What is the average ratio of local police officers to residents? According to the 2003 BJS Law Enforcement and Management Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey, municipal police departments employed an average of 2.5 full-time officers per 1,000 residents. Departments serving 25,000 to 99,999 residents had the lowest average ratio (1.8 officers per 1,000 residents), followed by cities with 100,000 to 249,999 residents (1.9), and cities with 10,000 to 24,999 residents (2.0). Cities with a population of 250,000 or more had 2.5 officers per 1,000 residents. |
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