BJS FY 15 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies

The Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA) generates an enumeration of all publically funded law enforcement agencies operating in the United States. For the purposes of the CSLLEA, a “law enforcement agency” is a publically-funded government entity responsible for enforcing laws, maintaining public order, and promoting public safety. To be within scope of the CSLLEA, a law enforcement agency must employ the equivalent of one full-time sworn personnel with general arrest powers. The CSLLEA has been conducted regularly since 1992 and has provided complete personnel counts for the approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies operating nationally. The CSLLEA2012 will be the sixth wave of data in this statistical series and will provide valuable information on trends in law enforcement employment in the United States. Historically, the CSLLEA has collected information about local police departments, sheriffs’ offices, state law enforcement agencies, and special jurisdiction agencies. Local police departments include municipal, county, tribal, and regional police that are granted authority from the local governing body that created it. Sheriffs’ offices are generally empowered by the state to enforce laws at the county level. Special jurisdiction police are responsible for providing police services in areas within another jurisdiction. These types of agencies are usually full-service departments granted law enforcement authority in parks, transportation assets (e.g., airports, subways), housing authorities, schools, hospitals, and government buildings.