In short, different governments deliver different services—and it varies by state.

Thus, a large reason why New York state spent the most per capita in 2017 ($529) and Kentucky spent the least ($186) is simply because the former pays its police officers more than the latter because of cost of living. Calls to defund police departments are a growing part of American political discourse. If you’re looking to compare police spending to all other public services, using combined state and local spending is helpful because it groups all of these local governments together. Demonstrators protesting decades of police violence against Black Americans in cities across the country have argued that some or all of the tax dollars that currently fund police departments should be instead rerouted to other social services.

The other (restricted) funds support a wide range of services, including transportation, water and electricity, and affordable housing.

As debate over the proper size and role of police in American society continues, NHPR is attempting to answer a basic but important question: How much are we spending on police in New Hampshire right now? £8.6 billion is funded by central government, with the rest funded by council tax contributions and charging for some services, like policing football matches. A total of 473 cities, representing all 50 states, were included in the analysis. A call to the town’s finance officer revealed this is because New London categorized its ambulance services in the health category, while most other municipalities keep a separate budget line specifically for ambulance services. In inflation-adjusted dollars, state and local spending on police increased from $42 billion in 1977 to $115 billion in 2017. Include those, and police spending is closer to a quarter of the budget. Narrow your search by all research areas that apply. For instance, the table below shows New London as spending the most per-capita on health. The disconnect between police funding and crime rates is a sign of the need to reform the system, advocates say. The number is not better than looking at just localities or just municipalities. Among the many signs and chants heard around the nation and the world are calls to defund the police. For many towns with fewer than 3,000 residents, the New Hampshire State Police serves as the primary law enforcement body or shares responsibility with local departments. New York City spent $5.7 billion on police in 2017. The graphs below are meant to give a general picture of how spending on police in New Hampshire varies from community to community and how it compares to other basic government functions. Try clicking here to open them in a new window. The town estimates that during the peak tourism season, more than 25,000 cars pass through the shopping district each day. Additionally, although the definition of each budget category is defined by the Department of Revenue Administration, there may still be discrepancies in how municipalities report their data. This illustrates how a key challenge in translating police spending data is merely our system of governance. In Concord, city councilors recently voted unanimously to increase the size of the city’s police budget on Tuesday despite similar concerns from some residents. Today, the U.S. collectively spends $100 billion a …

“I can tell you, I’ve thought a lot about law enforcement recently,” said Pearson. But unrestricted funds were only half of the city’s total spending. California and Maryland have relatively high spending (and Arkansas and West Virginia have relatively low spending) for similar reasons. In Keene, demonstrators called for a rethinking of how police departments in New Hampshire are funded.

Neither claim is wrong, but both deserve more context.

The data shows towns and cities in New Hampshire cumulatively spend more on police -about $330 million in fiscal year 2019- than any other municipal government function. Procurement Branch. Overall, police spending was 4 percent of state and local direct general expenditures in 2017. The data is reported by municipalities to the Department of Revenue Administration as part of the annual process for setting local property tax rates. Instead, most of that spending came from independent school districts. The US Census Bureau put the number at 23 percent in 2017—still the city’s largest expenditure. Again, this variation is driven in large part by what particular services jurisdictions deliver (and do not deliver). Most of this spending (86 percent) was by local governments. For these reasons, caution should be used in making direct comparisons between municipalities. Overall budgets for the 10 largest U.S. cities grew an average of 8% between the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years, and spending on police departments grew in … Police and corrections were the fifth-largest source of direct general spending at the state and local level in 2017, roughly equal to spending on highways and roads. But that number undersells what Los Angeles spent on police because the community funds both city and county police.

In contrast, police spending was roughly 2 percent of the Cook County, Illinois, budget in 2017 but nearly 20 percent of the Chicago city budget. There are countless issues, such as punitive policing, that require reforms outside of budgeting. According to the US Census of Governments, state and local governments spent $115 billion on police in 2017 (the latest year for which comprehensive data are available). Speaking on The Exchange recently, Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis, who is also President of the N.H. Association of Chiefs of Police, responded to the recent prevalence of these ideas by saying each community should have its own discussion. Despite the calls, Manchester aldermen voted to add 10 new officers earlier this month. Following approval at the Risk, Demand and Resource Committee on 16th December 2016, click to view The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Procurement and Contract Management Strategy and Practice Document. Learn more ».

But during the same period, the city spent more than $38 million on its police department. As such, if you’re a local advocate or policymaker, you’ll need to go through multiple budgets to figure out what your community is spending on police and other services at each level of government. The goal, Sununu said, is to identify solutions that will enhance transparency. Variables like geography, property values, and the difference between a town’s daytime and nighttime population can influence these per capita figures. Washington, D.C., spent more than $900 for each of its roughly 700,000 residents. The document sets out the Police Service's procurement and contract … (Not seeing the graphics and database below? In 2017, Los Angeles city spent $2.2 billion on police and Los Angeles county spent $2.0 billion. (This data included federal transfers; if we look at just own-source funds, police spending was 5 percent of state and local expenditures.).

Some advocates are sharing data showing localities spend close to half their budget on police. ), ‘I’m Paranoid To Drive Every Day': Young Black Activists Speak Out In Manchester, Sununu Tasks Panel With Offering Ideas On Police Accountability, Transparency. That’s why it’s important for activists and policymakers seeking change to understand what their community’s governments (all of them) spend money on, how they spend that money, and why. Try clicking here to open them in a new window.). As a share of state and local direct expenditures, police spending remained consistently at just less than 4 percent over the entire period. Fire departments are often a close second, while local public health spending is almost always dwarfed by police budgets. Small-Business Lending after the Paycheck Protection Program: What’s Next? Gothamist reported Tuesday that New York City, with a policing budget over $5 billion, has also already spent nearly $40 million on police misconduct settlements this year. Los Angeles city did not spend and Los Angeles county spent relatively little on public education, though. Here's a look at what every state spends per person on law enforcement.

The definition for each budget category, like “police” and “fire” are set by state statute. State and local governments spent a combined total of $115 billion on police in fiscal 2017, according to the … But it provides a full accounting of what state and local governments provide in the US. Across California, police spending was 6 percent of all local government spending in 2017 (roughly the national average). States typically fund highway patrols, and local dollars support sheriffs' offices and police departments. (The federal government also transfers funds to state and locals for police, but it’s a very small share of overall spending.). The range of per capita spending on police ranges from over $500 per resident in some communities to just over $100 per resident in others.

Chris Sununu is pulling together a commission to look at police accountability and transparency in New Hampshire. Others are promoting charts with police spending far outpacing other public services.

“We do not need to be giving more money to a police department so they can have access to military grade weaponry,” organizer Jordan Thompson told NHPR. This comes after NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio promised 'intense change' with police reform proposals amid calls to defund law enforcement, including shifting resources from NYPD and publicizing officers' disciplinary records. The brutal video of police murdering George Floyd has inspired unprecedented civil action and protests against police violence. In 2019, the New York City Police Department had a budget of nearly $6 billion, which is around 8% of the city’s total budget. If you've been hearing calls to "defund the police" to redirect money toward community services, you may be wondering how much of a police budget there is to cut. Police spending remained constant, though. As for his own police department, Dennis said “certainly they’re welcome to look at my budget,” adding, “I would be happy to have that discussion.”. Although police forces are subject to considerable control from the Home Secretary and Chief Constables remain responsible for operational matters, Police Authorities have had principal responsibility for police funding. According to the US Census of Governments, state and local governments spent $115 billion on police in 2017 (the latest year for which comprehensive data are available).

Your support helps Urban scholars continue to deliver evidence that can elevate debate, transform communities, and improve lives. Narrow your search and find the research you need. On a per-capita basis, towns and cities in New Hampshire spent an average of $194 per resident on police in fiscal year 2019. For example, according to the data the town of Tilton spent the most per capita on police ($554) of any community in the state in fiscal year 2019. But that was just 6 percent of its budget because New York City public school spending was included in the city budget—and accounted for a third of the city’s spending. Roughly two-thirds of police spending is for payroll.

Jacksonville, Fla., and Austin, Texas, both spent about $445 per resident on police budgets in 2017. This is far less than what state and local governments spent on public welfare (mostly Medicaid in the Census accounting) and K–12 education, but more than many other services, including housing and community development (and others not listed on the chart). Experts are independent and empowered to share their evidence-based views and recommendations shaped by research.