The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) Police Employee data, collected from U.S. police agencies annually since 1930, provide information on various aspects of police organizations (such as the number of employees and assaults on officers). Such data, spanning 72 years, offer researchers a potentially rich data set. This article provides a brief history of the Police Employee data, describes the various data elements, and tentatively addresses the validity and reliability of these data. Finally, suggested improvements (as well as possible uses) for these data are offered.
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