This is the Final Report of the Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice (the Commission), which was established by President Trump’s executive order No. 13896 on October 28, 2019, for the purpose of conducting a modern study of the state of American policing and identifying measures for reducing crime and promoting the rule of law.
The U.S. Justice Department formed the Commission to include all sectors of the law enforcement community, including urban police departments, county sheriffs, state attorneys general and prosecutors, elected officials, U.S. Attorneys, and federal law enforcement agencies. Commission members were from various states, cities, counties, and towns across the United States. The Commission was composed of 17 members. This Final Report relied on reviews of relevant research, testimony from subject-matter experts, and input from stakeholder agencies and associations. This Commission Final Report documents the work of the Commission and its working groups. Each of the 15 issues addressed in the Final Report has a chapter devoted to it that provides a background and current state of the topic and offers recommendations for improving the aspect of law enforcement and the administration of justice covered by the chapter. The 15 issues are respect for the rule of law and law enforcement, victim services, alleviating the impact of social problems on public safety, juvenile justice and youth crime, reentry programs and initiatives, criminal justice system partners, business and community development, reduction of crime, homeland security, grant programs, technology, data and reporting, rural and tribal law enforcement, law enforcement health and wellness, and law enforcement recruitment and training. Appendices contain a list of recommendations and a list of commissioners and executive appointments.