Assessing the Effectiveness of Organized Crime Control Strategies ...

Assessing the Effectiveness of Organized Crime Control Strategies:
A Review of the Literature
revealed systematic and organized corruption, particularly in the department’s vice divisions,
where bribes were an accepted part of police life (Senna and Siegel, 1996: 338).
The Pennsylvania Crime Commission’s 1980 Report details a substantial number of indictments
and convictions that were based on information supplied by the Commission. The report notes,
however, that despite the successes achieved by law enforcement agencies during the 1970s, OC
flourished during that period (Pennsylvania Crime Commission, 1980:259).
The Chicago Crime Commission is the oldest, most active, and is considered the most respected
citizens’ crime commission in the US (Hoffman, 1987:83). It is privately-funded and its roll of
donors includes some of America’s most prominent businesses—Sears and Roebuck, Kraft,
Amoco. The membership comprises nearly four hundred business leaders, many of whom
donate their own expertise to the Commission’s work. The Commission performs a “watchdog”
role, monitoring the behaviour of public officials responsible for law enforcement.
The Chicago Commission has engaged in awareness-raising activities in relation to OC on an
ongoing basis. Public enemies lists, biographical sketches of OC figures, and related information
are continually released to the media and, hence, to the public. The Commission has also
lobbied in favour of various bills designed to combat OC (Hoffman, 1987:90).
One of the Chicago Commission’s most innovative programs is the “Business Advisory Name
Check Service.” This service is designed to provide information to legitimate businesses
concerning any criminal connections of a loan applicant, potential employee, client, vendor, or
business. Each year, the Commission receives between 3,000 to 5,000 requests for information;
however, the majority of these requests come from law enforcement and investigative agencies.
Many of the requests also originate from out of state. In 1985, the Commission began to cut
back this service due to a lack of resources necessary to comply with federal rules regarding
reference checks (Hoffman, 1987:94). For example, the Commission faced a $3 million libel
suit initiated by a Chicago man for alleged defamatory statements contained in literature it
published. While the name check service may reduce the infiltration of OC in legitimate
business, Hoffman (1987) notes that such infiltration is a relatively minor and declining problem.
The Quebec Police Commission (1976), in its inquiry into OC, also seemed to make a positive
contribution, although much of the evidence of its impact is anecdotal and advanced by the
Commission itself. Charges were brought against a number of OC figures following the public
hearings. The Commission claimed that citizens became better informed about OC; in fact, a
public survey undertaken on its behalf suggested that the population had learned from the
hearings (Quebec Police Commission, 1976:315). The Commission claimed that informing
citizens was empowering, leading them to resist submitting to fear and intimidation. There was
more evidence, according to the police, of cooperation with the authorities, an indication of
greater confidence in the justice system. The Commission also claimed that many gangsters kept
a lower profile and even left the province or country to avoid testifying before it. Such inactivity
or exile was said to disrupt activities associated with OC.
A downside of government-sponsored commissions is that they can be dissolved by the
government. Political interference seemed to be at the root of the dissolution of the Pennsylvania
40 | Research and Statistics Division / Department of Justice Canada