CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ARSON STATISTICS AND STUDIES OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ARSONISTS ARE PRESENTED, AND THEIR LIMITATIONS NOTED. NUMEROUS TABLES ILLUSTRATING THIS STATISTICAL INFORMATION ARE INTEGRATED IN THE TEXT. A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED USING A SELECTED GROUP OF LEADING ARSON INVESTIGATORS TO IDENTIFY NEEDS IN ARSON INVESTIGATION. ANOTHER COMPONENT OF THE STUDY WAS A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF DATA ON ARSON, ARSON ARRESTS, AND ARSON CONVICTIONS FROM 108 CITIES OVER A 4-YEAR PERIOD. A REVIEW OF THE CAPABILITIES AND NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TECHNICAL METHODS OF ARSON INVESTIGATION IS PRESENTED. A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE REDUCTION OF ARSON AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF ARSON INVESTIGATION ALSO ARE INCLUDED. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT IMPROVEMENT IN THE ARSON INVESTIGATION FIELD SHOULD INCLUDE INCREASING THE NUMBER AND THE TRAINING OF ARSON INVESTIGATORS, DEVELOPING MORE EFFECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR THEIR USE, AND IMPROVING COOPERATION WITH INSURANCE COMPANIES. ALSO NECESSARY TO IMPROVEMENT ARE ESTABLISHING AN AUTOMATED DATA SYSTEM FOR ARSON INVESTIGATION AND ESCALATING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON ARSON INVESTIGATIVE METHODS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RELEVANT MATERIAL IS INCLUDED IN THE DOCUMENT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)