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Law
Enforcement
Number
of Sworn Officers per 1,000 residents: 1.72
INDICATOR
DESCRIPTION
This indicator measures the number of sworn officers per 1,000
residents in
Cochise
County
as of September
2006. The number of sworn officers is an indicator of the
availability of law enforcement.
|
AGENCY
|
SWORN
OFFICERS
|
CIVILIAN
EMPLOYEES
|
|
Bisbee
PD
|
14
|
9
|
|
Benson
PD
|
10
|
6
|
|
Douglas
PD
|
35/38*
|
11
|
|
Huachuca
City PD
|
5
|
7
|
|
Sierra Vista
PD
|
61/65*
|
29/35
|
|
Tombstone
Marshal’s Office
|
7
|
2
|
|
Wilcox
PD
|
8/10*
|
8/11
|
|
Cochise
County Sheriff’s Office
|
87
|
140*
|
|
TOTAL
|
227
|
212
|
*The splits represent
the actual sworn officers and the approved complement.
The actual numbers are
used to calculate the measure above.
There
are many reasons why a police department or sheriffs office may be
under complement. However,
it is only the officers on the job that contribute to the safety and
security of residents.
WEIGHT IN THE INDEX
4.20%
WHY WE ARE MEASURING THIS
The number of sworn law enforcement officers as a percentage of
the resident population is an indicator of how quickly police
officers can respond to a call for help. A
police force at full complement is more likely to be better trained
to deal with a variety of situations. The numbers above represent
sworn officers available to provide round-the-clock coverage 365
days a year. Vacations,
training and illness reduce availability at various times throughout
the year.
National averages for the number of sworn officers per 1000
residents are calculated by professional law enforcement.
In the West, that number is 2.3 sworn officers per 1000
residents. Whether this
is a good indicator of adequate law enforcement coverage depends on
a number of factors including population density, the area an
officer is responsible for and the amount of average daily visitors
for shopping, work or family reasons.
Douglas
, for example, has
a residential population of approximately 17,000.
Each day, the
Douglas
port of entry
processes approximately 8,000 to 12,000 pedestrians entering the
United States
, 5,000 to 7,000
vehicles in addition to several thousand
U.S.
citizens from
outside the
Douglas
area who cross
into
Mexico
.
While many do not stay in
Douglas
, the day-time population in the
Douglas
area is
considerably higher than the residential population.
The more people there are, the greater opportunity for crime,
or traffic accidents, or family problems.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Source: Chief Charles Austin, Douglas Police Chief
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