THIS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SERVEY OF POLICE OFFICERS FOUND THAT IN 1974 ABOUT 480,000 FULL-TIME OFFICERS WORKED FOR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, AN INCREASING NUMBER OF THEM WOMEN. CITY POLICE FORCES RANGED FROM MORE THAN 30,000 IN NEW YORK AND MORE THAN 13,000 IN CHICAGO TO HUNDREDS OF SMALL COMMUNITIES EMPLOYING FEWER THAN 25 OFFICERS, EACH. WOMEN OFFICERS WORK MAINLY IN LARGE CITIES. OF THE APPROXIMATELY 45,500 STATE POLICE OFFICERS EMPLOYED IN 1974, NEARLY ALL WERE MEN, BUT THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER THE NEXT DECADE. THE LARGEST STATE FORCE IS CALIFORNIA'S WITH MORE THAN 5,000 OFFICERS; THE SMALLEST IS NORTH DAKOTA'S WITH FEWER THAN 100. HAWAII DOES NOT MAINTAIN A STATE POLICE FORCE. ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES FOR BOTH TYPES OF POLICE RANGE FROM $600 TO $1000 A MONTH WITH REGULAR ADVANCEMENT. IN GENERAL, POLICE OFFICERS ARE PAID ABOUT ONE AND ONE-HALF TIMES AS MUCH AS NONSUPERVISORY WORKERS IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY. LARGER CITY DEPARTMENT AND ALL STATE FORCES HAVE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH, ACCIDENT AND INJURY, AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS. BECAUSE OF THE SALARY AND THE FACT THAT POLICE EXPERIENCE FEWER LAYOFFS THAN INDUSTRY, THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES USUALLY EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF OPENINGS. THIS OCCURS IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THE RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH IS MUCH HIGHER THAN IN OTHER OCCUPATIONS. GOOD HEALTH IS AN ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT BECAUSE OFFICERS MUST WORK LONG HOURS OUTDOORS IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER. LONG OVERTIME HOURS ARE OFTEN REQUIRED DURING EMERGENCIES. MOST DEPARTMENTS ALSO REQUIRE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR THE EQUIVALENT, AND MOST STATE FORCES PREFER CANDIDATES WHO HAVE HAD SOME TRAINING BEYOND HIGH SHCOOL. EMPLOYMENT OF CITY POLICE OFFICERS IS EXPECTED TO RISE FASTER THAN THE AVERAGE OF OTHER OCCUPATIONS THROUGH THE MID-1980'S. AT THE STATE LEVEL THE NUMBER OF SWORN OFFICERS ON HIGHWAY DUTY IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE WHILE AN INCREASING NUBMER OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES WILL BE HIRED TO HANDLE WORK IN CRIME LABORATORIES, ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING CENTERS, AND OTHER SPECIALIZED AREAS. STATE FORCES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE THEIR EFFORTS TO RECRUIT WOMEN AND MINORITIES. SOURCES TO BE CONTACTED FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT POLICE EMPLOYMENT ARE LISTED. (GLR)