Dublin Core
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year ore
August 17, 1967
Honorable David Ginsburg, Executive Director
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders
1016 ~ i6th Street
Washington, D. C. 20036
My dear Mr. Ginsburg:
Congratulations on the very excellent way that you are helping
the Commission to get organized, and the very fine selections that you are
making in organizing a staff. The Commission is extremely fortunate in having
your services.
The recommendations regarding the National Guard were
excellent and very timely. I am confident that the Defense Department will follow
through on these recommendations.
I believe that the Commission must make similar recommenda-
tions for the police. ;
The only way to control a riot, is to prevent it. This responsibility
rests almost exclusively with the city government, and the city police department.
The state police, and the National Guard are seldom, if ever, called until the riot
is out of control.
Every city police department is a separate and independent
organization and most police departments have a good training program, but there
stnesosaine* and obviously, there are some departments that are badly in need
up-
I believe that the greatest need is for the adoption of national
police standards, police recruitment, police training, poliee pay, police
ees and especially, police community relations. Once such standards
the cities must have considerable financial assistance to meet
The preparation of such standards and the enforcement of them
will be a most difficult task. It might be desirable to ask the International
Association of Chiefs of Police to prepare the standards.
The Commission might not want to accept this responsibility
at this time, but I believe it is the most pressing need to keep riots from
happening again and again.
I only make this suggestion for discussion, and I will see you
next Tuesday.
With deepest personal regards, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Li Spee