Do Reserve Officers Count? The Prevalence, Geographic Distribution, and Adoption of Citizen Officers

• In Event: Counting Cops: Measuring and Defining Law Enforcement "Officer" and "Agency"

Abstract

Reserve police officers function as a force multiplier increasing the ability of local law enforcement agencies to provide police services to the communities they serve. Unlike full-time officers, many reserve officers provide their services for little or no financial remuneration. Arguably, the adoption of reserve officers by local law enforcement agencies offers a lower-cost option for the provision of police services as compared to increasing the size of an agency’s paid full-time staff. Currently, however, little is known about the use of these citizen officers by the nation’s local law enforcement agencies. This paper seeks to add to our understanding of reserve officers by exploring their prevalence, geographic distribution, and any agency-level characteristics associated with their use. This study uses Bureau of Justice Statistics LEMAS data to document a 15-year tend in the use and distribution of reserve officers beginning in the late 1990’s. It also examines those agency-level, jurisdictional (e.g. city or county), and regional characteristics associated with the use of these officers. Lastly, this study will present exploratory multivariate models that aim to predict agency-level adoption of reserve officers and the size of those reserve components.

Author

• Ronald W. Malega, Missouri State University