The Senate Committee on the Judiciary recently held a hearing about violent crime titled “New Strategies for Combating Violent Crime: Drawing Lessons from Recent Experience.” As the IACP recently noted, in the years since 2001, more than 99,000 U.S. residents have been murdered, and more than eight million have been victims of violent crime. The hearing focused on efforts to reduce violent crime in U.S. communities.
Testifying at the hearing were criminal justice researchers and Chief Dean Esserman of the Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department. In his comments, Chief Esserman said, “With the right support from the federal government, today’s police departments can make a difference in the quality of life of our citizens. . . . Good policing that is well designed and well managed should be embraced and supported. It will save lives and strengthen communities.”1
The IACP continues to work closely with Congress to reduce the level of violent crime in the United States. The IACP recently released To Protect and Defend: The Public Safety and Homeland Security Challenges Facing the Next President. This document calls on the next president of the United States to establish immediately—during his first 100 days in office—a national commission on criminal justice and homeland security.
