NCJ Number
184256
Journal
On Good Authority Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1998 Pages: 1-4
Date Published
March 1998
Length
4 pages
Annotation
An evaluation of the Homicide and Violent Crime Strike force program designed to address high levels of homicide and other violent crime in Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois focused on the operations of the task force while it was receiving Federal funding under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act from 1992 to 1996.
Abstract
The objectives of the evaluation were to document and examine: (1) the original goals and objectives of the task force, its initial operating procedures and practices, its organizational structure, its resource allocation, and its internal and external relationships; (2) changes over time; and (3) the impact on cases, law enforcement, prosecutors, the judicial system, and the communities. The evaluation used information from program documents, case files, and interviews with task force and criminal justice personnel and community leaders. Results revealed that the task force had a significant impact on the homicide and violent crime rates in the counties. Elements crucial to success included the availability of experienced homicide investigators, adequate resources for traveling to conduct interviews and collect evidence, and the hiring of an attorney general’s investigator to identify a pool of potentially solvable cases. Recommendations, figure, and table