Rochester, NY Is One of the Most Heavily Policed Cities in the Country

Police departments across the country have faced rapidly shifting public sentiment in recent years. The 2020 murder of George Floyd by a police officer spawned large-scale protests and calls to defund the police in communities across the United States at a time when violent crime rates – particularly homicide – were on the rise.

Up against these and other social and political pressures, law enforcement agencies nationwide have also been dealing with recruitment challenges and rising rates of attrition. One national survey of about 200 U.S. police departments found that retirements surged by 45% and resignations climbed by 18% from April 2020 to April 2021.

While some communities are struggling with police staffing shortages, many major U.S. cities – home to 50,000 people or more – have managed to avoid those problems and still employ a relatively large police force.

According to FBI data, there were 668 police officers employed in Rochester, New York , in 2021, or about 3.3 for every 1,000 people – well above the average of 2.2 officers per 1,000 people across all U.S. cities.

The high police presence in Rochester is likely due in part to the area’s high rates of criminal violence. There were a total of 819 violent crimes reported in the city for every 100,000 people in 2020, well above the national average that year of 399 per 100,000 people.