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January 19, 2022
State and Local Law Enforcement Officer Staffing
Some policymakers have raised concerns about a perceived
police staffing crisis and what this might mean for public
safety. This In Focus provides an overview of state and
local law enforcement officer (LEO) staffing levels, a
discussion of some factors identified as potentially
contributing to LEO attrition, what effect attrition might
have on public safety, and federal funding to help law
enforcement agencies (LEAs) hire officers.
Number of LEOs
Table 1 presents data on the number of full-time LEOs
employed by state and local law enforcement agencies from
the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Public Employment
and Payroll. The number of LEOs increased each year from
2014 to 2020 after three years of decreases from 2011 to
2013. The relatively steady increase in the number of LEOs
since 2014 helped offset the losses in LEO employment that
occurred from 2011 to 2013. The fairly consistent rate of
LEOs per 1,000 people since 2014 indicates that LEO
employment has kept pace with U.S. population growth.
Table 1. LEOs in the United States, 201 1-2020
Year Number of LEOs Rate per 1,000 People
2011 702,759 2.3
2012 674,614 2.1
2013 672,060 2.1
2014 678,896 2.1
2015 683,850 2.1
2016 687,643 2.1
2017 698,277 2.1
2018 710,428 2.2
2019 711,583 2.2
2020 718,217 2.2
Source: Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Public Employment and
Payroll. Rate calculated by the Congressional Research Service using
U.S. population estimates from the Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau has not published LEO employment
data for 2021; a June 2021 report from the Police Executive
Research Forum (PERF) suggests that some LEAs continue
to struggle to fill open positions. In May 2021, PERF
surveyed a non-representative sample of 194 LEAs about
staffing changes in their agencies. LEAs were asked how
many LEOs were hired, resigned, or retired during two
periods: April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, and April 1,
2020, to March 31, 2021. Responding agencies reported a
5% decrease in the overall hiring rate, an 18% increase in
the resignation rate, and a 45% increase in the retirement
rate. The combination of reduced hiring and increases in
resignations and retirements led to a 1.6% decrease in the
number of LEOs among these agencies, though in the
largest agencies (500 or more officers) the decrease was
3.1%.
Factors Potentially Affecting Staffing
Some point to increased scrutiny of LEOs and their tactics
in the wake of cases where on-duty police officers killed
alleged suspects as a reason why officers are leaving the
force and why LEAs are having difficulty recruiting new
officers. Evidence of how heightened scrutiny of LEOs
might contribute to reductions in LEO staffing is largely
anecdotal.
A 2021 study of LEO turnover in one large, capital city
jurisdiction in the western [United States] found there
were no changes in trends in retirements and involuntary
separations after the 2020 death of George Floyd in
Minneapolis and the resulting scrutiny of LEO tactics, but
there was a nearly three-fold increase in resignations
compared to what would have been expected if past trends
persisted, though the authors were not able to identify the
specific reasons why officers resigned. Some LEOs have
reportedly left their departments because they feel they do
not have the community's support or fear they will be
charged with crimes for actions that result in someone's
injury or death, even if they were following departmental
policies.
While some point to current tensions around law
enforcement as the reason for why LEOs are leaving their
departments, law enforcement was facing staffing issues
before George Floyd's death. A 2019 PERF report on a
workforce crisis noted that most law enforcement agencies
are sensing a crisis in their ability to recruit new officers,
and to hold on to the ones they have. PERF identified three
reasons why law enforcement leaders were concerned about
staffing: (1) fewer people are applying to become police
officers; (2) more LEOs are leaving their departments, and
in many cases the profession, before retirement age; and (3)
a growing number of current LEOs are becoming eligible
for retirement. More recently, it is not clear to what extent
stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., potential
exposure to COVID-19, requirements to work extensive
overtime to cover shifts because other officers are sick)
contributed to any recent LEO departures across the
country.
Some point to efforts to defund the police in some cities
(i.e., efforts to move resources from law enforcement
agencies to other social service agencies that can aid in
addressing social problems that LEAs currently handle) as a
reason for decreases in LEA staffing. An analysis of the
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