Reflecting on the "War on Organized Crime" a Half Century Later

• In Event: IASOC Presents the Mark Haller Memorial Panel: A Look Back at the 1967 Organized Crime Task Force Report

Abstract

On a measly budget in 1966, the late Charles Rogovin assembled four renowned academics that re-engineered the so-called "war on organized crime" for decades to come. Their names, Blakey, Cressey, Gardiner and Schelling proved to be the catalysts in a pioneering effort to advance the earlier efforts of then Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Today, 51 years later the "war against organized crime" has taken a back seat to the fear that terrorism has engendered on a global scale. Nonetheless, the methods and strategies addressed in this historic and revolutionary Report, still prove relevant today in addressing all forms of crime that are "organized and structured" to compromise and undermine legitimate democratic processes. While there are and have been many critics of this Report, the fact remains that these five visionaries have had a profound influence on both the manner in which we think about organized crime and the strategies and methods used to address organized crime.

Author

• Federick Martens, IASOC