2023 State of the Industry Projection Survey Summary

From August through September this year, Officer Media Group ran our annual State of the Industry Projection Survey asking law enforcement agency representatives to share information on what they anticipate regarding budget changes in their 2023 fiscal year. To expand on that information, we also ask information about how anticipated budget changes will impact their agencies regarding staffing, equipment, vehicles, firearms, salaries and more. The following is a summary of the results.

Nearly 70% of the responding agencies indicate an expectation of budget increases for their 2023 fiscal year. Given the current state of the economy, that’s a strong indicator that the “defund the police” movement is having minimal to zero impact on budget planning. That said, 14% of the respondents did indicate they anticipate a reduction in their budget in the 2023 fiscal year.

For those agencies anticipating budget increases, 74% plan to apply at least part of the increase to salaries. The on-going challenge of recruiting and retention will certainly be battled with pay increases, bonuses for sign-on and academy completion and more. 53% indicated plans to increase or upgrade their fleet while 51% plan to increase their training budget. Given the recent push for “Law Enforcement Reform,” plans for training increases shouldn’t be a surprise.

Just over 43% of the agencies that responded anticipate an increase to their sworn strength. Approximately one-fourth of the respondents indicated they plan to increase agency sworn strength by 5% or less. Doing some extended math, that means another few thousand sworn officers joining the uniform ranks in 2023 across our nation. Of course, an increase in sworn strength also means an increase in support staff, and 19.4% of respondents indicated a plan to increase their support staff.

According to the survey results, the most commonly used duty handguns are manufactured by Glock, SigArms and Smith & Wesson in that order. The most common duty calibers are 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP. Per the survey results, 13.1% of the responding agencies plan to change duty handguns in 2023 with the top two changes being to Glock and SigArms. 11.5% of respondents indicate a plan to change to 9mm when they switch handguns.

Looking at other lethal and less-lethal tools, 12% of the respondents who have patrol rifle programs expect an expansion of those programs in 2023. 23.1% of respondents indicated plans to increase their inventory and use of Electronic Control Weapons in 2023. OC Spray, collapsible batons and other less-lethal tools remain in law enforcement inventory with no indication that they’ll be abandoned or replaced.

Per the survey results, more agencies are embracing the use of Body Worn Cameras. When asked what percentage of their officers were issued Body Worn Cameras, the responses all increased from last year’s responses. A full two-thirds of agencies that replied have 76-100% of their officers equipped with Body Worn Cameras. 19.8% of respondents plan an increase to such use in their 2023 budget.

75% of the responding agencies indicated that they plan to replace or increase part of their vehicle fleet in the 2023 budget year. This should come as no surprise since every vehicle has a service life so some percentage of every fleet needs replacement each year. 15.3% of respondents, though, did indicate they will “retire” vehicles from their fleet in 2023 without replacement.

Fire Extinguishers and First Aid Kits remain the most equipped items in a patrol vehicle followed by a Trauma Kit, Automatic Electronic Defibrillators (AEDs) and Breaching/Rescue Tools.

The full survey report is available for download as a PDF HERE.