Where is a cop when you need one? The answer depends on where you live.
Data reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI depict a wide variation in the size of departments across the nation. Despite what you may hear or have read, there is no national standard for how many police officers a department needs or any type of industry standard of the recommended number of officers per 1,000 residents, 10,000 residents or any other population ratio. Nonetheless, this per capita approach is still used by some cities and typically fails to take into account any factors beyond population figures. Read more
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