NCJ Number
87045
Date Published
1983
Length
293 pages
Annotation
This book explains how organized criminals operate, in order to help professionals and the communities they serve understand the problems inherent in enforcement policies.
Abstract
Organized crime corrupts the legal and political systems responsible for its control. The public is often not aware of organized crime's pervasiveness and may tolerate such acts as gambling, bookmaking, and prostitution under the mistaken belief that these are individual violations. Despite the subtlety of their operations, organized criminals present a danger to businesses and to community morality and health. Many groups other than the Mafia commit organized criminal acts. International terrorists, militant domestic groups, and ethnic gangs have grown in number and should be counteracted by cooperative military, Federal, and civilian intelligence efforts. Regional rather than local law enforcement units, clear accountability in law and management procedures, and comprehensive intelligence gathering are keys to effective crime control; the text outlines security and privacy recommendations and common data collection methods. Any enforcement strategy must include education and training for police and public, incentives for citizen groups, and, as a last resort, punitive enforcement. The book discusses the nature and methods of enforcement of gambling, prostitution, drug trafficking, obscenity and pornography, and various white-collar crimes (racketeering, frauds, computer crimes). It offers a sample training curriculum and suggestions for model enforcement programs. Appendixes include categories of organized criminal activity, regulations controlling the National Crime Information Center's computer operations, standard classification numbers for organized crimes, and more than 100 references. An index and footnotes are provided.