NCJ Number
99258
Date Published
1985
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A review of three major police blue-ribbon commission reports -- the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1967), the American Bar Association's Standards Relating to the Urban Police Function(1973, 1980), and the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals (1973) -- considers commission origins, composition, historical context, and recommendations.
Abstract
All three commissions originated in an era of extreme political controversy over the issues of crime and criminal justice, including the civil rights movement, the dramatic increase in crime between 1963 and 1973, urban riots, and militant protests against the Vietnam War. The substance of the recommendations encompassed police-community relations, personnel matters, the urban police function, policing innovations, and police organization and management. The reports' recommendations have no enforcement mechanisms, but they have been significant in setting standards for police reform. An important impact of the commissions has been their spawning of the move toward law enforcement accreditation. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies began accepting applications from agencies seeking accreditation on October 1, 1983, with accreditation standards largely influenced by blue-ribbon commissions' recommendations. Nine notes are provided.