Highlights
This article is also available as a YouTube podcast.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, out of around 708,000 sworn U.S. police officers, approximately 57,000 left their positions in 2020, leaving roughly 64,000 roles unfilled.
This figure of 64,000 vacancies highlights the challenges of hiring and retaining skilled personnel.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 25,000 police officers and employees left their positions in the year under review.
The accompanying chart indicates that in 2020, more officers left than were recruited, a trend also observed in 2003 and 2013.
These statistics suggest that law enforcement agencies are not only losing personnel and struggling to recruit replacements but also maintaining a significant number of vacant positions over time.
The article discusses the topics of hiring, recruitment, and retention.
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Author
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention and Statistics for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminology and Public Affairs-University of Maryland, University College. Former police officer. Retired federal senior spokesperson.
Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” national media campaign. Produced successful state anti-crime media campaigns.
Thirty-five years of directing award-winning (50+) public relations for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed thousands of times by every national news outlet, often with a focus on crime statistics and research. Created the first state and federal podcasting series. Produced a unique and emulated style of government proactive public relations.
Certificate of Advanced Study-The Johns Hopkins University.
Author of ”Success With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization,” available at Amazon and additional bookstores.
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Article
As a new police officer, I once arrested someone with a felony warrant. It wasn’t until a veteran officer pointed out that I should remove the knife strapped to his leg under his clothes that I realized the importance of experience.
Reading about crime and justice often reveals “mistakes” by new officers, a pattern evident across many professions where experience reduces errors.
Data shows a significant loss of experienced police officers, impacting the capabilities of law enforcement. I often wonder if controversial incidents would occur if the involved officers were well-trained and experienced.
The Numbers
Of the approximately 708,000 sworn U.S. police officers, about 57,000 left their positions in 2020, while around 64,000 roles stayed vacant, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) utilizes older datasets to provide a comprehensive view of police employment trends. The 2020 data reflects current conditions.
The 64,000 vacancies highlight the difficulty in retaining skilled officers.
The chart below shows that more officers left than were recruited in 2020, a pattern also seen in 2003 and 2013.
Various figures reflect the police staffing crisis, with large agencies often reporting hundreds of officers below authorized strength.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates a loss of over 25,000 police officers and employees over the measured years.
The USDOJ Report
Hiring and Retention of State and Local Law Enforcement Officers, 2020, released in March 2026 by the USDOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, provides statistics on the hiring and separation of full-time sworn personnel by general-purpose law enforcement agencies, along with the incentives to retain them.
Findings in the report are based on the BJS’s Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey. Conducted periodically since 1987, the LEMAS survey collects data on a wide range of topics from a nationally representative sample of general-purpose state and local law enforcement agencies.
General-purpose agencies include municipal, county, and regional police departments, most sheriffs’ offices, and primary state and highway patrol agencies.
Highlights
- There were 64,200 full-time sworn vacancies reported across all agency types, with 39,500 in local police departments, 16,300 in sheriffs’ offices, and 8,400 in primary state agencies.
- Of the 55,000 full-time sworn personnel hired, 81% were entry-level and 16% were lateral hires.
- Agencies with fewer than 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) sworn personnel were more likely to have lateral hires than those with 500 or more.
- Out of 57,400 full-time sworn separations, 47% were voluntary resignations, which were less common in agencies with 500 or more FTEs (30%) compared to smaller agencies.
- Among agencies with 500 or more FTEs, 97% offered paid academy training, compared to 57% with 24 or fewer.
- In 2020, general-purpose law enforcement agencies employed 1,056,000 full-time personnel, including 708,200 (67%) sworn officers. Agencies also employed 85,700 part-time personnel, 44% (37,700) of whom were sworn officers.
What the BJS Numbers Mean
Vacancies
- In 2020, there were 64,200 full-time sworn vacancies across all general-purpose state and local law enforcement agencies, including local police, sheriffs’ offices, and state agencies. “Vacancies” refers to positions authorized but unfilled at year-end.
Hires
- During the year, agencies hired approximately 55,000 full-time sworn personnel.
Separations
- Over the same period, agencies lost about 57,400 sworn personnel due to resignations, retirements, dismissals, deaths, and other reasons.
Net Change
- The report indicates a net loss of approximately 2,400 officers in 2020, calculated as 55,000 hires minus 57,400 separations.
Chart
Chart
Chart
Recruitment
- In 2020, 49% of general-purpose law enforcement agencies offered free or reimbursed academy training as a recruitment incentive.
- Sixty-nine percent of general-purpose law enforcement agencies paid salaries during academy training.
- In 2020, 9 in 10 (89%) sworn personnel worked in agencies offering paid salary during academy training.
- Almost all (97%) agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel offered paid academy training, compared to 57% of agencies with 24 or fewer FTE sworn personnel.
- A greater percentage of agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel (71%) offered free or reimbursed academy training than smaller agencies.
- Less than 2% of all general-purpose agencies offered relocation assistance, though such assistance was more common in agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel (6%) than smaller agencies.
- Three percent of all sworn personnel worked for an agency that offered relocation assistance.
Retention
- In 2020, 29% of general-purpose law enforcement agencies authorized or provided education incentive pay.
- About one-quarter (26%) of agencies authorized or provided shift differential pay.
- In 2020, more than half of all sworn personnel worked in agencies providing shift differential pay (54%) and education incentive pay (51%).
- Almost one-third (32%) of sworn personnel worked in agencies providing hazardous duty pay.
- Shift differential pay was authorized by 67% of agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel, compared to 21% of agencies with 24 or fewer FTE sworn personnel.
- Education incentive pay was offered by 62% of agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel. In comparison, 58% of agencies with 100–499 FTE sworn personnel, 47% of agencies with 25–99 FTE sworn personnel, and 19% of agencies with 24 or fewer FTE sworn personnel offered this incentive.
- Hazardous duty pay was provided by 50% of agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel, compared to 27% of agencies with 100–499 FTE sworn personnel, 13% of agencies with 25–99 FTE sworn personnel, and 6% of the agencies with 24 or fewer FTE sworn personnel.
- In 2020, 9 out of 10 (91%) general-purpose law enforcement agencies offered at least one benefit to increase retention.
- Seventy-nine percent of agencies offered free or financial allowances for uniforms, 61% offered extra overtime opportunities, and 57% offered take-home vehicles.
- More than 9 in 10 (92%) sworn personnel worked in an agency that offered free uniforms or a financial allowance for uniforms, and more than three-quarters worked in agencies that offered Employee Assistance Programs (79%) or extra overtime opportunities (78%).
- Most agencies (95%) employing 500 or more FTE sworn personnel offered free or financial allowance for uniforms, a larger proportion than in smaller agencies.
- A greater percentage of agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel offered peer support programs (85%), increased pay at specific service milestones (73%), college tuition reimbursement (69%), and enhanced retirement benefits (50%), compared to smaller agencies.
- Agencies with 100–499 FTE sworn personnel were more likely to offer extra overtime opportunities (82%), paid maternity leave (68%), paid paternity leave (63%), relaxed residency requirements (58%), and on-duty time allowance for fitness maintenance (36%) than agencies with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel.
- Nearly all agencies (95%) with 500 or more FTE sworn personnel offered Employee Assistance Programs compared to 25% of agencies with 24 or fewer FTE sworn personnel.
Conclusions
To fully explore why police officers are leaving their jobs would require more space than this article allows. Surveys by Pew and the U.S. Department of Justice suggest that officers are hesitant to make stops, leading to millions fewer police interactions. We await further data to determine if these trends have changed.
This hesitance to engage may be contributing to a drop in arrests and solved crimes. In some cities, police response times can exceed an hour, hindering effective crime reporting.
Many in law enforcement attribute the personnel loss to the “defund the police” movement following protests over police use of force. Recent ICE protests have also been a factor, with a perceived sense of disrespect for the police profession due to the actions of a few officers.
Officers argue that judging all police based on the actions of a few mirrors broader societal discrimination. As one officer put it, “If you are willing to judge a group based on the actions of a few, you are capable of any form of race or sex discrimination.” Many families urged their loved ones to leave the profession.
Some contend that the number of officers is irrelevant due to a reported decrease in crime, despite understanding that most crimes go unreported.
The USDOJ’s National Crime Victimization Survey indicates record-high rates and the largest increase in violence in U.S. history at 44 percent. While reported crimes to law enforcement saw a 3 percent decrease in violence in 2023 and a 4.5 percent decrease in 2024, preliminary FBI data can be significantly overstated.
Thus, based on National Crime Victimization Survey data, the loss of police officers may have significant consequences beyond delayed response times.
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