Survey of Practitioners to Assess the Local Impact of Transnational Crime, Task Order

• NCJ Number: 217587
• Author(s): Michael Shively; Dana Hunt; Sarah Kuck; Jazmin Kellis
• Date Published: December 2003
• Length: 107 pages
• Grant Number(s): 99-C-008 T005
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Survey

Annotation

This report presents an overview of responses from State and local law enforcement agencies from across the United States on perceptions of the problems that transnational crime poses to State and local law enforcement and the resources necessary in addressing these problems.

Abstract

Highlights of key survey findings include: (1) law enforcement considered transnational crime to be a substantial and growing problem in most jurisdictions; (2) in most areas, one or two types of transnational crime stand out as causing concern and generating law enforcement activity; (3) most respondents felt their agency was at least adequately prepared to deal with transnational crime; (4) the most pressing resource needs are equipment, training, and personnel; (5) there is widespread unrest over “unfunded mandates” to do more for homeland security, while resource cuts are affecting essential local law enforcement functions; and (6) some large city police departments are frustrated by perceived Federal inactions and have started their own antiterrorism units. After the attack on United States soil in 2001, the Nation’s law enforcement agencies have been made acutely aware of the imminent challenge of dealing with transnational criminal and terrorist organizations. However, little is known about what the nearly 17,000 State and local law enforcement agencies are seeing, what they are doing to coordinate efforts, and what resources they have and need to meet the challenge. In response to the critical need for this information, the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice commissioned a survey of law enforcement agencies to examine daily demands on first responders. The survey gathered information on perceptions of the extent of local problems with transnational crimes, level of transnational criminal activity, available local resources, extent of cooperation among local, State, Federal, and foreign government agencies, and perception of resource needs. This report reviews and presents the results of the survey, as well as survey methods and sampling and data collection activities. Figures and survey instrument