The Bureau of Justice Statistics has released a report demonstrating the growth of police in the United States.

The survey was conducted with agencies that participated in the 2008 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies and the results were released by the Justice Department this month.

Between 1992 and 2008 the numbers of police grew by 25 percent. In 2008 there were 705,000 full-time sworn officers employed in the United States. The number was 564,000 in 1992.This represents an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent, which exceeds the 1.2 percent population growth rate in the United States, according to the survey.

Law enforcement grew its ranks despite a significant decline in crime. According to FBI statistics, murder, rape and robbery went down in the United States in 2011 for a fifth consecutive year. Despite the decline in crime, police departments around the country are rapidly transforming into paramilitary organizations. Forbes reported last year that the Department of Homeland Security granted local cops $3 billion that was spent on “necessary tools” like BearCats and armored personnel vehicles.

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