Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

Factors Related To Police Staffing, James E. Mccabe, Paul E. O'Connell

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study explores data related to police staffing through a convenience sample of 68 American police departments. The relationship between police officer staffing, and exogenous variables such as crime, population, calls for service, and endogenous variables such as workload, response time, patrol deployment and service times was explored. The results indicate that the percentage of officers assigned to patrol, violent crime, the rate of calls for service, and summer response time are significantly related to the size of a police department. In addition, the study introduces workload variables that could be useful in understanding service demands and staffing decisions in …