Summary: Because conventional methods of law enforcement had proven ineffective against organized crime, in January 1967 the Federal Government began establishing a joint-agency strike force program consisting of 18 strike forces staffed with Department of Justice attorneys and representatives from all Federal law enforcement agencies. A review of the 13 strike forces existing in December 1976 showed that: the Government had not developed a strategy to fight organized crime; there was no agreement on what organized crime is and whom or what the Government was fighting; individual strike forces had no statements of objectives; strike forces were hampered because the attorneys in charge had no authority over participants from other agencies; no system existed for evaluating the effectiveness of the national effort or of individual strike forces; and a costly computerized crime intelligence system was of dubious value. Resulting recommendations involved identification of organized crime, development of a national strategy, centralization of Federal efforts, and establishment of an evaluation system. The Organized Crime and Racketeering Section (OCRS) of the Department of Justice is now operating with defined priorities, and specific objectives are selected for each strike force. The National Organized Crime Planning Council is formulating an intelligence base from which organized crime planning can proceed. New guidelines have been developed defining organized crime, and the Racketeer Profile System has been discontinued. The OCRS' Intelligence Unit will now collect and analyze information about organized crime activities to provide management with the information it needs to plan, implement, and evaluate effectively.
