U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST            BJS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 1998               202/307-0784

         
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYS 74,500 LAW OFFICERS


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As of June 1996 the
federal government employed about 74,500 full-time
law enforcement officers authorized to make arrests
and carry a gun.  This is up about 6 percent from
1993, the last time the survey was done, the
Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS) announced today.
     Federal officers work in criminal
investigations and law enforcement (43 percent),
corrections (21 percent), police patrol (16
percent), non-criminal investigations (13 percent),
U.S. court operations (4 percent) and security
services (3 percent).
     The Attorney General supervised the three
agencies with the largest federal law enforcement
forces, the Immigration and Naturalization Service,
the Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.  
     The agencies with the most full-time officers
authorized to carry firearms and make arrests and
the percent increase or decrease since 1993 were as
follows:

Immigration and Naturalization 
  Service (Justice) . . . . . . . . . . 12,403 + 31 
Federal Bureau of Prisons (Justice) . .  11,329 +13
FBI (Justice) . . . .  . . . . . . . . . 10,389 + 3
U.S. Customs Service (Treasury)  . . . .  9,749 - 4
Internal Revenue Service (Treasury). . .  3,784 + 5
U.S. Postal Inspection 
  Service (Postal Service) . . . . . . . .3,576   0 
U.S. Secret Service (Treasury)  .. . . .  3,185   *
Drug Enforcement 
  Administration (Justice) . . . . . . .  2,946 + 5
Administrative Office 
  of the U.S. Courts  . . . . . . . . . . 2,777   *
U.S. Marshals Service (Justice) .. . . .  2,650 +23
National Park Service (Interior). .. . .  2,148   0
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco 
  and Firearms (Treasury). . . . . . . .  1,869 - 5
U.S. Capitol Police (Congress).  . . . .  1,031 - 5
U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
  Service (Interior) . . . . . . . . . .    869 +40
Federal Protective
  Service (General Services Adm.). . . . .  643 -14
U.S. Forest Service (Agriculture)  . . .    619 -18
___________________________________________________
*The data for agencies marked by an asterisk are
not comparable to the 1993 figures because of
changes in reporting procedures or sources. 
___________________________________________________ 


    The totals exclude federal officers serving in
foreign countries or U.S. territories or those
enlisted in the Coast Guard or armed forces.
     Women comprised 14 percent of the federal
officers; Hispanics of any race, 13 percent; black
non-Hispanics, 12 percent; Asian or Pacific
Islanders, 2 percent; American Natives 1 percent
and white non-Hispanics 72 percent.
     Nationwide there were 28 federal officers per
100,000 U.S. residents.  Outside the District of
Columbia, which had 1,198 per 100,000, the rates in
the states ranged from more than 50 per 100,000
population in Arizona and Alaska to fewer than 10
per 100,000 in Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Ohio, New
Hampshire and Iowa. The BJS bulletin detailing this
data, "Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 1996"
(NCJ-164617), was written by BJS statistician Brian
A. Reaves.  Single copies may be obtained from the
BJS fax-on-demand system by dialing 301/519-5550,
listening to the menu, and selecting document
number 96 or by calling the BJS Clearinghouse at
1-800/732-3277.  BJS's home page address on the
Internet is:                    
             http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

     Additional criminal justice materials can be
obtained from the Office of Justice Programs
homepage at:
              http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov


After hours contact:  Stu Smith at 301/983-9354 

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