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Crime in the 1990s: A Federal Perspective

NCJ Number
122279
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 53 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1989) Pages: 36-40
Editor(s)
M J Seng, T M Frost
Date Published
1989
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A Federal judge, a Federal prosecutor, and special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) held a symposium to present their views of crime in the 1990. They identified drugs as the central and most compelling problem for law enforcement, predicted a greater Federal effort against white collar crime and official corruption, and maintained the importance of continuing interagency cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels.
Abstract
Drug proliferation in the United States is an enormous problem; law enforcement has not and, more importantly, cannot solve it. This admission by representatives of the judicial, prosecutorial, investigatory, and control levels should serve as a public warning. The participants emphasized demand reduction and its connection to public attitudes about drugs. Greater attention must be paid to reducing consumption and distribution in the preteen population and to inciting public anger against the problem. Symposium themes concerning white collar crimes related to inciting public concern and support for law enforcement efforts and to the long-term, complex, and expensive nature of this type of investigation. The drug problem has forced the law enforcement community to cooperate, both locally and internationally; agencies have realized that in unity there is strength. The participants also commented on new types of crimes and new technologies that have emerged and will become a component of future law enforcement.