Nearly _______ percent of local police departments serve populations of fewer than 10,000 people.

The statement that nearly 75 percent of local police departments serve populations of fewer than 10,000 people highlights the significant presence of small police departments in the United States. This underscores the structure of law enforcement, where a majority of police agencies are serving smaller communities rather than large metropolitan areas. Such small departments often cater to localized needs, focusing on community policing and tailored approaches to maintain public safety in less populated areas.

This statistic reflects the reality of policing within a vast nation, where many municipalities require law enforcement, resulting in a large number of smaller departments to address their specific concerns. Understanding this distribution of police services helps emphasize the varied contexts in which law enforcement operates, supporting the idea that policing is not just an urban phenomenon but a critical service in rural and suburban settings as well.