NCJ Number
146866
Date Published
1977
Length
275 pages
Annotation
The capabilities and needs of county law enforcement agencies in the United States are analyzed.
Abstract
Information was provided by 1,893 sheriffs, 28 county police departments, and 19 independent city sheriffs. Generally, sheriffs are elected officials who are responsible for law enforcement, corrections, court security, transportation of prisoners, and the service of civil and criminal processes. For county sheriffs' departments, the sworn employee rate per 1,000 population for the Nation is 1.4; for suburban counties, 2.2; and for rural counties, 1.1. The number of sworn officer in an agency ranges from one to 5,640; the national average is 13. The average salary for a county sheriff is $13,800. The mean total expenditure for county sheriffs offices is $1,395,662- -for suburban offices, $4,010,537; and for rural offices, $283,048. County law enforcement official generally assess their facilities as inadequate. More than half of headquarters facilities are more than 20 years old; one- third are more than 50 years old. Suburban agencies are much more likely than rural agencies to have in-house computerized record-keeping. In most counties, the sheriff serves as the primary law enforcement officer. In 80 percent of suburban counties and 92 percent of rural counties, sheriffs provide patrol services. Nationally, 86 percent perform criminal investigations, and two-thirds have primary responsibility for traffic control. Most are solely responsible for the transportation of prisoners interstate. As 80 percent of the agencies are rural, the most critical factor affecting their ability to perform is the lack of an adequate tax base, resulting in deficiencies in sworn personnel, salaries, adequate facilities, and adequate levels of support operations. Tables