Law Enforcement Core Statistics (LECS)

For over 25 years, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has been the authoritative source for national statistics regarding the personnel, operations, policies, and procedures of law enforcement agencies (LEAs). These data are primarily collected through BJS’ core law enforcement data collection programs: the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) core and supplement surveys and the Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA).

Through the Law Enforcement Core Statistics Program (LECS), BJS combines these collections into a cohesive law enforcement collection program and reshapes their content to focus on agency performance as well as contemporary topics related to agency staffing, regulations, and policies. By redesigning the component collections of LECS, BJS will be able to provide detailed information about LEA performance that aligns these collections with an ongoing national debate about the need for new measures and metrics for law enforcement agencies.

In 2016, BJS and their data collection agent, RTI International, administered the first supplement to the LEMAS, Body-Worn Camera Supplement (BWCS), and the next wave of the LEMAS core. More information about these two collections can be found on their webpages. 

Beginning in 2017, BJS will and RTI International will administer the Survey of Law Enforcement Personnel in Schools (SLEPS), a research effort regarding the role and presence of law enforcement officers in schools. For more information on SLEPS, visit:

2017 SLEPS

This Web site is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).