This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The FBI's Uniform Crime Report does more than just show which cities have the most crime.
It can also show you how many officers are on the street.
One of the elements of the report, contained on Table 78, shows the size of police forces, broken down by uniformed officers and staff. It also shows the local population, to give a sense of the department's size compared to the community it serves.
That can be helpful when a police chief makes a plea for more officers on the street. Not only can you see the ratio of officers to residents, you can also check to see how much the department has grown over time.
For example, by comparing the data from 2006 and 2011, the latest report, Draper's police department had the largest growth of a city agency in Salt Lake County. It's force grew by 16.1 percent, or five officers.
On the other hand, Midvale's police force disappeared, as the city joined the Unified Police Department.
In neighboring Davis County, North Salt Lake's force saw the most growth, 28.6 percent — or four officers.