Including the Erie County Sheriff's Department, which serves the entire county, there are 23 police agencies in the county. The consolidation of police department in adjoining communities and of small police departments into larger agencies has been recommended by numerous commissions and reports, but it is a controversial issue that will probably be debated for many years. Following the defeat of a 1968 referendum for the creation of a countywide metropolitan police department, efforts were mounted for the establishment of a bureau of centralized services for the 23 police agencies in the county. The organizational implementation of the Central Police Services agency involved the creation of information systems, the training academy, the forensic laboratory, and communications (mobile radio dispatch). Implementation of the Empire system in 1974 was the culmination of an effort to provide the 23 local police agencies with a modern computerized information network to facilitate rapid information on wants/warrants, stolen vehicles and property, motorist and vehicle identification, message switching among law enforcement agencies, and receipt of criminal histories from the statewide criminal history repository. Since its inception, the Central Police Services has been committed to a coordinated communications system that provides dispatch and emergency backup capabilities in a countywide communications network. The training academy offers courses designed to give college-level training of a specialized nature that prepares police officers for administrative responsibilities and the use of modern police procedures. The forensic laboratory serves as a primary source of information for investigators, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. Appropriations for fiscal 1982 are listed, and a bibliography of 44 listings is provided.