Changes in Measurement of Equipment Use by Law Enforcement Agencies in the LEMAS

• In Event: Examining the Utility of the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey

Abstract

There is widespread interest in the equipment and technology acquired and deployed by law enforcement agencies in the United States. The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey has attempted to track this since its inception in 1987. The 2016 administration of LEMAS added several new questions about weapons, policies regarding use of those weapons, and vehicles. This presentation offers initial analysis of those new data elements, addressing the degree to which responding agencies were able to answer the questions, looking at the distribution of responses, and offering initial thoughts on how collecting these data aid in understanding the nature of modern law enforcement.

Authors

• Kevin M. Scott, Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Shelley S. Hyland, Bureau of Justice Statistics