NCJ Number
81362
Date Published
1981
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the major conclusions and recommendations of the San Diego Crime Control Commission, which was appointed by the Mayor in September 1979 to help reduce crime, to increase citizens' feelings of security and safety, and to raise citizen confidence in the criminal justice system.
Abstract
The commission was appointed in response to the city's sharp increase in crime over the last decade. Information was gathered from local criminal justice officials, crime victims, the general public, observations of police patrols, and a literature review. Findings revealed that the city lacks well-defined crime fighting objectives and priorities for police activities. In addition, many juveniles are not brought before a judge until their fourth or fifth arrest. Moreover, most offenders who are sent to prison will return to the community and will be hardened by their prison experience. Fifty-two recommendations were presented for dealing with these and other problems. The recommendations were centered around the themes of providing clear and certain consequences for all criminal actions, the need for accountability of criminal justice agencies, and the importance of public involvement and responsibility for crime prvention. It is recommended that objective standards of work performance be enforced at all levels of the San Diego Police Department, that individual officers' performance be measured by their ability to reduce crime in their beat areas, and that the police pay system emphasize performance as well as length of service. A gradual increase in the number of sworn and support police personnel and the creation of a regional computer-based juvenile tracking system are also recommended. The commission also recommends numerous changes in the court and correctional systems and policies. For the full report, see NCJ 81363.