Key takeaways
- The U.S. had 17,541 state and local law enforcement agencies in 2018 — two-thirds of them local police departments — plus fire, EMS, 911 and emergency management agencies.
- Chiefs and sheriffs set direction, but command staff, specialized units, IT, fleet, training and grants staff often shape what gets bought.
- Funding comes from operating budgets, capital plans and grants; hands-on trials and peer references carry real weight.
- KSG has contacted 10,000+ law enforcement agencies for Brother Mobile Solutions alone and secured 212 product trials for Viridian.
The public safety market
| Type of law enforcement agency | Number (2018) |
|---|---|
| Local police departments | 11,824 |
| Sheriffs' offices | 3,051 |
| Special jurisdiction agencies (campus, transit, parks and others) | 1,753 |
| Constable and marshal offices | 647 |
| Primary state law enforcement agencies | 49 |
| Total | 17,541 |
Together these agencies had about 788,000 sworn and 427,000 civilian personnel. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2018 (October 2022).
Beyond law enforcement, public safety includes fire departments, EMS agencies, public safety answering points (PSAPs, or 911 centers), emergency management agencies and campus safety departments — many of them inside cities, counties, universities and special districts.
Who buys in public safety
- Chiefs and sheriffs set priorities and the budget request. In most states the sheriff is an elected official; police chiefs are typically appointed.
- Command staff and specialized units — patrol, investigations, training, technology, evidence, fleet — lead evaluations and trials.
- IT and records staff weigh in on systems, integration and security, including compliance with the FBI's CJIS Security Policy for criminal justice information.
- Grants and finance staff find and manage funding.
- Procurement, and city or county officials, run solicitations and approve larger purchases.
- 911 directors, emergency managers, fire chiefs and EMS directors own their own budgets and buying decisions.
How public safety agencies buy
- Budgets and grants. Purchases come from operating and capital budgets, often supplemented by federal and state grants.
- Trials and evaluations. Agencies are careful buyers and want to see a product work in their own environment. A structured trial is often the most persuasive step in the sale.
- Cooperative and state contracts. Agencies frequently buy from state contracts or cooperatives. GSA's Cooperative Purchasing Program also lets state and local governments buy certain law enforcement and security products from GSA Schedule contracts.
- Peers and associations. Recommendations from neighboring agencies and conferences such as the IACP Annual Conference and SHOT Show influence shortlists.
How KSG approaches public safety outreach
- Map agencies by type, size, region and the roles that fit your product.
- Discover their environment — for Brother, that meant sworn officer counts, in-car printing setups, current printer models and field pain points.
- Offer the right next step — a meeting, a demo, a roadshow visit or a trial.
- Use events — pre-event campaigns for national shows and follow-up afterward (see event prospecting).
- Hand off cleanly — to your account executives, or to dealers and channel partners by territory.
Results in public safety
- Brother Mobile Solutions: 10,000+ law enforcement agencies contacted, 800+ qualified meetings and an 8.9x average ROI over an 8+ year partnership.
- Viridian Weapon Technologies: 212 trial and evaluation periods in 18 months after contacting 6,000+ police departments, sheriffs' offices and campus safety agencies.
- Hyperion Partners: a FirstNet campaign reaching 5,000+ police, sheriff, fire, EMS, PSAP and emergency management agencies — 4.5x ROI in 12 months.
- Eastern Communications: 158 opportunities and $2 million+ in realized revenue from outreach to large public safety agencies, including campus departments.
- Dataminr: 6,500 agencies contacted, generating hundreds of opportunities.