This Interim Report of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing was composed approximately 90 days after the task force began its work of identifying best policing practices and recommending how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust.
A general conclusion of this interim report is that "It is time for a comprehensive and multifaceted examination of all the interrelated parts of the criminal justice system and a focused investigation into how poverty, lack of education, mental health, and other social conditions cause or intersect with criminal behavior." With this conclusion in mind, the task force proposes two overarching recommendations. First, the President should support and provide funding for the creation of a National Crime and Justice Task Force that will review and evaluate all components of the criminal justice system in order to make recommendations to the Nation on comprehensive criminal justice reform. Second, the President should promote programs that take a comprehensive and inclusive look at community-based initiatives that address the core issues of poverty, education, health, and safety. Under each of these broad recommendations multiple recommendations and action plans are outlined for various components of the criminal justice system. During its first 90 days of work, the task force conducted seven public listening sessions across the Nation and received testimony and recommendations from a wide range of community and faith leaders, law enforcement officers, academics, and others, so as to ensure these recommendations would be informed by a diverse range of voices. Appended list of task force members and their biographies, public listening sessions and witnesses, and a list of individuals and organizations that submitted written testimony