Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

June 2006, NCJ 210296

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Highlights

Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics

Citizen Complaints about Police

Use of Force

Matthew J. Hickman, Ph.D.

BJS Statistician

Large State and local law enforcement 

agencies — those with 100 or more 

sworn officers — received more than 

26,000 citizen complaints about officer 

use of force during 2002. This total 

figure resulted in overall rates of 33 

complaints per agency and 6.6 

complaints per 100 full-time sworn 

officers.

Overall rates were higher among large 

municipal police departments, with 45 

complaints per agency, and 9.5 

complaints per 100 full-time sworn 

officers. 

Among those complaints having a final 

disposition at the time of data collection, 

about 8% were sustained, meaning 

there was sufficient evidence of the 

allegation to justify disciplinary action 

against the subject officer(s). 

These findings are from the 2003 Law 

Enforcement Management and 

Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) 

survey, sponsored by the Bureau of 

Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Office of 

Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS). This report presents data on 

citizen complaints about use of force and 

complaint dispositions in large agencies. 

Because the majority of force complaints 

were received by large municipal police 

departments, additional detail is 

provided on policies and procedures 

relating to the processing of complaints 

in these departments. 

Citizen complaints about police use of force per 100 full-time 

sworn officers, by type of agency, 2002 

0 2 4 6 8 10

Force complaints per 100 full-time sworn officers

All large agencies

Municipal police

Sheriffs' offices

County police

Primary State agencies

• During 2002 large State and local 

law enforcement agencies, representing 5% of agencies and 59% of officers, received a total of 26,556 citizen 

complaints about police use of force. 

This corresponds to an overall rate of 

6.6 force complaints per 100 full-time 

sworn officers.

• About a third of all force complaints 

in 2002 were not sustained (34%). 

Twenty-five percent were unfounded, 

23% resulted in officers being exonerated, and 8% were sustained.

• Complaint volumes, rates, and dispositions varied by agency characteristics, such as the size and type of 

agency, as well as policies and procedures related to the handling of complaints.

• About a fifth (19%) of large municipal police departments had a civilian 

complaint review board (CCRB) or 

agency within their jurisdiction. Overall, departments with a CCRB had a 

higher rate of force complaints as 

compared to those without a CCRB 

(11.9 versus 6.6 per 100 officers). 

• Using sustained force complaints as 

an indicator of excessive force results 

in an estimate of about 2,000 incidents of police use of excessive force 

among large agencies in 2002 C an 

overall rate of 1 incident per 200 fulltime sworn officers. 
2 Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force, 2002

Background

Section 210402 of the Violent Crime 

Control and Law Enforcement Act of 

1994 requires the Attorney General to 

“acquire data about the use of 

excessive force by law enforcement 

officers.” Over the past decade, BJS 

has undertaken several projects to 

address this requirement.

As an initial step, BJS and the National 

Institute of Justice (NIJ) held a workshop on police use of force in May 

1995. The purpose of the BJS/NIJ 

workshop was to draw on the expertise 

of criminal justice researchers and 

practitioners while discussing the 

provisions of Section 210402. One 

result of this workshop was a summary 

of prior research and data collection on 

police use of force (see National Data 

Collection on Police Use of Force,

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/

ndcopouf.htm.)

BJS subsequently developed the 

Police Public Contact Survey (PPCS), 

a supplement to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS). The 

PPCS, conducted in 1999, 2002, and 

2005, asked citizens about their 

interactions with police officers during 

the previous 12-months, including 

incidents involving the use of force by 

officers (see Contacts between Police 

and the Public: Findings from the 2002 

National Survey, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/

bjs/abstract/cpp02.htm.)

As part of continuing efforts to develop 

data resources on police use of force, 

BJS recently expanded its LEMAS 

survey in order to collect data on 

formal citizen complaints about officer 

use of force. The complaints data were 

collected from agencies employing 100 

or more full-time sworn officers as of 

June, 2003. See the Methodology

section on page 7 for greater detail.

Included in this report are 496 

municipal police departments, 32 

county police departments, 221 

sheriffs’ offices, and the 49 primary 

State law enforcement agencies. 

These 798 agencies comprise about 

5% of all general purpose State and 

local law enforcement agencies, but 

employ 59% of all full-time sworn 

officers. Ninety percent of these 

agencies received one or more citizen 

complaints about police use of force 

during 2002. 

Complaints received

During 2002 a total of 26,556 citizen 

complaints about police use of force 

were received by large law 

enforcement agencies. This 

corresponds to overall rates of 6.6 per 

100 full-time sworn officers and 10.9 

per 100 full-time sworn officers 

responding to calls for service 

(table 1).

The majority of force complaints 

(22,238 or 84% of all complaints) were 

received by large municipal police 

departments. Municipal departments 

also received the greatest number 

of force complaints on a per officer 

basis (9.5 per 100) and per officer 

responding to calls for service 

(15.4 per 100).

Sheriffs’ offices received 2,815 force 

complaints (11% of all complaints) in 

2002, and had rates of 3.4 per 100 fulltime sworn officers and 7.1 per 100 

officers responding to calls for service. 

County police departments received 

763 force complaints (about 3% of all 

complaints) in 2002, and had 

corresponding rates of 2.9 per 100 

officers and 4.5 per 100 officers 

responding to calls for service.

The primary State law enforcement 

agencies received 740 force 

complaints in 2002 (about 3% of all 

complaints), and had the lowest rates 

per officer (1.3 per 100 officers, 1.7 per 

100 officers responding to calls for 

service).

On a per agency basis, municipal 

police departments received the 

greatest number of force complaints 

(45 per agency), followed by county 

police departments (24 per agency) 

and the primary State law enforcement 

agencies (15 per agency). Sheriffs’ 

offices received the least (13 per 

agency).

Rates of complaint generally increased 

with agency size. On a per agency 

basis, rates ranged from 7 per agency 

among those with less than 250 fulltime sworn, to 214 per agency among 

those with 1,000 or more officers. On a 

per officer basis, rates ranged from 4.2 

per 100 among agencies with less than 

250 officers, to 7.7 per 100 among 

agencies with 1,000 or more officers.

Rates per officer responding to calls 

for service ranged from 6.7 per 100 

among agencies with less than 250 

officers, to 12.4 per 100 among 

agencies with 1,000 or more officers. 

Force complaints received 

by large law enforcement 

agencies

Full-time 

sworn

Per 

agency

Per 100 

full-time 

sworn 

officers

Per 100 

full-time 

sworn 

officers 

responding 

to calls 

Total 33 6.6 10.9

1,000 or more 214 7.7 12.4

500-999 48 6.9 11.8

250-499 20 5.6 9.6

100-249 7 4.2 6.7

Table 1. Citizen complaints about police use of force per agency, per 100 fulltime sworn officers, and per 100 full-time sworn officers responding to calls for 

service, by type of agency, 2002

Force complaints received by large law enforcement agencies

Type of agency Total

Per 

agency

Per 100 full-time 

sworn officers

Per 100 full-time sworn 

officers responding to 

calls for service

All large agencies 26,556 33 6.6 10.9

Local agencies 25,816 35 7.5 12.9

Municipal police 22,238 45 9.5 15.4

Sheriffs' offices 2,815 13 3.4 7.1

County police 763 24 2.9 4.5

Primary State agencies 740 15 1.3 1.7
Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force, 2002 3

Complaint dispositions

Of the total force complaints received 

during 2002, 94% had a final 

disposition at the time of data 

collection (table 2). The percentage 

with a disposition varied only slightly 

by type of agency.

Among force complaints having a final 

disposition:

• 34% of the complaints were not sustained, meaning there was insufficient 

evidence to prove the allegation.

• 25% of the complaints were 

unfounded, meaning that the complaint 

was not based on facts, or the reported 

incident did not occur.

• 23% of the complaints resulted in 

officers being exonerated, meaning 

that the incident occurred, but the 

officer’s action was deemed lawful and 

proper.

• 8% of the complaints were sustained, 

meaning there was sufficient evidence 

to justify disciplinary action against the 

officer(s).

• 9% of the complaints had some other 

disposition (for example, the complaint 

was withdrawn).

The most common disposition for force 

complaints received by municipal 

police departments was not sustained 

(37%). A quarter of force complaints in 

these agencies were unfounded, and 

in about a fifth (21%) officers were 

exonerated. Eight percent of force 

complaints were sustained.

Among county police departments, 

force complaints most frequently 

resulted in officers being exonerated 

(35%). A quarter were not sustained, 

17% were unfounded, and 6% were 

sustained. A larger proportion of 

complaints in these agencies resulted 

in some other disposition (17%), as 

compared to other types of agencies.

About 6 in 10 complaints received by 

sheriffs’ offices resulted in officers 

being exonerated (32%) or the 

complaint being unfounded (30%). A 

fifth of complaints were not sustained. 

Compared to other types of agencies, 

sheriffs’ offices had the highest 

proportion of complaints that were 

sustained (12%).

The percentage of force complaints 

having a disposition varied slightly by 

agency size, ranging from 97% among 

agencies having fewer than 250 

officers to 93% among those with 

1,000 or more officers (table 3).

Forty-two percent of force complaints 

received by departments with 1,000 or 

more officers were not sustained, 

roughly twice the rate of all other 

departments. Departments with 1,000 

or more officers also had the lowest 

sustain rate (6%), roughly half that of 

all other departments.

Table 2. Complaint dispositions in large law enforcement agencies,

by type of agency, 2002

Complaint dispositions

Type of agency

Total with 

disposition

Not 

sustained Unfounded Exonerated Sustained

Other 

disposition

All large agencies 94% 34% 25% 23% 8% 9%

Local agencies 94% 35% 26% 23% 8% 9%

Municipal police 94 37 25 21 8 9

Sheriffs' offices 95 20 30 32 12 6

County police 93 25 17 35 6 17

Primary State agencies 95% 16% 19% 52% 9% 4%

Table 3. Complaint dispositions in large law enforcement agencies, 

by number of full-time sworn officers, 2002

Complaint dispositions

Full-time sworn

Total with 

disposition

Not 

sustained Unfounded Exonerated Sustained

Other 

disposition

Total 94% 34% 25% 23% 8% 9%

1,000 or more 93% 42% 23% 19% 6% 10%

500-999 96 21 26 28 14 12

250-499 95 19 33 29 12 6

100-249 97 22 31 34 10 3

Complaints about police use of force in England and Wales

How do police in the United States compare to those in other countries with 

regard to citizen complaints about use of force? Although comparative 

international data on police use of force and citizen complaints are scarce, one 

possible comparison is with the police in England and Wales. The Research 

Development and Statistics (RDS) Directorate of the British Home Office 

reports annually on police complaints and discipline.

During the 12-month period ending March, 2003, the police in England and 

Wales received a total of 6,154 complaints alleging assault by officers. This 

results in an overall rate of 4.6 complaints of assault per 100 FTE officers.* If 

other “oppressive behavior” is included (oppressive conduct or harassment, 

and unlawful or unneccesary arrest or detention), the total number of 

complaints was 9,584, resulting in an overall rate of 7.2 complaints of 

oppressive behavior per 100 FTE officers. 

To the extent that the LEMAS data on citizen complaints about police use of 

force in the United States are comparable in substance to citizen complaints 

about police assaults and other oppressive behavior in England and Wales, the 

overall rates of complaint per 100 officers in both countries are similar (7.5 force 

complaints per 100 officers in large U.S. local agencies, versus 7.2 oppressive 

behavior complaints per 100 officers in England and Wales).

*Police strength based on total FTE’s in the 43 police forces at March 31, 2003 (132,509 FTE’s), 

as published in Police Service Strength, Home Office, October 2003. Complaints data represent

the total number of complaints received, and may include multiple complaints arising from individual 

complaints cases (see Police Complaints and Discipline, Home Office, February 2004).
4 Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force, 2002

Municipal police departments

Complaints received

During 2002 a total of 22,238 citizen 

complaints about police use of force 

were received by large municipal 

police departments (table 4). Rates 

generally increased by size of 

department, ranging from 7 per agency 

among those with fewer than 250 

officers, to 380 per agency among 

those with 1,000 or more officers.

On a per officer basis, rates ranged 

from 4.7 to 11.3 per 100 officers, and 

from 7.4 to 19.1 per 100 officers 

responding to calls for service. By 

population, rates ranged from 0.86 to 

3.64 per 10,000 residents.

Complaint dispositions

Ninety-four percent of force complaints 

received by municipal departments 

during 2002 had a final disposition at 

the time of data collection (table 5). 

The percentage with a disposition 

ranged from 97% among those with 

fewer than 250 officers, to 93% among 

those with 1,000 or more officers.

The overall distribution of complaint 

dispositions among municipal police 

departments was similar to all large 

State and local agencies.

Civilian Complaint Review Boards

In 2003, 19% of large municipal police 

departments had a civilian complaint 

review board (CCRB) or agency within 

their jurisdiction that was empowered 

to review use of force complaints 

against officers. About 1 in 4 of these 

CCRBs had independent investigative 

authority with subpoena powers.

Among all agencies having a CCRB in 

their jurisdiction, the overall rate of 

citizen force complaints was higher 

than those not having a CCRB (158 

per agency versus 18 per agency) as 

were the rates of complaint per 100 

officers (11.9 versus 6.6), per 100 

officers responding to calls for service 

(19.6 versus 10.6), and per 10,000 

residents (3.70 versus 1.35) (table 6).

The overall percentage of complaints 

sustained was lower in jurisdictions 

having a CCRB (6% versus 11%) 

(table 7). These jurisdictions were also 

less likely to find complaints to be 

unfounded (23% versus 31%) or 

exonerate officers (18% versus 26%), 

and more likely to find complaints not 

sustained (42% versus 25%).

Table 4. Force complaints received by large municipal police departments, 

by number of full-time sworn officers, 2002

Full-time sworn

Total force 

complaints Per agency

Per 100 fulltime sworn

Per 100 responding to calls for 

service

Per 10,000 

population

Total 22,238 45 9.5 15.4 2.38

1,000 or more 14,838 380 11.3 19.1 3.64

500-999 2,594 79 11.3 18.0 2.49

250-499 2,430 27 7.8 12.2 1.66

100-249 2,376 7 4.7 7.4 0.86

Table 5. Complaint dispositions in large municipal police departments, 

by number of full-time sworn officers, 2002

Complaint dispositions

Full-time sworn

Total with 

disposition Not sustained Unfounded Exonerated Sustained

Other 

disposition

Total 94% 37% 25% 21% 8% 9%

1,000 or more 93% 45% 23% 17% 6% 10%

500-999 95 20 31 25 15 10

250-499 94 20 28 30 13 9

100-249 97 23 32 33 9 3

Limitations of complaints data

Citizen complaints data must be 

interpreted with caution. Differences 

in how agencies receive, process, 

and record complaints can account 

for differences in the volume and rate 

of complaints across agencies. 

Likewise, the citizen’s decision 

whether to file a complaint may be 

influenced by both citizen and agency 

characteristics, and other factors. 

The data presented in this report 

represent the number of officially 

recorded citizen complaints reported 

to BJS by large State and local 

law enforcement agencies. 

Administrative factors, including the 

overall quality of agency records as 

well as specific policies and 

procedures related to complaint 

processing, may vary across 

departments. In addition, the 

categories and definitions of 

complaint dispositions used in 

LEMAS may not be used by all 

agencies. Some agencies may 

record multiple dispositions, 

or other unique outcomes.

Force complaints represent a subset 

of all force events. That is, not all 

force events result in citizens filing 

formal complaints. How often do 

citizens actually complain? Estimates 

from the 2002 Police-Public Contact 

Survey indicated that although 75% 

of citizens experiencing force thought 

the level of force used was 

excessive, about 10% filed a 

complaint with the agency employing 

the officer(s). About 1% filed a 

complaint with a CCRB.

Finally, the meaning of a complaint 

rate is not entirely clear: a low force 

complaint rate could mean that police 

are performing well or that the 

complaint process is inaccessible; 

likewise, a high force complaint rate 

could mean that officers use force 

often or that the complaint process is 

more accessible. 

For greater detail on issues related to 

complaints data and processes, see 

Police Accountability: The Role of 

Citizen Oversight by Samuel Walker, 

Wadsworth Publishing, 2001.
Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force, 2002 5

Internal affairs unit

In 2003, 82% of large municipal police 

departments had an internal affairs or 

equivalent special unit staffed with fulltime personnel. Among all agencies 

having an internal affairs unit, the 

overall rate of citizen force complaints 

was higher than those not having a unit 

(54 per agency versus 5 per agency), 

as were the rates of complaint per 100 

officers (9.8 versus 3.7), per 100 

officers responding to calls (16.0 

versus 5.5), and per 10,000 residents 

(2.51 versus 0.68).

Overall, force complaints received by 

agencies having an internal affairs unit 

were more than twice as likely to be 

found not sustained than in agencies 

not having an internal affairs unit (37% 

versus 16%). Force complaints in 

agencies not having an internal affairs 

unit were more likely to result in 

officers being exonerated (47% versus 

20%). The sustain rate was roughly 

equivalent in both types of agencies.

Personnel monitoring systems

As of 2003, 33% of large municipal 

police departments had a currently 

operational, computer-based 

personnel performance monitoring 

and/or assessment system (such as an 

early warning or early intervention 

system) for monitoring or responding 

to officer behavior patterns before they 

become problematic. Among all 

agencies having personnel monitoring 

systems, the overall rate of force 

complaints was higher on a per agency 

basis (69 per agency versus 33 per 

agency), but rates on a per officer and 

per resident basis were slightly lower. 

Table 6. Citizen complaints about police use of force in large municipal police 

departments, by selected agency administrative characteristics, 2002

Force complaints received

 Per agency

 Per 100 fulltime sworn 

Per 100 full-time 

sworn responding 

to calls for service

Per 10,000 

population 

Total 45 9.5 15.4 2.38

Civilian Complaint Review Board

Jurisdictions with CCRB 158 11.9 19.6 3.70

Jurisdictions without CCRB 18 6.6 10.6 1.35

Internal affairs capacity

Specialized unit 54 9.8 16.0 2.51

No specialized unit 5 3.7 5.5 0.68

Personnel monitoring system

Jurisdictions with system 69 9.0 14.6 2.33

Jurisdictions without system 33 10.1 16.5 2.45

Policy requiring external 

investigation

Jurisdictions with policy 67 10.0 16.3 2.80

Jurisdictions without policy 21 8.0 13.0 1.55

Right to administrative appeal

Citizen may appeal 29 8.8 14.3 1.96

Citizen may not appeal 54 9.7 15.8 2.56

Collective bargaining

Authorized for officers 53 9.9 16.4 2.58

Not authorized for officers 23 7.3 11.3 1.60

Table 7. Complaint dispositions in large municipal police departments, 

by selected agency administrative characteristics, 2002

Complaint dispositions

Total with 

dispositionNot 

sustained

UnfoundedExoneratedSustained

Other 

disposition

Total 94% 37% 25% 21% 8% 9%

Civilian Complaint Review Board

Jurisdictions with CCRB 93% 42% 23% 18% 6% 10%

Jurisdictions without CCRB 95 25 31 26 11 7

Internal affairs capacity

Specialized unit 94% 37% 25% 20% 8% 9%

No specialized unit 99 16 28 47 9 1

Personnel monitoring system

Jurisdictions with system 95% 30% 28% 23% 8% 11%

Jurisdictions without system 93 44 22 18 8 8

Policy requiring external 

investigation

Jurisdictions with policy 93% 39% 25% 20% 7% 9%

Jurisdictions without policy 97 28 27 24 12 9

Right to administrative appeal

Citizen may appeal 97% 33% 21% 24% 14% 8%

Citizen may not appeal 93 38 27 20 6 10

Collective bargaining

Authorized for officers 94% 39% 25% 20% 7% 10%

Not authorized for officers 95 24 30 26 15 6
6 Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force

External investigation

In 2003, 53% of large municipal police 

departments had a written policy 

requiring that citizen complaints about 

inappropriate use of force receive 

separate investigation outside the 

chain of command where the accused 

officer is assigned. Among all agencies 

having such a policy, the overall rate of 

force complaints was higher (67 per 

agency versus 21 per agency), as 

were rates per 100 officers (10.0 

versus 8.0), per 100 officers 

responding to calls (16.3 versus 13.0), 

and per 10,000 residents (2.80 versus 

1.55).

Administrative appeal

In 2003, 37% of large municipal police 

departments provided citizens the right 

to administrative appeal in cases 

involving inappropriate use of force. 

Among all agencies allowing citizen 

appeal, the overall rate of force 

complaints was lower than those not 

allowing citizen appeal (29 per agency 

versus 54 per agency). Rates per 100 

officers (8.8 versus 9.7), per 100 

officers responding to calls (14.3 

versus 15.8), and per 10,000 residents 

(1.96 versus 2.56) were also slightly 

lower among these agencies.

The overall sustain rate for force 

complaints was more than twice as 

high in agencies where citizens had 

the right to administrative appeal (14% 

versus 6%).

Collective bargaining

In 2003 about three-quarters (73%) of 

large municipal police departments 

authorized collective bargaining for 

sworn personnel. Collective bargaining 

agreements often cover disciplinary 

processes and, in some instances, the 

handling or processing of citizen 

complaints. Among all agencies 

authorizing collective bargaining, the 

rate of force complaints was higher 

than those not authorizing collective 

bargaining (53 per agency versus 23 

per agency), as were the rates per 100 

officers (9.9 versus 7.3), per 100 

officers responding to calls (16.4 

versus 11.3), and per 10,000 residents 

(2.58 versus 1.60).

Overall, the sustain rate in agencies 

authorizing collective bargaining for 

officers (7%) was about half that in 

agencies not authorizing collective 

bargaining (15%). Complaints in these 

jurisdictions were more likely to be 

found not sustained (39% versus 

24%).

What can this report tell us about 

excessive force? Discussions about 

police use of force require careful 

attention to definitions. The terms use 

of excessive force and excessive use 

of force are often used 

interchangeably when in fact they 

have different meanings. Use of 

excessive force refers to incidents 

where police apply too much force, 

while excessive use of force refers to 

police applying force legally in too 

many incidents (see National Data 

Collection on Police Use of Force, 

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/

ndcopouf.htm.)

Sustained force complaints from the 

LEMAS survey can serve as an 

estimate of the incidence of police use 

of excessive force, with limitations 

noted earlier in this report (see box on 

page 4). The International Association 

of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has defined 

sustained force complaints as 

incidents of excessive force (see 

Police Use of Force in America, 2001, 

IACP). This definition is reasonable 

since a sustained complaint indicates 

there was sufficient evidence of the 

allegation for the agency to justify 

disciplinary action against the subject 

officer(s). 

A total of 2,036 citizen complaints 

received by large agencies in 2002 

were sustained, and may indicate 

incidents of police use of excessive 

force. On a per officer basis, this 

results in 1 incident per 200 full-time 

sworn officers overall, and nearly 1 

per 100 officers responding to calls for 

service.

Municipal police departments 

accounted for 1,625 (or 80%) of the 

total incidents, with slightly higher 

overall rates on a per officer basis (0.7 

per 100 full-time sworn officers, and 

1.1 per 100 responding to calls for 

service).

Sustained force complaints in 

large law enforcement agencies

Full-time 

sworn Total

Per 100 

full-time 

sworn 

Per 100 

responding 

to calls 

Total 2,036 0.5 0.8

1,000 or more 876 0.4 0.7

500-999 469 0.9 1.6

250-499 408 0.7 1.1

100-249 283 0.4 0.6

Police use of excessive force
Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force, 2002 7

Methodology

The Law Enforcement Management 

and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) 

survey collects data from a nationally 

representative sample of publicly 

funded State and local law 

enforcement agencies in the United 

States. LEMAS surveys have been 

conducted in 1987, 1990, 1993, 1997, 

1999 (limited scope), 2000, and 2003.

The 2003 LEMAS survey was the first 

to collect data on the number and 

dispositions of citizen complaints about 

police use of force. The items were 

included on surveys sent to all 

agencies with 100 or more full-time 

sworn officers.

This report presents data from the 

2003 LEMAS survey for large general 

purpose State and local law 

enforcement agencies, defined as 

those employing 100 or more full-time 

sworn officers, with 40 or more officers 

assigned to respond to calls for 

service. A total of 798 agencies met 

these criteria, including 496 municipal 

police departments, 32 county police 

departments, 221 sheriffs’ offices, and 

the 49 primary State law enforcement 

agencies. For purposes of this report, 

a large tribal police department was 

treated as a municipal police 

department.

Some agencies did not report 

complaints data. Total complaints data 

were imputed for 92 (11.5%) of the 798 

large general purpose agencies. This 

included 42 (8.5%) municipal police 

departments, 41 (18.6%) sheriffs’ 

offices, and 9 (18.4%) of the primary 

State law enforcement agencies. By 

agency size, this included 7 agencies 

with 1,000 or more officers (9.1%), 10 

agencies with 500-999 officers 

(13.5%), 19 agencies with 250-499 

officers (10.7%), and 56 agencies with 

100-249 officers (11.9%). Overall, 

1,369 complaints were imputed, or 

5.2% of the total complaints for large 

general purpose agencies.

Imputation cells were based on agency 

type, size, and population served, 

following procedures developed by the 

U.S. Census Bureau for previous 

LEMAS surveys. Ratio imputation 

based on the number of full-time sworn 

officers was used to impute total 

complaints data. The ratio of 

complaints per officer was calculated 

in each imputation cell. Within cells, 

the median ratio was multiplied by the 

number of officers in non-responding 

agencies to produce the imputed 

value. Imputations for complaint 

disposition data were based on the 

median percentage within imputation 

cells.

Additional data for large general 

purpose State and local law 

enforcement agencies can be found in 

the BJS report, Law Enforcement 

Management and Administrative 

Statistics, 2003: Data for Individual 

State and Local Agencies with 100 or 

More Officers, forthcoming.

Additional detail on LEMAS survey 

methodology can be found in the BJS 

reports, Local Police Departments, 

2003, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/

lpd03.htm and Sheriffs’ Offices, 2003, 

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/

s03.htm.
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

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Permit No. G-91

*NCJ~210296*

8 Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force, 2002

This report in portable document 

format and in ASCII and its related 

statistical data and tables are 

available at the BJS World Wide 

Web Internet site: <http://

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/>

Office of Justice Programs

Partnerships for Safer Communities

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is 

the statistical agency of the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Jeffrey L. 

Sedgwick is director.

This Special Report was written 

by Matthew J. Hickman, Ph.D. 

Brian A. Reaves, Ph.D. verified 

the report. Tina Dorsey and 

Marianne Zawitz produced and 

edited the report. Jayne Robinson 

prepared the report for final 

printing.

June 2006, NCJ 210296