32 9 23

Juvenile crime 82 59 23 34 11 23

Victim assistance 62 37 26 21 6 14

Note: Detail may not sum to total because of rounding. See appendix table 27 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 10

A majority of local police departments with 100 or more 

officers also had designated personnel to perform special 

operational tasks related to tactical operations (95%), terrorism 

or homeland security (71%), and fugitives or warrants (68%) 

(appendix table 7).

Compared to 2003, the greatest increases in larger local police 

departments with designated personnel were for impaired 

driving (from 56% in 2003 to 75% in 2013), cybercrime (from 

59% to 76%), and gangs (from 68% to 83%) (figure 9). For 

full-time specialized units, the greatest increases also occurred 

for impaired driving (from 28% in 2003 to 39% in 2013), 

cybercrime (from 25% to 39%), and gangs (from 42% to 55%).

Nearly all departments serving a population of 100,000 or 

more were participating in a drug task force

Many local police departments reported participating in 

one or more multiagency task forces. These task forces allow 

agencies from various jurisdictions and governmental levels 

to pool their resources to address complex problems, such 

as drug trafficking, gangs, and human trafficking. In 2013, 

about half of departments were participating in a multiagency 

drug task force, including more than 9 in 10 departments 

serving a population of 100,000 or more (table 11). About 

8 in 10 departments serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents and 

7 in 10 departments serving 10,000 to 24,999 residents were 

participating in a drug task force.

Overall, 13% of departments were participating in a gang task 

force, including a majority of the departments serving 100,000 

or more residents. An estimated 4% of all departments were 

participating in a human trafficking task force, including a 

majority of those serving 250,000 or more residents.

Table 11

Task force participation by local police departments, by size of 

population served, 2013

Population served Drugs Gangs Human trafficking

All sizes 49% 13% 4%

1,000,000 or more 100 92 85

500,000–999,999 93 76 66

250,000–499,999 96 72 57

100,000–249,999 89 56 22

50,000–99,999 84 42 14

25,000–49,999 79 32 7

10,000–24,999 68 21 7

2,500–9,999 47 9 3

2,499 or fewer 31 3 --

Note: See appendix table 29 for standard errors. 

--Less than 0.5%.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Victim assistance

Juvenile crime

Impaired driving

Gangs

Domestic violence

Cyber crime

Child abuse

Bias/hate crime

Percent of departments

Designated personnel

2003 Special unit

2013

Figure 9

Local police departments employing 100 or more officers with 

personnel designated to address crime-related issues, 2003 

and 2013

Note: See appendix table 28 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 11

METHODOLOGY

Survey overview

The LEMAS Survey periodically collects data from more 

than 3,000 general purpose law enforcement agencies, 

including state police and highway patrol agencies, local 

police departments, and sheriffs’ offices. The survey includes 

all agencies that employ 100 or more sworn officers and a 

nationally representative sample of smaller agencies.

Previous LEMAS data collections occurred in 1987, 1990, 

1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2007. A limited data collection 

that focused on community policing was conducted in 1999. 

These past surveys obtained data on functions performed, 

operating expenditures, job functions of sworn and nonsworn 

employees, officer salaries and special pay, demographic 

characteristics of officers, education and training requirements, 

types of weapons authorized, body armor policies, computers 

and information systems, types of vehicles operated, the use of 

special units, task force participation, and community policing 

activities. Survey questions are updated with each iteration 

to reflect emerging issues in the field of law enforcement. 

Publications based on prior LEMAS Surveys can be accessed 

on the BJS website.

Sampling frame

The sampling frame used for the 2013 LEMAS Survey was the 

2008 BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 

(CSLLEA) (the most recent available). At the time of the 2008 

CSLLEA, nearly all of the more than 12,000 police departments 

were operated at the sub-county level by individual municipal 

(85%) or township (13%) governments. The remainder were 

operated by tribal governments, multiple local governments 

(regional or joint departments), or county governments.

The agency universe represented by the CSLLEA is more 

inclusive than that of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting 

(UCR) program. Some agencies are excluded from the UCR 

counts because they do not have an Originating Agency 

Identifier (ORI) assigned by the FBI. (Some agencies without 

an ORI are still included in the UCR employee counts (but not 

in the agency counts) because they report their data to another 

agency, which reports it to the FBI.)

The CSLLEA data include all officers with full arrest powers 

regardless of function, while the UCR data exclude officers not 

paid out of police funds. This exclusion generally pertains to 

officers working exclusively for jails or courts. The CSLLEA 

definition excludes many of these officers, but not all of them.

The UCR program defines law enforcement officers as 

individuals who ordinarily carry a firearm and a badge, have 

full arrest powers, and are paid from governmental funds set 

aside specifically for sworn law enforcement representatives. 

The CSLLEA definition relies exclusively on whether the officer 

possesses full arrest powers. Regardless of the arrest powers 

of their officers, agencies included in the CSLLEA that do 

not have a primary jurisdictional area for which they provide 

law enforcement services are considered out of scope for the 

LEMAS Survey because of its policing focus.

In 2008, the CSLLEA counted 765,246 full-time sworn officers, 

which was about 57,000 (or 8%) more than the 708,569 

reported by the UCR. A similar difference was observed for 

the 2004 and 2000 CSLLEA collections. Although the CSLLEA 

counts are larger than those of the UCR, the employment 

growth trends recorded by the CSLLEA over time have been 

consistent with those recorded by the UCR.

Sample design and selection

Local police departments and sheriffs’ offices are chosen for 

the LEMAS Survey using a stratified sample design based on 

number of sworn personnel. The original 2013 LEMAS sample 

included 3,336 state and local law enforcement agencies. It 

was designed to be representative of all general purpose state 

and local law enforcement agencies in the United States, 

with separate samples drawn of local police departments and 

sheriffs’ offices. All 50 primary state law enforcement agencies 

(state police and highway patrol) were included. Agencies 

serving special jurisdictions (such as schools, airports, or 

parks), or with special enforcement responsibilities (such as 

conservation laws or alcohol laws), were considered out of 

scope for the survey.

The 2013 LEMAS sample design called for 2,353 local police 

departments, divided into 7 strata based on number of sworn 

officers employed, to receive the survey. During the initial 

contact phase, it was determined that 26 of these departments 

had closed since the 2008 CSLLEA and were dropped from 

the sample. Of the remaining 2,327 departments, the sample 

design called for all 659 departments employing 100 or more 

full-time sworn personnel to be self-representing (SR) and 

receive the survey. It was later determined that 29 of these SR 

departments did not receive the survey because of inaccurate 

contact information. As a result, the base weight for SR 

departments is 1.046 instead of the expected 1.000. The 6 

remaining strata and their corresponding base weights are 

50 to 99 officers, 2.572; 25 to 49 officers, 4.225; 10 to 24 officers, 

6.260; 5 to 9 officers, 7.288; 2 to 4 officers, 14.611, and 1 officer, 

31.302.

Agency response rate

Of the 2,327 eligible local police departments that received 

the survey, 2,059 completed it, for a response rate of 88%. By 

size, the response rate ranged from 91% for agencies with 50 or 

more officers to 84% for those with fewer than 10 officers. An 

adjustment factor unique to each stratum was used to account 

for nonresponse. These nonresponse adjustments and the 

resulting final analytical weights for each stratum are included 

in appendix table 8.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 12

Item nonresponse and imputations

All departments, regardless of size, were asked to complete 

the 80-item CJ-44 Survey questionnaire. A majority of the 

responses were received electronically through a survey 

website. For the 2,059 departments completing the survey, item 

nonresponse rates due to omission or invalid data were low for 

the data elements used in this report (appendix table 9).

When a department did not supply a response to a numerical 

item, a ratio imputation method was used. The ratio 

imputation used the value of the ratio of the numerical variable 

to the number of full-time sworn personnel for departments 

that provided the numerical data. This ratio was computed for 

each population category and applied to the number of fulltime sworn personnel in departments with the missing data 

to produce the imputed value. Imputations were not used for 

categorical variables.

Accuracy of the estimates

The accuracy of the estimates presented in this report depends 

on two types of error: sampling and nonsampling. Sampling 

error is the variation that may occur by chance because a 

sample was used rather than a complete enumeration of the 

population. Nonsampling error can be attributed to many 

sources such as the inability to obtain information about all 

cases in the sample, inability to obtain complete and correct 

information from the administrative records, and processing 

errors. In any survey, the full extent of the nonsampling error 

is never known.

The sampling error, as measured by an estimated standard 

error, varies by the size of the estimate and the size of the base 

population. Because the LEMAS data were collected from a 

sample, the results are subject to sampling error. Variance and 

standard error estimates for the 2013 LEMAS were generated 

using the SUDAAN® statistical software package. The Taylor 

linearization method for a “stratified without replacement” 

design was used for these calculations. See appendix tables 10 

through 29 for the standard error estimates.

These standard error estimates may be used to construct 

confidence intervals around percentages in this report. For 

example, the 95%-confidence interval around the percentage 

of local police departments with a mission statement that 

includes a community policing component is 68% ± 1.96 × 

1.5% (or approximately 65% to 71%).

These standard errors may also be used to test the significance 

of the difference between two sample statistics by pooling the 

standard errors of the two sample estimates. For example, the 

standard error of the difference between departments serving 

fewer than 2,500 residents and those serving 2,500 to 9,999 

residents for participation in a drug task force would be 3.9% 

(or the square root of the sum of the squared standard errors 

for each group). The 95%-confidence interval around the 

difference would be 1.96 × 3.9% (or 7.7%). Since the observed 

difference of 16% (47% minus 31%) is greater than 7.7%, the 

difference would be considered statistically significant.

Standard error estimates may also be used to construct 

confidence intervals around numeric variables such as 

personnel counts. For example, the 95%-confidence 

interval around the number of full-time sworn personnel 

is approximately 477,317 ± (1.96 × 16,470), or 445,036 to 

509,958.

Dollar amounts adjusted for inflation

For the salary comparisons presented in figure 6, the salary 

data for the prior survey years of 1993 and 2003 were 

converted to 2013 dollars. This conversion was accomplished 

using Consumer Price Index data published by the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics available at www.bls.gov/inflation_calculator.

htm.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 13

Appendix Table 1

Use of unpaid sworn reserve or auxiliary officers by local police 

departments, by size of population served, 2013

Number of reserve/auxiliary officers

Population served

Percent of 

departments using Total

Per 100 sworn 

personnel*

All sizes 32% 29,481 13

1,000,000 or more 62 5,937 9

500,000–999,999 60 1,181 3

250,000–499,999 45 782 5

100,000–249,999 45 1,275 5

50,000–99,999 39 2,261 11

25,000–49,999 35 2,942 16

10,000–24,999 36 4,347 19

2,500–9,999 33 5,986 37

2,499 or fewer 26 4,769 79

*Excludes departments not using reserve or auxiliary officers. Includes part-time 

employees with an assigned weight of 0.5.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 14

Appendix Table 2

Fifty largest local police departments in the United States, by number of full-time sworn personnel, 2013

Full-time sworn personnel Total full-time employees

Name of department Population served Number Per 10,000 residents Number Per 10,000 residents

New York (NY) Police 8,336,697 34,454 41 49,089 59

Chicago (IL) Police 2,714,856 12,042 44 12,864 47

Los Angeles (CA) Police 3,857,799 9,920 26 12,791 33

Philadelphia (PA) Police 1,547,607 6,515 42 7,343 47

Houston (TX) Police 2,160,821 5,295 25 6,640 31

Washington (DC) Metropolitan Police 632,323 3,865 61 4,327 68

Dallas (TX) Police 1,241,162 3,478 28 4,022 32

Phoenix (AZ) Police 1,488,750 2,952 20 4,004 27

Baltimore (MD) Police 621,342 2,949 47 3,256 52

Miami-Dade (FL) Police 1,243,623 2,745 22 3,908 31

Las Vegas (NV) Metropolitan Police 1,480,359 2,743 19 4,994 34

Detroit (MI) Police 701,475 2,526 36 2,840 40

Memphis (TN) Police 655,155 2,413 37 2,837 43

Suffolk County (NY) Police 1,347,048 2,396 18 2,941 22

Milwaukee (WI) Police 598,916 2,294 38 2,737 46

San Antonio (TX) Police 1,382,951 2,278 16 2,883 21

Nassau County (NY) Police 1,072,706 2,243 21 3,065 29

San Francisco (CA) Police 825,863 2,158 26 2,584 31

Boston (MA) Police 636,479 2,121 33 2,692 42

Honolulu (HI) Police 976,372 2,076 21 2,550 26

Atlanta (GA) Police 443,775 1,940 44 2,370 53

Columbus (OH) Police 809,798 1,849 23 2,172 27

Baltimore County (MD) Police 817,455 1,845 23 2,100 29

San Diego (CA) Police 1,338,348 1,831 14 2,444 18

Charlotte-Mecklenburg (NC) Police 775,202 1,766 23 2,191 28

Austin (TX) Police 842,592 1,673 20 2,297 27

Prince George’s County (MD) Police 645,347 1,639 25 1,891 29

Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Office 836,507 1,590 19 2,965 35

Indianapolis (IN) Metropolitan Police 835,192 1,589 19 1,810 22

Fort Worth (TX) Police 777,992 1,528 20 1,926 25

Cleveland (OH) Police 390,928 1,513 39 1,741 45

Denver (CO) Police 634,265 1,383 22 1,602 25

Kansas City (MO) Police 464,310 1,363 29 1,933 42

Fairfax County (VA) Police 1,054,685 1,360 13 1,660 16

Metropolitan Nashville (TN) Police 628,354 1,342 21 1,628 26

St. Louis (MO) Police 318,172 1,334 42 1,846 58

Seattle (WA) Police 634,535 1,285 20 1,801 28

New Orleans (LA) Police 369,250 1,261 34 1,497 41

Louisville (KY) Metro Police 670,135 1,220 18 1,446 22

Montgomery County (MD) Police 984,237 1,121 11 1,536 16

El Paso (TX) Police 672,538 1,067 16 1,284 19

Miami (FL) Police 413,892 1,035 25 1,341 32

San Jose (CA) Police 982,765 1,016 10 1,398 14

Newark (NJ) Police 277,727 999 36 1,117 40

Cincinnati (OH) Police 296,550 986 33 1,115 38

Albuquerque (NM) Police 555,417 971 17 1,377 25

DeKalb County (GA) Police 643,808 961 15 1,220 19

Tampa (FL) Police 347,645 954 27 1,210 35

Portland (OR) Police 603,106 952 16 1,172 19

Tucson (AZ) Police 524,295 951 18 1,215 23

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 15

Appendix Table 3

Status of collective bargaining agreements for sworn 

personnel in local police departments, by size of population 

served, 2013

Population served Total Active Expired No agreement

All sizes 100% 35% 33% 32%

1,000,000 or more 100% 71 21 7

500,000–999,999 100% 53 37 10

250,000–499,999 100% 61 15 24

100,000–249,999 100% 56 22 22

50,000–99,999 100% 58 20 22

25,000–49,999 100% 55 23 22

10,000–24,999 100% 56 25 19

2,500–9,999 100% 42 26 32

2,499 or fewer 100% 12 46 42

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

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 4

Special pay and benefits for full-time sworn personnel in local police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Population served

Educational 

achievement

Special skills/

training

Bilingual 

ability

Special duty 

assignments

Hazardous 

duty 

Shift 

differential

Residential 

incentive

Merit/ 

performance

All sizes 31% 20% 8% 27% 5% 24% 3% 19%

1,000,000 or more 79 50 64 79 64 93 14 34

500,000–999,999 70 17 43 67 60 73 7 33

250,000–499,999 61 37 46 80 46 65 2 48

100,000–249,999 71 30 49 63 30 49 6 30

50,000–99,999 65 30 33 62 16 43 5 25

25,000–49,999 56 23 20 58 11 36 3 27

10,000–24,999 54 26 10 51 6 35 2 20

2,500–9,999 29 18 4 22 3 28 4 20

2,499 or fewer 12 17 4 8 2 9 3 15

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 5

Annual operating budget of local police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Population served Total Per agency Per sworn officer Per employee Per resident

All sizes $64,125,369,456 $5,202,448 $131,273 $101,592 $279

1,000,000 or more 13,573,636,978 848,352,311 131,008 97,342 391

500,000–999,999 8,254,061,625 229,279,490 146,023 116,091 329

250,000–499,999 5,414,180,181 102,154,343 144,742 111,344 292

100,000–249,999 8,926,353,927 39,849,794 151,904 113,922 266

50,000–99,999 7,512,424,085 16,844,000 147,261 112,168 246

25,000–49,999 7,025,500,122 8,001,709 136,636 104,496 236

10,000–24,999 7,221,332,655 3,636,119 117,913 92,357 228

2,500–9,999 4,737,437,609 1,223,196 96,828 79,891 230

2,499 or fewer 1,460,442,272 303,311 67,041 60,601 234

Note: Data are for the fiscal year that included January 1, 2013. Figures do not include capital expenditures such as equipment purchases or construction costs. Per officer and 

per employee averages include both full-time and part-time employees, with a weight of 0.5 assigned to part-time employees. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 16

Appendix Table 6

Community policing training for recruits and officers in local 

police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Recruits In-service officers

Population served Total All Some Total All Some

All sizes 60% 44% 16% 67% 40% 27%

1,000,000 or more 100 92 8 92 38 54

500,000–999,999 93 82 11 76 31 44

250,000–499,999 87 85 3 67 33 34

100,000–249,999 83 74 9 66 26 40

50,000–99,999 80 68 12 70 33 37

25,000–49,999 76 56 20 67 24 44

10,000–24,999 73 52 21 70 33 37

2,500–9,999 57 39 17 67 37 30

2,499 or fewer 46 34 12 64 51 12

Note: Includes departments that provided 8 hours or more of community policing 

training. Detail may not sum to total because of rounding.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 7

Personnel designated to perform special operational tasks in local police departments, by size of department, 2013

Departments employing 100 officers or more Departments employing 99 officers or fewer

Problem or task Total

Personnel assigned 

full time to special unit

Other designated 

personnel Total

Personnel assigned 

full time to special unit

Other designated 

personnel

Bomb/explosive disposal 41% 15% 26% 6% 2% 4%

Fugitives/warrants 68 41 27 24 7 17

Re-entry surveillance 21 7 14 8 2 6

Tactical operations (e.g., SWAT) 95 30 65 31 5 26

Terrorism/homeland security 71 33 37 16 4 12

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 8

Base weights, nonresponse adjustment factors, and final analytical weights for local police departments, Law Enforcement 

Management and Administrative Statistics Survey, 2013

Number of full-time sworn personnel

Number of departments Base sample 

weight

Nonresponse 

adjustment factor

Final analytical 

In universe Sampled Responded weight

Total 12,326 2,327 2,059 ~ ~ ~

100 or more 659 630 574 1.046 1.095 1.148

50–99 800 311 284 2.572 1.098 2.817

25–49 1,542 365 325 4.225 1.123 4.745

10–24 2,842 454 399 6.260 1.138 7.123

5–9 2,507 344 289 7.288 1.190 8.675

2–4 2,630 180 158 14.611 1.139 16.646

0–1 1,346 43 30 31.302 1.433 44.867

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 17

Appendix Table 9

Item nonresponse rates for the 2013 Law Enforcement 

Management and Administrative Statistics Survey

Item

Percent of 

cases missing 

Number and category of paid employees 0%

Job function category of sworn personnel 2

Duties performed by nonsworn personnel 4

Number of unpaid reserve/auxiliary officers 3

Sex of full-time sworn employees --

Race or Hispanic origin of full-time sworn employees 2

Annual operating budget* 7

Salary range for entry-level officers 7

Status of collective bargaining agreement 1

Special pay and benefits for full-time officers 1

Education requirement for entry-level officers 1

Community policing component in mission statement 2

Department involved in problem-solving partnership 2

Patrol officers assigned to geographic beats 2

Number of officers assigned to geographic beats 4

Officer involvement in problem-solving projects encouraged 2

Problem-solving projects included in officer evaluations 3

Number of officers involved in problem-solving projects 4

Community policing training for recruits 2

Use of specialized units and designated personnel 3

Participation in multiagency task forces 2

--Less than 0.5%.

*Thirty-five percent of the operating budgets provided were estimates. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 10

Standard errors for figure 1: Full-time employees of local police 

departments, 1987–2013

Estimates Standard errors

Year Sworn officers Civilians Sworn officers Civilians

1987 355,290 93,822 12,259 4,696

1990 363,001 96,890 12,525 4,850

1993 373,554 100,518 12,889 5,031

1997 420,152 111,345 14,497 5,573

2000 440,920 124,995 15,214 6,257

2003 451,737 129,013 15,587 6,458

2007 463,147 137,880 15,981 6,901

2013 477,317 127,642 16,470 6,389

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 11

Standard errors for table 1: General purpose state and local 

law enforcement agencies, 2013

Full-time employees Part-time employees

Type of agency Total Sworn Civilian Total Sworn Civilian

Total 37,735 23,830 13,905 4,380 1,916 2,465

Local police 22,859 16,470 6,389 2,541 1,189 1,353

Sheriff’s office 14,877 7,360 7,516 1,839 727 1,112

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 12

Standard errors for table 2: Local police departments and 

full-time employees, by number of sworn personnel, 2013

Full-time sworn 

personnel

Full-time civilian 

personnel

Number of sworn personnel Number Percent Number Percent

All sizes 16,470 ~ 6,389 ~

1,000 or more 7,465 1.6% 3,175 2.5%

500–999 2,041 0.4 567 0.4

250–499 1,218 0.3 428 0.3

10–249 1,099 0.2 390 0.3

50–99 1,273 0.3 478 0.4

25–49 1,272 0.3 592 0.5

10–24 983 0.2 400 0.3

5–9 603 0.1 223 0.2

2–4 395 0.1 125 0.1

1 120 -- 12 --

--Less than 0.05%.

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 13

Standard errors for table 3: Local police departments and 

full-time employees, by size of population served, 2013

Full-time sworn 

personnel

Full-time civilian 

personnel

Population served Number Percent Number Percent

All sizes 16,470 ~ 6,389 ~

1,000,000 or more 5,518 0.3% 1,872 1.5%

500,000–999,999 3,903 0.8 971 0.8

250,000–499,999 2,138 0.4 609 0.5

100,000–249,999 1,515 0.3 503 0.4

50,000–99,999 1,624 0.3 494 0.4

25,000–49,999 1,804 0.4 642 0.5

10,000–24,999 1,901 0.4 629 0.5

2,500–9,999 1,348 0.3 415 0.3

2,499 or fewer 719 0.2 255 0.2

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 14

Standard errors for figure 2: Average number of full-time 

officers in local police departments per 1,000 residents, by size 

of population served, 2013

Population served Estimates Standard errors

All sizes 2.1 0.08

250,000 or more 2.3 0.13

100,000–249,999 1.7 0.04

50,000–99,999 1.6 0.05

25,000–49,999 1.7 0.06

10,000–24,999 1.9 0.08

2,500–9,999 2.2 0.07

1,000–2,499 2.4 0.11

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 18

Appendix Table 15

Standard errors for table 4: Sex of full-time sworn personnel in 

local police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Population served Male Female

All sizes 0.6% 0.6%

1,000,000 or more 0.9 0.9

500,000–999,999 1.4 1.4

250,000–499,999 0.9 0.9

100,000–249,999 0.3 0.3

50,000–99,999 0.3 0.3

25,000–49,999 0.1 0.1

10,000–24,999 0.4 0.4

2,500–9,999 0.5 0.5

2,499 or fewer 0.7 0.7

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 16

Standard errors for figure 3: Female representation among 

full-time local police officers, 1987–2013

Year Estimates Standard errors

1987 7.6% 0.4%

1990 8.1 0.4

1993 8.8 0.4

1997 10.0 0.5

2000 10.6 0.5

2003 11.3 0.6

2007 11.9 0.6

2013 12.2 0.6

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1987–2013.

Appendix Table 17

Standard errors for figure 4: Female representation in local police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Estimates Standard errors

Population served Chief First-line supervisors

All full-time 

sworn personnel Chief First-line supervisors

All full-time 

sworn personnel

All sizes 2.7% 9.5% 12.2% 0.5% 0.5% 0.6%

250,000 or more 6.6 14.8 16.7 0.7 1.2 1.5

50,000–249,999 3.7 8.0 10.8 1.3 0.4 0.3

10,000–49,999 3.4 5.6 8.3 1.4 0.8 0.4

9,999 or fewer 2.3 5.7 7.0 2.0 2.6 0.6

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 19

Appendix Table 20

Standard errors for figure 6: Average base starting salary for entry-level local police officers, by size of population served, 1993, 

2003, and 2013

Estimates Standard errors

Population served 1993 2003 2013 1993 2003 2013

All sizes $41,532 $44,428 $44,370 $281 $301 $311

250,000 or more 44,323 47,495 47,466 621 665 688

50,000–249,999 45,044 48,125 49,284 451 481 493

10,000–49,999 40,762 42,906 43,578 524 551 560

9,999 or fewer 30,792 32,708 34,842 472 504 537

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

Appendix Table 21

Standard errors for table 6: Average base annual salary for 

selected full-time positions in local police departments, by size 

of population served, 2013

Population served

Entry-level 

officer

First-line 

supervisor Chief

All sizes $311 $577 $744 

1,000,000 or more 737 2,185 6,715 

500,000–999,999 773 1,141 2,635 

250,000–499,999 615 930 1,872 

100,000–249,999 419 603 1,165 

50,000–99,999 530 708 1,319 

25,000–49,999 582 1,132 1,578 

10,000–24,999 550 1,017 1,368 

2,500–9,999 457 911 1,140 

2,499 or fewer 601 1,002 1,432 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Appendix Table 19 Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Standard errors for table 5: Race and Hispanic origin of fulltime sworn personnel in local police departments, by size of 

population served, 2013

Population served White

Black/African 

American

Hispanic/

Latino

Other 

minorities

All sizes 1.8% 0.7% 0.9% 0.3%

1,000,000 or more 4.2 1.4 1.0 0.9

500,000–999,999 4.1 1.2 0.9 1.3

250,000–499,999 3.8 1.0 1.0 0.2

100,000–249,999 2.0 0.7 0.5 0.2

50,000–99,999 2.5 0.4 0.5 0.2

25,000–49,999 3.3 0.4 0.5 0.4

10,000–24,999 2.9 0.5 0.7 0.2

2,500–9,999 2.8 0.5 0.5 0.4

2,499 or fewer 3.7 1.0 1.0 0.9

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 18

Standard errors for figure 5: Minority representation among 

local police officers, 1987–2013

Estimates Standard errors

Year Black Hispanic Other Black Hispanic Other

1987 9.3% 4.5% 0.8% 0.5% 0.3% 0.1%

1990 10.5 5.2 1.3 0.6 0.4 0.1

1993 11.3 6.2 1.6 0.6 0.5 0.1

1997 11.7 7.8 2.0 0.7 0.6 0.2

2000 11.7 8.3 2.6 0.7 0.6 0.2

2003 11.7 9.1 2.8 0.7 0.7 0.2

2007 11.9 10.3 3.1 0.7 0.8 0.3

2013 12.2 11.6 3.5 0.7 0.9 0.3

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1987–2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 20

Appendix Table 22

Standard errors for figure 7: College education requirements for entry-level local police officers, by size of population served, 1993, 

2003, and 2013

Estimates Standard errors

Education requirement 1993 2003 2013 1993 2003 2013

Any college requirement 15.5% 34.2% 32.0% 1.7% 1.8% 0.8%

Some college 8.7 25.8 7.5 0.6 2.1 0.6

2-year degree requirement 5.4 6.7 22.5 1.0 0.3 1.0

4-year degree requirement 1.4 1.7 1.9 0.1 0.1 0.1

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

Appendix Table 23

Standard errors for table 7: Education requirements for new 

officers in local police departments, by size of population 

served, 2013

Population served

High school 

diploma

Some 

college 

2-year college 

degree

4-year college 

degree

All sizes 1.1% 0.6% 1.0% 0.1%

1,000,000 or more 0.1 0.4 4.3 0.0

500,000–999,999 1.8 0.9 1.8 1.3

250,000–499,999 2.4 1.9 1.5 1.3

100,000–249,999 1.1 0.7 0.8 0.5

50,000–99,999 1.9 1.1 1.6 0.9

25,000–49,999 2.3 1.0 2.0 0.9

10,000–24,999 1.9 1.1 1.6 0.3

2,500–9,999 1.8 0.6 1.6 0.3

2,499 or fewer 2.4 1.4 2.1 0.2

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 24

Standard errors for table 8: Community policing policies and 

activities of local police departments, by size of population 

served, 2013

Population served

Mission statement with 

a community policing 

component 

Problem-solving 

partnership or agreement 

with local organization

All sizes 1.5% 1.3%

1,000,000 or more 1.7 3.4

500,000–999,999 1.6 3.2

250,000–499,999 1.5 2.5

100,000–249,999 0.9 1.5

50,000–99,999 1.0 2.2

25,000–49,999 1.7 2.7

10,000–24,999 2.0 2.4

2,500–9,999 2.0 2.0

2,499 or fewer 3.4 2.6

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 25

Standard errors for figure 8: Local police departments with 

a mission statement that included a community policing 

component, 2003 and 2013

Estimates Standard errors

Population served 2003 2013 2003 2013

250,000 or more 77% 92% 0.8% 1.8%

50,000–249,999 79 90 1.5 1.0

10,000–49,999 68 83 2.2 1.9

9,999 or fewer 39 61 2.8 2.8

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2003 and 2013.

Appendix Table 26

Standard errors for table 9: Community-oriented policies 

for patrol officers in local police departments, by size of 

population served, 2013

Patrol officer involvement in 

problem-solving projects

Population served

Geographic 

assignments for 

patrol officers

Actively 

encouraged

Included in 

performance 

evaluation

All sizes 1.5% 1.3% 1.4%

1,000,000 or more 1.5 2.4 2.3

500,000–999,999 2.1 3.0 3.4

250,000–499,999 1.3 2.4 2.6

100,000–249,999 0.7 1.2 1.4

50,000–99,999 1.8 2.2 2.2

25,000–49,999 2.7 2.7 2.7

10,000–24,999 2.4 2.4 2.4

2,500–9,999 2.1 2.2 2.2

2,499 or fewer 3.4 2.7 2.8

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, 2013: PERSONNEL, POLICIES, AND PRAC TICES | MAY 2015 21

Appendix Table 27

Standard errors for table 10: Personnel designated to address crime-related issues in local police departments, by size of 

department, 2013

Departments employing 100 officers or more Departments employing 99 officers or fewer

Problem or task

Personnel assigned 

full time to special unit

Other designated 

personnel

Personnel assigned 

full time to special unit

Other designated 

personnel

Bias/hate crime 0.6% 1.2% 0.9% 1.2%

Child abuse 0.9 1.3 1.1 1.9

Cybercrime 0.9 1.4 0.8 1.3

Domestic violence 0.9 1.2 1.0 1.7

Gangs 0.9 1.3 0.7 1.3

Human trafficking 0.7 1.2 0.8 0.9

Impaired driving 0.9 1.4 1.0 1.9

Juvenile crime 0.9 1.1 1.0 1.9

Victim assistance 0.9 1.2 0.9 1.5

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.

Appendix Table 28

Standard errors for figure 9: Local police departments employing 100 or more officers with personnel designated to address 

crime-related issues, 2003 and 2013

2003 2013

Special unit Designated personnel Special unit Designated personnel

Estimates Standard errors Estimates Standard errors Estimates Standard errors Estimates Standard errors

Bias/hate crime 8% 0.5% 25% 1.2% 10% 0.6% 27% 1.2%

Child abuse 53 0.9 29 1.3 62 0.9 27 1.3

Cyber crime 25 1.1 34 1.4 40 0.9 36 1.4

Domestic violence 53 1.0 23 1.3 54 0.9 27 1.2

Gangs 42 0.9 26 1.2 55 0.7 28 1.2

Impaired driving 28 1.2 28 1.2 40 0.9 36 1.4

Juvenile crime 64 1.3 17 1.0 58 0.9 23 1.1

Victim assistance 34 1.3 18 1.0 36 0.9 25 1.2

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2003 and 2013.

Appendix Table 29

Standard errors for table 11: Task force participation by local 

police departments, by size of population served, 2013

Population served Drugs Gangs Human trafficking

All sizes 1.5% 0.6% 0.3%

1,000,000 or more 0.0 2.7 3.6

500,000–999,999 1.7 2.9 3.2

250,000–499,999 1.1 2.4 2.6

100,000–249,999 0.8 1.4 1.1

50,000–99,999 1.9 2.1 1.2

25,000–49,999 2.4 2.5 1.4

10,000–24,999 2.3 1.9 1.2

2,500–9,999 2.3 1.3 0.7

2,499 or fewer 3.2 0.9 0.3

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey, 2013.
Office of Justice Programs

Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Celebrating

 35 years

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

federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal 

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

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

and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice systems in the 

United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal justice information 

systems, and participates with national and international organizations to develop 

and recommend national standards for justice statistics. William J. Sabol is director.

This report was written by Brian A. Reaves. Andrea M. Burch verified the report. 

Data were collected and processed by the Urban Institute. 

Irene Cooperman, Jill Thomas, and Lynne McConnell edited the report, and Barbara 

Quinn produced the report.

May 2015, NCJ 248677