Law Enforcement facts & stats

Question 1

About how many separate police agencies are there in the United States?

Accepted Answer

about 17,985 agencies. That total includes federal, state, sheriff's, and local departments -- a far more fragmented system than in most countries.

Question 2

In what year did Boston establish what's considered the first organized, publicly funded, full-time professional police force in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

1838. Before that, cities relied on informal night watches rather than a professional police department.

Question 3

In what year did the Pennsylvania State Police become the first official state police agency in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

1905. State police agencies gave states their own law enforcement arm beyond city and county forces.

Question 4

By 2016, inflation-adjusted per-person spending on U.S. policing had risen to about how much, more than triple its 1951 level?

Accepted Answer

about $286 per person. Policing budgets have grown substantially over the decades even after adjusting for inflation.

The basics