U.S. Department of Justice – Bureau of Justice Statistics – Local Police Departments, 2013: Equipment and Technology, July 2015: “The overall percentage of the more than 12,000 local police departments in the United States authorizing the use of conducted energy weapons (CEWs) increased from 7% in 2000 to 81% in 2013. CEWs include Tasers and stun guns. Large increases were observed in all population categories. About 9 in 10 departments also authorized their officers to use pepper spray and batons in 2013. Findings are based on the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Survey sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The LEMAS Survey, conducted periodically since 1987, collects data from a nationally representative sample of state and local law enforcement agencies. Prior to the 2013 survey, the most recent LEMAS Survey was conducted in 2007. This report uses data from the 2013 LEMAS Survey to describe the equipment (such as nonlethal weapons and body armor) and technology (such as video cameras, license plate readers, and websites) used by local police departments. Comparisons are made with prior years where appropriate, and where data are available.”