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Law enforcement describes the individuals and agencies responsible for enforcing laws and maintaining public order and public safety. Law enforcement includes the prevention, detection, and investigation of crime, and the apprehension and detention of individuals suspected of law violation.
BJS's Law Enforcement Unit maintains more than a dozen national data collections, covering federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and special topics in law enforcement. Most data collections are conducted every 2 to 4 years and focus on aggregate or agency-level responses, meaning the information that is collected pertains to units, such as police departments, training academies, and crime labs. The data from law enforcement agencies provide national estimates for personnel, equipment, operations, agency policies, budgets, and job functions across agencies.
| Data Collections & Surveys |
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| Publications & Products |
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Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories: Resources and Services, 2014
Presents data on the resources and services of state, county, municipal, and federal forensic crime laboratories operating in the United States during 2014 and compares findings with census data from previous years. |
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Press Release | Summary (PDF 246K) | PDF (600K) | ASCII file (31K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 21K)
Part of the Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories Series
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Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories: Quality Assurance Practices, 2014
Presents data on the quality assurance practices of state, county, municipal, and federal forensic crime laboratories operating in the United States during 2014 and compares findings with census data from previous years. |
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Press Release | Summary (PDF 255K) | PDF (672K) | ASCII file (29K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 16K)
Part of the Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories Series
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National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) Initiative
FBI and Bureau of Justice Statistics award $24.2 Million to Law Enforcement Agencies To Support National Crime-Reporting InfrastructureFunding is part of the 2016 National Crime Statistics Exchange initiative. |
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Press Release
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State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies, 2013
Presents findings on the basic training programs of more than 600 state and local law enforcement training academies, including data on program content, recruits, and instructors. |
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Summary (PDF 250K) | PDF (1.2M) | ASCII file (33K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 68K)
Part of the State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies Series
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Sheriffs' Office Personnel, 1993-2013
Presents data on persons employed by the nations sheriffs offices on January 1, 2013, and employment trends since 1993. |
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Press Release | Summary (PDF 233K) | PDF (801K) | ASCII file (28K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 22K)
Part of the Sheriffs' Office Series
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Sheriffs' Office Personnel, 1993-2013
THE NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN SHERIFFS' OFFICES INCREASED NEARLY 60 PERCENT FROM 1993 TO 2013 |
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Press Release
Part of the Sheriffs' Office Series
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National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data
This report describes and compares three law enforcement employment data sources: 1) the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, 2) the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll (ASPEP), and 3) the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA). |
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PDF (1.8M) | ASCII file (48K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 23K)
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Police Use of Nonfatal Force, 2002–11
REPORT: FROM 2002-11 BLACKS WERE 2.5 TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN WHITES TO EXPERIENCE NONFATAL FORCE BY POLICE |
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Press Release
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Police Use of Nonfatal Force, 2002-11
Presents data on the threat or use of nonfatal force by police against white, black, and Hispanic residents during police contact. |
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Press Release | Summary (PDF 202K) | PDF (751K) | ASCII file (38K) | Comma-delimited values (CSV) (Zip format 26K)
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Local Police Departments, 2013: Equipment and Technology
Presents findings on local police departments by population served in 2013, including comparisons with previous survey years. |
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Press Release (8KB) | Summary (PDF 243KB) | PDF (640KB) | ASCII file (25KB) | Comma-delimited format (.csv) (Zip format 38KB)
Part of the Local Police Departments Series
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| Terms & Definitions |
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| Chemical agents |
A chemical compound which has deleterious effects on human health. There are a number
of different types of chemical agents, and a range of uses for these compounds, from
crowd control to chemical warfare. |
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| Cross deputization agreements |
Allow law enforcement personnel from state and tribal entities to cross jurisdictions
in criminal cases. Cross deputization agreements have been used to enhance law
enforcement capabilities in areas were state and tribal lands were contiguous and
intermingled. Under some agreements, federal, state, county/local, and/or tribal law
enforcement officers have the power to arrest Indian and non-Indian wrongdoers
wherever
the violation of law occurs. |
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| DNA |
The abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid, which is the genetic material present in
the cells of all living organisms. DNA is the fundamental building block for an
individual's entire genetic makeup. A person's DNA is the same in every cell (with a
nucleus). DNA is contained in blood, semen, skin cells, tissue, organs, muscle, brain
cells, bone, teeth, hair, saliva, mucus, perspiration, fingernails, urine, feces, etc. |
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| Law enforcement |
The generic name for the activities of the agencies responsible for maintaining public
order and enforcing the law, particularly the activities of prevention, detection, and
investigation of crime and the apprehension of criminals. |
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| Less-lethal weapons |
Less-lethal technologies give police an alternative to lethal force. These weapons are
especially valuable when lethal force¿(1) is not necessary, (2) is justified and
available for backup, but lesser force may resolve the situation, (3) is justified, but
its use could cause serious injury to bystanders or other unacceptable collateral
effects. The weapons currently in use include : chemical agents, batons, soft
projectiles, and electrical devices such as stun guns and Tasers. |
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