California Police Officers Fall To Lowest Number In Over 30 Years

Even while California as a state and local agency spent over $25.1 billion on policing in 2022, the number of police officers fell to its lowest level since 1991 according to a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Law enforcement is the largest expense for local cities and counties with up to 15% of general funds being spent annually. Despite that, per capita levels of policing statewide have dropped to their lowest level since 1991.

From 2021 to 2022, the state lost about 1,500 sworn staff and about 100 civilian staff. The decline from 2020 to 2021 was larger—2,100 sworn and 1,100 civilian staff. Over the past two years, staffing levels are down by 4.5% and 3%, respectively. Public Policy Institute of California

Across the golden state’s 460 police agencies reporting staffing numbers, roughly 44.1% of local departments reported fewer officers while 40.2% reported hiring more sworn personnel with the balance of agencies reporting no change.

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