Andrea M. Burch, Bureau of Justice Statistics

December 6, 2012    NCJ 238558

Presents data collected from a nationally representative sample of sheriffs' offices on a variety of agency characteristics. Data from the 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey provide national estimates on staffing, operating costs, race, ethnicity and sex of deputies, deputy salaries, screening methods for hiring, and training requirements for new deputies. These data also describe sheriffs' offices in terms of types of weapons authorized, equipment, use of in-car video cameras and computers, community policing efforts, task force participation, and emergency preparedness activities.

Highlights:

• As of September 2007, an estimated 3,012 sheriffs offices performing law enforcement functions in the United States employed 369,084 sworn and civilian personnel.
• Operating budgets of sheriffs offices totaled about $30 billion for fiscal year 2007, which was 20% more than in 2003, after adjusting for inflation.
• In 2007, the average starting salary for entry-level sheriffs deputies was about $31,000, ranging from $27,800 in the smallest jurisdictions to $45,600 in the largest.

Part of the Sheriffs' Office Series

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