Q: How big (in numbers) is the US police force?

[BB1]

How many people are wearing a uniform? And how large is that percentage compared to the population?

just curious ;)

[madokie]

1. just curious too

[BB1]

2. No actual data?

Here in Holland, the police are on strike:)

(which basically means they drink less coffee)

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

3. If you are asking

because you are worried about jackboot thugs, local police are not (going to be) the enemy. In the event of some fascist "police action" we could expect National Guardsmen to be shuffled countrywide (even the fascists agree that it's bad to have Uncle Joe shooting at mom and dad and the kids--send them across country to shoot a stranger's family).

But far worse than the potential domestic deployment of the National Guard is the potential use of corporatized, privatized armies like Blackwater. Think things would be different here than the way they played out in Baghdad's Mansoor Square? Think again: all targets look the same when they're dancing on the end of an AR-15's sight. The private armies represent the greatest threat to democracy we have ever faced.

[BB1]

4. Nah, I'm not too worried.

I have more worries over the CIA (hi agent Mike!).

Just really, really curious. What types of police do you have, for starters? State Troopers, Highway Patrol, citycops ???

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

11. I'm urban

so I've got city cops. My experiences with them here in Portland (OR) have been generally positive; then again, I am a gainfully employed white male. Portland cops have a rep for shooting first, asking questions later, but I think it's undeserved, and it becomes obvious when one looks at either Portland's murder rate or the rate of police shootings (both LOW), at least compared to other comparably-sized cities.

[melm00se]

5. according the

Justice Department (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/lawenf.htm) as of 2004 (it appears to be the last time this data was collected: the site indicates that they do it every 3 or 4 years), the numbers are:


Total: 836,787
All State and local: 731,903
Local police: 446,974
Sheriff: 175,018
Primary State: 58,190
Special jurisdiction: 49,398
Constable/Marshal: 2,323
Federal: 104,884

US population in 2004 (est) 296 million

law enforcement as a percentage of the population: 0.285%

[Echo In Light]

6. Unsure of numbers. Some links on the fed/militarization of local police

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n995.a11.html

http://www.newswithviews.com/Evensen/greg.htm

http://www.progress.org/archive/fold121.htm

Your Local Police Force Has Been Militarized
The Empire Turns Its Guns on the Citizenry
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts01242007.html

[Marrah_G]

7. It really depends on the area you are talking about

[HughBeaumont]

8. All I know is that ALL of them were guarding the Failure Fuhrer during Coronation 2005.

[Echo In Light]

9. VIDEO: This is What A Police State Looks Like

http://www.blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=5266

[BB1]

10. Ah, thanks for the kind video.

I grew up not 500 miles from 'The Wall', but it was taken down before I had a chance to go and take a good look.

So tell me, how does it FEEL to live in a police state? So as I might recognise the feeling, when they come for us...