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Law Enforcement

Though crime reduction and use of force are two important dimensions of policing, a complete understanding of the quality of law enforcement requires looking at all policing functions.

In addition to protection and enforcement, police are tasked with preventing crime, establishing community relationships, resolving disputes, and assisting individuals in need, among many other things. The data related to law enforcement, including budget, recruitment, equipment, and training, along with department policies and community relations, also help shape the context in which police activity takes place. Therefore, efforts to measure police performance in a holistic way may need to account for some of these less obvious but resource-intensive and necessary aspects of policing.

Get to know the Law Enforcement metrics

Metric

Description

1. Capacity & Costs

2. Population Movements

3. Operations and Dynamics

4. Public Safety

5. Equity

6. Fairness

1.1 Annual Budget – amount of annual budget of the agency 

  1. Total agency budget (in dollars) 

Agency Customization: How does the agency define the fiscal year? 

1.2 Law Enforcement Officers per Capita – number of full-time staff employed in the agency 

  1. Number of full-time law enforcement officers 
  2. Number of full-time civilian staff 
  3. Optional: Number of full-time law enforcement by race or ethnicity, gender 
  4. Optional: Number of full-time civilian staff by race or ethnicity, gender 

1.1 Annual Budget – amount of annual budget of the agency 

  1. Total agency budget (in dollars) 

Agency Customization: How does the agency define the fiscal year? 

1.2 Law Enforcement Officers per Capita – number of full-time staff employed in the agency 

  1. Number of full-time law enforcement officers 
  2. Number of full-time civilian staff 
  3. Optional: Number of full-time law enforcement by race or ethnicity, gender 
  4. Optional: Number of full-time civilian staff by race or ethnicity, gender 

2.1 Reported Crime – number of crimes reported to the agency

  1. Total number of crime incidents 
  2. Number of incidents involving person offenses 
  3. Number of incidents involving property offenses 
  4. Number of incidents involving drug offenses 
  5. Number of incidents involving other (please specify) or unknown types of offenses 

Agency Customization: Which offenses are included in each of the categories above? 

2.2 Arrests – number of arrests recorded by the agency 

  1. Total number of arrests made 
  2. Number of arrests for person offenses 
  3. Number of arrests for property offenses 
  4. Number of arrests for drug offenses 
  5. Number of arrests for other (please specify) or unknown types of offenses 

Agency Customization: Which offenses are included in each of the categories above? 

3.1 Calls for Service – number of calls for service routed to the agency 

  1. Total number of calls for service 
  2. Number of emergency calls for service 
  3. Number of non-emergency calls for service 
  4. Number of type unknown calls for service 

Agency Customization: Do these data represent all calls or only calls responded to? What agencies are available to respond to calls?

4.1 Officer Use of Force Incidents – number of incidents in which officers used force in an interaction with a community member 

  1. Total number of use of force incidents 
  2. Optional: Number of incidents involving physical use of force 
  3. Optional: Number of incidents involving restraint 
  4. Optional: Number of incidents involving use of a weapon 
  5. Optional: Number of incidents involving an unknown type of force 

Agency Customizations: What is your agency’s definition of use of force? 

5.1 Arrests by Race or Ethnicity – number of arrests made involving a suspect of a certain race or ethnicity as a percentage of individuals of a certain race or ethnicity in the jurisdiction 

  1. Total number of arrests made 
  2. Number of arrests involving White suspects 
  3. Number of arrests involving Black suspects 
  4. Number of arrests involving Hispanic/Latino suspects 
  5. Number of arrests involving Asian suspects 
  6. Number of arrests involving American Indian or Alaska Native suspects 
  7. Number of arrests involving Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander suspects 
  8. Number of arrests involving suspects of another (please specify), multiple, or unknown race or ethnicity 

Agency Customization: How does the agency define and record race or ethnicity? 

5.2 Arrests by Gender – number of arrests made involving a suspect of a certain gender as a percentage of individuals of a certain gender in the jurisdiction 

  1. Total number of arrests made 
  2. Number of arrests involving male suspects 
  3. Number of arrests involving female suspects 
  4. Number of arrests involving suspects of another (please specify) or unknown gender

Agency Customization: How does the agency define and record gender? 

6.1 Civilian Complaints Sustained – number of complaints filed against officers in the agency that were sustained 

  1. Total number of complaints filed and sustained 

Agency Customization: How does the agency define complaint and sustained?