Presidential Commissions
President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice [The Katzenbach Commission | The President’s Crime Commission] Appointed by the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 - a period of significant political and social upheaval in the U.S. Final report: The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society issued February 1967
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders [The Kerner Commission]
Appointed by the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson July 28, 1967 while Detroit was in the throes of riots with a mandate to answer the questions: "What happened? Why did it happen? What can be done to prevent it from happening again and again?" Final report: Report of the National Advisory on Civil Disorders issued February 1968
The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing
Appointed by the administration of President Barack Obama in December 2014 with a mandate to: “identify the best means to provide an effective partnership between law enforcement and local communities that reduces crime and increases trust” Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing issued May 2015
The Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice
Appointed by the administration of President Donald Trump in January 2020. Announced as “the first commission on law enforcement in half a century.” Its mandate: to study crime—how we can reduce it and how we can restore the public confidence in law enforcement to its rightful place. The Commission will examine the following:
How do certain social ills such as mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness affect the ability of law enforcement to police?
How can we improve officer recruitment, training, and retention?
What are the major issues confronting rural and tribal law enforcement?
What are the major issues affecting the physical safety and mental health of police officers?
How can federal grant programs aide state, local, and tribal law enforcement?
What novel issues and criminal threats have arisen from new technologies?
What is the cause of diminished respect for law enforcement and the laws they enforce, and how does it affect both police and public safety?
What role can commercial business and community development organizations play in cultivating safe communities?
What methodologies, techniques, and targeted deterrence can be employed to reduce crime?
How can we integrate education, employment, social services, and public health services to reduce crime and ease the burden on law enforcement?
The Commission published Criminal Justice Research Perspectives June 19, 2020
Final report of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice issued December 2020