To say that municipal, county, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies across the United States have been adversely affected by the economic downturn of the past several years is a dramatic understatement. Local economies have been devastated by both decreasing tax revenues and reduced levels of support from federal and state funding sources. In this fiscal environment, local government executives and legislative bodies have been looking closely at their public safety expenditures and making difficult budget decisions. These decisions not only impact the level and quality of service but also, in some cases, will determine the very existence of a local agency.

To address these unfolding issues in a timely manner, a recent report compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (the COPS Office), titled The Impact of the Economic Downturn on American Police Agencies, set out to document the early responses of American law enforcement agencies to current budget challenges.¹ Although the COPS Office focused attention on the particular picture unfolding across the United States, law enforcement executives from other countries will find the report relevant as well.