U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Federal Law Enforcement 
Officers, 2008

June 2012, NCJ 238250

Brian Reaves, PH.D, BJS Statistician
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This file is text without graphics and many 
of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables 
in this report in spreadsheet format (.cvs) 
and the full report including tables and 
graphs in .pdf format are available at:
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This report is one in series. More recent 
editions may be available. To view a 
list of all reports in the series go 
to http://bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbse&sid-25
______________________________________________

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DHS agencies employed nearly half of all federal 
officers in 2008
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In September 2008, DHS employed about 55,000 
officers or 46% of all federal officers 
(figure 2). DHS agencies included the largest 
federal law enforcement agency, U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection (CBP). In September 2008, 
CBP employed 36,863 full-time personnel with 
arrest and firearm authority. The total included 
18,665 officers stationed at official ports of 
entry (airports, seaports, and border crossings), 
17,341 U.S. Border Patrol officers guarding the 
U.S.-Mexico and Canadian borders, and 857 Office 
of Air and Marine officers patrolling coastal waters.

From 2004 to 2008, the number of officers employed 
by CBP increased by more than 9,000 (or 33%), the 
largest increase at any federal agency. A majority 
of the CBP increase occurred in the Border Patrol, 
which added more than 6,400 officers during the 
4-year period. The 59% increase in Border Patrol 
officers continued a growth pattern seen in prior 
FLEO censuses. From 1996 to 2008, the Border
 Patrol added about 12,000 officers, more 
than tripling the agency’s size (figure 3). 
Throughout this period, about 9 in 10 Border 
Patrol officers were stationed in the 
U.S.-Mexico border states of California, Texas, 
Arizona, and New Mexico.

The second largest DHS law enforcement agency was 
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 
which employed 12,446 officers in September 2008. 
This was about 2,000 (or 20%) more officers than 
it employed in 2004. The ICE total included 5,900 
criminal investigators (special agents), 5,700 
immigration enforcement agents, and about 900 
Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers. 

FPS officers protect federal buildings, property, 
and employees, as well as visitors to federal 
buildings. About 15,000 contract security guards 
supplemented the FPS force in 2008. Since these 
guards were not federal employees, they were 
excluded from the FLEO counts. New legislation, 
effective October 1, 2009, moved the FPS 
from ICE to the National Protection and 
Programs Directorate within DHS. 
DHS also housed the U.S. Secret Service, 
which employed 5,213 full-time personnel 
authorized to make arrests and carry firearms 
in 2008. This was an increase of more than 400 
(or 9%) from 2004. About two-thirds of Secret 
Service officers were special agents. Most of 
the others were in the Uniformed Division.

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DOJ agencies employed about a third of 
federal officers in 2008
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In 2008, DOJ agencies employed about 40,000 
(or 33%) of all full-time federal officers 
with arrest and firearm authority in the 
United States. The Federal Bureau of Prisons 
(BOP) was the largest DOJ employer of federal 
officers and the second largest employer of 
federal officers overall. The BOP employed 
nearly 17,000 correctional officers and other 
staff who deal directly with inmates, such as 
correctional counselors and captains, to 
maintain the security of the federal prison 
system. This was about 1,600 (or 11%) more 
officers than in 2004. In September 2008, 
BOP facilities had about 165,000 inmates 
in custody, compared to about 153,000 
inmates in 2004.

The second largest DOJ agency in 2008 was 
the FBI, which employed 12,760 full-time 
personnel with arrest and firearm authority. 
This was about 500 (or 4%) more officers than 
in 2004. Except for 230 FBI police officers, 
the FBI total consisted of special agents 
responsible for criminal investigation 
and enforcement.
 
In addition to the BOP and the FBI, three 
other major law enforcement agencies 
operated within DOJ during 2008: The 
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (4,308 
officers in 2008, down 2% from 2004), the U.S. 
Marshals Service (3,313 officers, up 2%), and 
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms 
and Explosives (ATF) (2,541 officers, up 7%).

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More federal officers protected VA medical 
centers, the Pentagon, and nuclear shipments 
in 2008 than in 2004
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Four executive branch agencies outside of 
DHS and DOJ reported large increases in the 
number of full-time personnel with arrest 
and firearm authority from 2004 to 2008. 
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) 
in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
employed 3,128 officers in 2008 who provided 
law enforcement services for VA medical centers 
located nationwide. This was about 700, 
or 29%, more officers than in 2004. 

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) 
employed 1,049 special agents in the 
United States in 2008, 27% more than 
in 2004. These DS agents protect the 
secretary of state and visiting foreign 
dignitaries, and investigate passport 
and visa fraud. DS also has the largest 
foreign presence of any U.S. law enforcement 
agency, although those officers are not 
included in the FLEO counts.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency employed 
725 officers in 2008 to protect the Pentagon 
and other assigned Defense Department facilities. 
This was 50% more than in 2004, the largest 
percentage increase of any agency with at 
least 250 full-time officers.
 
The National Nuclear Security Administration 
also reported a large increase in the number 
of full-time officers. It employed 363 nuclear 
materials couriers in its Office of Secure 
Transportation in 2008, 24% more than in 2004.

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The four largest Interior Department 
agencies employed fewer officers 
in 2008 than 2004
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The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) 
largest employer of federal officers 
was the National Park Service (NPS). 
In 2008, the NPS Visitor and Resource 
Protection Division employed 1,404 park 
rangers who were commissioned as law 
enforcement officers—9% fewer than in 
2004. Another NPS agency, the U.S. 
Park Police, employed 547 officers in 
2008, which was 11% fewer than in 2004. 
Park Police officers work mostly in the 
Washington, D.C., area, but are authorized 
to provide police services for the entire 
National Park System.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), 
another DOI agency, employed 16% fewer 
officers in 2008 (598) than in 2004 (708). 
In 2008, nearly 3 in 4 were refuge officers,
 with duties related to patrol and enforcement 
of federal wildlife conservation and 
environmental laws in the National Wildlife 
Refuge system. The others were special agents 
who investigated violations of federal 
wildlife protection laws and treaties.

Also within the DOI, the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) employed 277 full-time officers 
in Indian country in 2008, 13% fewer than in 
2004. The BIA operates law enforcement agencies 
for some tribes, and also provides assistance 
and oversight to tribally operated agencies. 
In 2008, a total of 165 tribal law enforcement 
agencies employed about 3,000 full-time sworn 
personnel. (See Tribal Law Enforcement, 2008, 
BJS website, NCJ 234217, June 2011.)

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From 2004 to 2008, the Postal Inspection 
Service reported the largest decrease 
in number of officers 
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Although the decrease in number of officers 
was significant at DOI agencies from 2004 to 
2008, the largest decrease in the number of 
officers at any federal agency during this 
period occurred at the U.S. Postal Inspection 
Service. It employed 2,288 officers with 
arrest and firearm authority in 2008, which 
was nearly 700 (or 23%) fewer officers than 
in 2004. About two-thirds of the officers 
employed in 2008 were postal inspectors 
who were responsible for criminal 
investigations, and the other third 
were postal police officers.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also 
reported a decline in the number of full-time 
officers from 2004 to 2008. The IRS, the 
Treasury Department’s largest employer of 
personnel with arrest and firearm authority, 
employed 2,636 special agents within its 
Criminal Investigation Division in 2008. 
This was 5% fewer than in 2004. 

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The largest agencies in the judicial 
and legislative branches added officers 
from 2004 to 2008
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The largest employer of federal officers 
outside of the executive branch was the 
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts 
(AOUSC). The AOUSC employed 4,696 probation 
officers with arrest and firearm authority 
in its Federal Corrections and Supervision 
ivision in 2008. This was about 600 (or 14%) 
more officers than in 2004. Seven federal 
judicial districts did not authorize their 
probation officers to carry a firearm while 
on duty during 2008. Officers from these 
districts are not included in the FLEO 
officer counts. 

The legislative branch’s U.S. Capitol Police 
(USCP) was the largest federal law enforcement 
agency operating wholly within the nation’s 
capital. The USCP employed 1,637 officers 
to provide police services for the U.S. 
Capitol grounds and buildings in 2008. 
This was 7% more officers than in 2004. 
The Capitol Police have full law enforcement 
authority in the area immediately surrounding 
the Capitol complex. The U.S. Capitol Police
assumed the duties of the Library of Congress 
Police on October 1, 2009.

Excluding IG offices, 16 federal agencies 
employed fewer than 250 full-time personnel 
with arrest and firearm authority in 
The largest of these employers included the 
Bureau of Engraving and Printing 
(207 full-time officers), the Environmental 
Protection Agency (202), the Food and Drug 
Administration (183), the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (149), the Tennessee 
Valley Authority (145), and the Federal 
Reserve Board (141).

********************************************
Offices of inspectors general employed 
about 3,500 investigators with arrest 
and firearm authority
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Thirty-three of the 69 statutory federal 
IG offices employed criminal investigators 
with arrest and firearm authority in 2008 
(table 3). Overall, these offices employed 
3,501 such personnel in the United States 
in 2008, 12% more than in 2004. IG offices 
investigate criminal violations. They also 
prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse 
related to federal programs, operations, 
and employees.

In September 2008, five IG offices employed 
more than 250 full-time criminal investigators 
with arrest and firearm authority. The largest, 
with 508 full-time investigators, was at the 
U.S. Postal Service. The next largest IG 
offices were at Health and Human Services 
(389 investigators), Defense (345),
Treasury, Tax Administration (302), 
and the Social Security Administration 
(272).

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Nearly a sixth of federal officers were 
women; about a third were racial or 
ethnic minorities
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Women accounted for 15.5% of federal officers 
with arrest and firearm authority in 2008. 
This was a slightly lower percentage than 
in 2004 (16.1%), but higher than in 1996 
(14.0%) (figure 4). About a third (34.3%) 
of federal officers were members of a racial 
or ethnic minority in 2008. This was only a 
slight increase compared to 2004 (33.2%), 
but more substantial when compared to
1996 (28.0%). The increase in minority 
representation from 1996 to 2008 is 
primarily attributable to an increase 
in the percentage of Hispanic or Latino 
officers, from 13.1% to 19.8%. The 
percentage of African American or black 
officers in 2008 (10.4%) was lower than 
in 2004 (11.4%) or 1996 (11.5%).
 
Among agencies with 500 or more full-time
officers, the Administrative Office of the 
U.S. Courts (46.2%) and the IRS (31.5%) 
employed the largest percentages of women 
in 2008 (table 4). Other agencies where at 
least a sixth of the officers were women 
included the U.S. Postal Inspection Service 
(22.2%), the FBI (18.8%), the National Park 
Service Rangers (18.6%) and the U.S. Capitol 
Police (18.5%). Women comprised less than 10% 
of the officers at the VHA (7.8%), FWS (8.8%), 
and the DEA (9.6%).

More than half the officers employed by
the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (51.2%) 
in 2008 were members of a racial or ethnic 
minority. The next highest minority percentage 
worked at CBP (45.3%). Other agencies where 
more than a third of the officers were minorities 
included the BOP (40.0%), VHA (37.2%), ICE (37.1%), 
the U.S. Capitol Police (37.1%), the U.S. Postal 
Inspection Service (36.5%) and AOUSC (33.8%). 
The lowest percentages of minority officers 
worked as NPS rangers (12.7%), and at FWS (15.8%), 
although both percentages were about 2% higher 
than in 2004.

CBP (38.0%) and ICE (24.3%) employed the highest 
percentages of Hispanic or Latino officers. In 2008, 
CBP employed about three-fifths of all Hispanic federal 
officers. The highest percentages of African American 
or black officers were at the Pentagon Force Protection 
Agency (43.0%), and the U.S. Capitol Police (29.7%).
The U.S. Forest Service (4.8%) and FWS (3.6%) employed 
the highest percentages of American Indians. The IRS 
(5.7%) and Postal Inspection Service (5.1%) had the 
highest percentages of Asians and Pacific Islanders. 
(See appendix table 5 for the sex and race 
distributions of officers at smaller federal 
law enforcement agencies.)

In 2008, 25.0% of IG investigators were women, 
and 22.8% were members of a racial or ethnic 
minority (not shown in table). Both percentages were 
about the same as in 2004. African Americans or blacks 
(10.8%) comprised the largest minority percentage in 
2008 followed by Hispanics or Latinos (8.3%), Asians 
or Pacific Islanders (2.8%), and American Indians (0.5%). 

Among IG offices employing 50 or more investigators, 
Health and Human Services (31.6%), Agriculture (31.3%), 
and Transportation (28.7%) had the highest percentages 
of women (table 5). The lowest percentages were found 
at DHS (12.9%) and VA (16.7%). The largest overall 
percentages of minorities were found at Transportation 
(33.0%) and Housing and Urban Development (30.1%). 
The IG offices at NASA (13.5%) and VA (13.6%) 
employed the smallest percentages of minorities. 
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The Bureau of Indian Affairs had the highest 
rate of assaults against officers in 2008
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The Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the 
FBI publishes data annually on law enforcement 
officers killed or assaulted in the United States 
and its territories. According to these data, 
two federal officers were feloniously killed 
during 2008. One FBI agent was killed with a 
firearm and one Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP) officer was intentionally struck and killed 
with a vehicle. 

Participating agencies provided data on 1,347 
assaults on federal officers that occurred 
during 2008. About 4 in 5 assaults (79%) on 
federal officers occurred during patrol or 
guard duty. Twelve percent of assaults occurred 
while making an arrest or serving a summons. 
A total of 188 (or 14%) assaults resulted in 
personal injury to the officer. Among assaults 
resulting in injury to an officer, 66% involved 
personal weapons (e.g., hands, fists, or feet), 
10% a vehicle, 3% a blunt instrument, 1% a firearm, 
1% a knife, and 18% other types of weapons. 

Based on agencies providing 2008 data, the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) had the highest 
assault rate, 37.9 assaults per 100 officers 
(table 5). Although the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) 
is not included in the FBI’s reporting program, 
a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) 
analysis of BOP data found that there were 1,392 
assaults on correctional officers during fiscal 
year 2008 (see GAO report 11-410, Bureau of Prisons: 
Evaluating the Impact of Protective Equipment Could 
Help Enhance Officer Safety). This equates to a rate 
of 8.2 assaults per 100 officers, second only to the 
BIA. The next highest rates were at the National Park 
Service (3.7), CBP (2.7), and the Bureau of Land 
Management (2.4). When only the assaults that resulted 
in death or injury are considered, the BIA had a rate 
of 28.2 per 100, far higher than the rate for any 
other agency.

Although not broken out in the FBI’s data, an internal 
CBP analysis of assaults against officers during fiscal 
year 2008 found that 83% of suspects were against Border 
Patrol agents. (See the CBP Report Border Stat Violence: 
FY2008 Year in Review.) Applying this percentage to the 
number of assaults reported by the CBP to the FBI 
suggests an assault rate of 4.8 per 100 officers for 
Border Patrol officers. The study found that 70% of 
assaults against Border Patrol officers involved the 
use of large rocks as weapons, likely accounting for 
the high number of “other” weapons recorded in the 
FBI data.
 
All but 1% of the assaults against Border Patrol 
officers occurred on the U.S.-Mexico border. 
The report found a 46% increase in the number 
of assaults against Border Patrol officers in 
2008 compared to 2006. Although smaller in number, 
assaults against CBP officers who work at ports 
of entry almost tripled during this period.
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Methodology

The 2008 Census of Federal Law Enforcement Officers 
(FLEO) included agencies that employed full-time officers 
with federal arrest authority who were also authorized 
(but not necessarily required) to carry firearms while 
on duty. The FLEO counts of officers include both 
supervisory and non-supervisory personnel. The FLEO 
census does not collect data on federal officers 
stationed in foreign countries. It also excludes officers 
in the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, 
and Coast Guard). Because of classified information 
restrictions, the Central Intelligence Agency and the 
Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Air 
Marshals are also excluded.

BJS determined the eligibility of agencies for inclusion 
in the 2008 FLEO census using information from the 2004 
FLEO census, agency contacts, a 2006 U.S. Government 
Accountability Office study of federal law enforcement 
agencies (study #07-121), and the Federal Law Enforcement 
Training Center (FLETC). A majority of federal officers 
receive some or all of their training through FLETC.

BJS contacted each of the 73 agencies determined to be 
eligible for the census via email, asking them to provide 
the number of full-time personnel with arrest and firearm 
authority employed on September 30, 2008, by job function 
category, sex, race, and primary state of employment.

Data on the total number of personnel with arrest and 
firearm authority were obtained for all agencies except 
the U.S. Supreme Court Police. The total number of officers 
employed in the Supreme Court Police is from the 2006 GAO 
study. Breakdowns by job function category, sex, and race 
for the Supreme Court Police were estimated using previous 
responses to the FLEO census.

The total number of personnel with arrest and firearm 
authority was obtained for the U.S. Secret Service, 
the U.S. Marshals Service, the Environmental Protection 
Agency (Criminal Investigation Division), and the Bureau 
of Industry and Security, but these agencies did not 
provide breakdowns by job function category, sex, race, 
or primary state of employment. Estimates for these values 
were derived using the 2008 total which was apportioned 
according to the percentages reported by each agency in the 
2004 FLEO Census.

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Definitions of job function categories
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Police response/patrol: Includes duties primarily related 
to preventive patrol, responding to complaints and reports 
of illegal activities, arresting law violators, traffic 
control, crowd control, handling of emergencies, or other 
traditional law enforcement responsibilities. 

Criminal investigation/enforcement: Includes duties primarily 
related to collection of evidence, interdiction and seizure 
of contraband, surveillance, execution of search warrants, 
analysis of information, arrest of suspects, development of 
cases for prosecutions, or any other investigation and 
enforcement duties pertaining to federal laws and regulations.

Inspections/noncriminal investigations: Includes duties that 
primarily involve employment and personnel security investigation, 
civil investigation, inspection, or any other type of noncriminal 
investigation or enforcement.

Security/protection: Includes duties primarily related to providing 
security for federal buildings, courts, records, assets, or other 
property, or to providing personal protection for federal government 
officials, judges, prosecutors, jurors, foreign dignitaries, or
any other designated persons. 

Court operations: Includes duties primarily related to the 
supervision of federal offenders on probation, parole, or 
supervised release. Also includes serving civil or criminal 
process, and providing witness protection, courtroom security, 
or other activities related to the federal court system. 

Corrections/detention: Includes duties primarily related to 
the custody, control, supervision, or transportation of pretrial 
detainees, prison inmates, or detained illegal aliens. 
Other functions: Includes duties primarily related to general 
support, administration, research and development, training, 
information systems, laboratory testing, domestic security 
intelligence, or any other function not included in the 
other job function categories.

List of appendix tables

Appendix table 1. Number of full-time federal officers 
with arrest and firearm authority, by job function 
and primary state of employment, September 2008

Appendix table 2. Number of full-time federal officers
with arrest and firearm authority per 100,000 residents, 
by job function and primary state of employment, September 2008

Appendix table 3. Full-time federal officers with arrest 
and firearm authority in the U.S. territories, by location, 
agency, and function, September 2008

Appendix table 4. Department and branch of federal agencies 
employing full-time officers with authority to carry firearms 
and make arrests, by primary place of employment, September 2008

Appendix table 5. Female and minority representation among 
federal officers with arrest and firearm authority in 
agencies employing 50 to 499 officers, September 2008 

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The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the 
statistical agency of the U.S. Department 
of Justice. James P. Lynch is director.

This report was written by Brian Reaves. 
Andrea Burch and Ron Malega verified the report. 
Data collection assistance was provided by Lynn 
Langton and Donna Oliphant.

Catherine Bird and Jill Thomas edited the report, 
and Barbara Quinn produced the report under the 
supervision of Doris J. James.
June 2012, NCJ 238250
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Office of Justice Programs
Innovation * Partnerships * Safer Neighborhoods
www.ojp.usdoj.gov
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6/20/2012/JER/9:50am
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