Highlights
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlights the significant loss of police officers in recent years. BLS charts are below.
Tens of thousands of police officers have left their jobs. The good news is that police employment figures have improved.
This article is available as a podcast at YouTube.
Author
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
Former senior crime prevention and statistics specialist at the Ministry of Justice Clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former adjunct associate professor of criminology and public affairs at the University of Maryland, University College. Former police officer. Retired federal senior spokesperson.
Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the national media campaign “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime.” Successful media campaigns against crime produced by the state.
Thirty-five years leading award-winning (50+) public relations for state and national criminal justice agencies. Interviewed thousands of times by every national news outlet, often focusing on crime statistics and research. Created the first state and federal podcast series. Produced a unique and emulated style of proactive government public relations.
Certificate of Advanced Study – Johns Hopkins University.
Author of ”Media Success: Everything You Need to Survive Reporters and Your Organization‘ available from Amazon and other booksellers.
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Article
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States lost 25,076 local government police personnel when viewing a high of 434,698 from November 2019 to November 2023, 409,662.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States lost 18,004 local government police personnel from the calendar year 2019 (431,666) to 413,662 in 2023.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States lost 2,116 stands government police personnel from the calendar year 2020 (102,493) to 100,377 in 2022.
The good news is that per preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the latest available figure from June 2024, local government police personnel recovered to 426,210.
The good news is that per preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the latest available figure from June 2024, for stands government police personnel improved to 105.09.
As discussed below, federal preliminary data changes regardless of the agency involved.
I have chosen low and high points to illustrate the extent of losses.
False media stories?
In 2021 I wrote Major increase in the number of police officers leaving by BLS. To summarize my findings at the time: “According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the country lost 11,009 police officers between March 2020 and March 2021. The growth from 4,000 to 11,000 indicates a fast-growing trend.”
From an earlier article from The Marshall Project: “Agent Snowflake. Reporters are enabling a false narrative about demoralized officers fleeing their departments because of criticism of their misconduct.” Other national media reports offered similar findings.
From The New Republic: (link no longer exists) “The Damning Truth Behind Cops’ Walkout Stories – The New York Times and other news outlets are laundering an exaggerated story about beleaguered cops – a story designed to threaten anyone who questions the power of the police. ”
The article states that stories of officer departures are “part of a consistent, fairly exaggerated narrative emerging in response to ongoing efforts to end police brutality: that such calls and protests have demoralized that officers are fleeing the force and that a spike in crime is the inevitable price we will pay,” said Agents Leaving.
U.S. Department of Justice and law enforcement are facing a historic staffing crisis
Recruitment and retention for the modern law enforcement agency is a product of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the COPS Office of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. It offers the following:
“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a tightening labor market, increased community frustration with the policing profession, and concerns about officer safety and well-being, law enforcement agencies across the country have facing a historic crisis in recruiting and retaining qualified candidates” (emphasis added).
“As agencies continue to seek innovative ways to attract qualified potential candidates and retain current personnel, the crisis requires an immediate and effective response to ensure that law enforcement agencies can maintain staffing levels sufficient to support the public safety needs of their communities” (emphasis added).
“Law enforcement is at a crossroads (emphasis added) as more officers leave the field through resignation or retirement and fewer qualified candidates consider police work as a career.
USA todayPolice forces are facing a “historic crisis in recruiting and retaining” officers due to a tight labor market during the pandemic and community frustrations, the Justice Department said, recommending a series of measures. policy changes Tuesday to find and retain officers.
The recommendations came in response a survey of 182 police agencies in 38 states and Washington, D.C., which saw a decline in the number of sworn officers and enlistments unable to keep up with losses.
The total number of sworn officers fell to 79,464 in January from 83,497 in January 2020, the report said. research from the Police Executive Research Forum.
Context
First, the Bureau of Labor Statistics records police personnel, not just police officers. According to the USDOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, civilian employees made up about 21 percent of the total full-time workforce in local police departments.
Please note that this article does not cover the Federal Police personnel, which has experienced growth in recent years.
There is no central source available annual police employment outside the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, there are special reports. A study by the Police Executive Research Forum found that between 2020 and 2021, law enforcement resignation and retirement rates increased by 18% and 45%, respectively. Four of the largest urban police forces will jointly need more than 5,400 officers in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, law enforcement is experiencing a drastic decline in recruits – 27% to 60% depending on the area per country. FBI.
There are several cities in the US that claim that the number of police officers has decreased significantly. A CBS News Exclusive research from Philadelphia has revealed figures showing that the Philadelphia Police Department has lost nearly 1,000 officers.
Why the loss of police officers?
It would take many more pages than this article to document the reasons why police officers have left their jobs. Surveys by Pew and the U.S. Department of Justice show that police officers are reluctant to stop and there are millions fewer police contacts.
What this means is that the police are reluctant to intervene, which may be the reason for that The number of arrests and solved crimes has decreased. Response times to civilian calls for help often exceed an hour in some cities, impacting crime rates and totals. You cannot report a crime to a police officer who has not responded in time.
Most law enforcement officials (and many police writers) attribute the loss of police personnel to the “defund the police” movement following a seemingly endless series of riots and protests over police use of force. The story appears to be a sense of disrespect for the police profession based on the actions of a few officers who acted inappropriately or illegally.
Police officers reasoned that if society or communities were willing to paint all officers based on the actions of a few, this would count as the same discrimination suffered by other groups. As one retiring police officer said, “If you are willing to judge a group based on the actions of a few, you are capable of any form of racial or gender discrimination.” Families insisted that their police officers’ loved ones leave the profession without delay.
Conclusions: have we turned the corner?
Based on preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it appears that this is the case. However, police commanders across the country continue to claim major losses of police officers. Services to the public continue to be limited. New initiatives stagnate.
BLS data shows that the number of police personnel is now growing. Keep in mind that preliminary data from federal agencies is just that: preliminary. Preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Justice on crime rates may be wrong and subject to revision. The same goes for data on jobs and the economy. Federal preliminary data is routinely reviewed.
Nevertheless, it is the first indicator that the loss of police personnel has been somewhat reversed. Other indicators suggest that things are changing due to increased arrests and more people going to jail. Keep in mind that after correctional populations, arrests, and crimes solved plummeted by huge numbers, it was likely that there would be increases or, according to researchers, a regression to the mean (or mean).
Whatever all this means, it is clear that we simply cannot judge an entire profession based on the misdeeds of a few. Medical errors have recently been recognized as a serious public health problem and are reported as the third leading cause of death in the US. One NIH study reported that approximately 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some preventable harm annually, while another estimated that 200,000 patient deaths annually resulted from preventable medical errors. Are we going to stereotype the entire medical profession based on this?
Yes, the police need to improve. Yes, police officers must be held accountable. However, stereotyping an entire profession is counterproductive to the safety of the public.
Chart employment in local government police
Chart-State Government Police Employment

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