Morris County Law Enforcement Demographics

Attorney General Platkin and the Office of Justice Data recently released data on the demographics of over 30,000 active, full-time, sworn law enforcement officers in the State of New Jersey.

As required by law, police departments across New Jersey submitted information to the Office of Justice Data on the age, gender, race, and ethnicity of officers employed as of December 2021.

The 2020 law, NJSA 52:17B-4.10, requires law enforcement agencies to work towards having their police force reflect the diversity of the population of the community in which the agency is charged with protecting. The law also establishes officer demographic data collection requirements.

Under the law, each law enforcement agency must establish programs to:

1. Identify underrepresented groups by comparing the population the agency represents to its police force, and
2. Address any underrepresentation discovered.

“In a state as diverse as New Jersey, it is imperative that law enforcement reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, especially as we seek to build trust between police and the community members they are sworn to protect,” said Acting Attorney General Platkin.

The data is accessible through the interactive dashboard here.

Due to a shortened first reporting period, the data focus only on current officers, and no applicant or promotional information.

A snapshot of Morris County Prosecutors Office and Sheriff's Department:

Over 80% of officers are white, over 75% are men, and most are between the ages of 36 and 45 years old.

In comparison, 71.8% of state law enforcement officers in New Jersey are white, and 92.1% are male, with the most common age range of 36 to 45 years old.

There are about 4,221 state law enforcement officers in New Jersey charged with protecting a population of 9.3 million people.

In all, there are over 30,505 law enforcement officers in New Jersey, with a state population of 9.3 million, which means there are 3.3 officers per 1,000 residents. 

Nearly 70% of NJ law enforcement officers are white, exceeding a population that is 51.9% white. 

88.7% of all NJ law enforcement officers are male, and most are between the ages of 26 and 35.

For updates, subscribe to our free newsletter!

Follow Morristown Minute on Instagram and Twitter for more local and state updates.