Incidents occurring in 1984 and 1985 which raised serious doubts about recruit selection, promotion, management controls, accountability, and affirmative action policies in the NYPD are described, as are the historical roots of such tensions. Also discussed is the impact of litigation on minority hiring and progress achieved by the NYPD in increasing its racial and ethnic diversity. The paper outlines the Committee's agenda and its recommendations, with attention to selection and promotion and police misconduct. One conclusion was that the existing civil service system with its reliance on written examination was not adequate for the selection and promotion of a highly qualified, racially balanced police force. The paper draws three lessons from the Committee's work: (1) it is possible to upgrade personnel standards while striving to increase demographic diversity, (2) upgrading the quality of supervision is an important way to improve police performance and decrease misconduct, and (3) the full range of activities in police work must be recognized. 43 footnotes.