Executive Order  No. 482: Creating the Governor's Anti-Crime Council

WHEREAS, gun violence plagues citizens in many of the Commonwealth's neighborhoods, claiming lives and causing immeasurable pain to the families of victims;

WHEREAS, illegal firearms flow into the Commonwealth, into the hands of felons and youth;

WHEREAS, criminal gangs threaten the safety and security of many neighborhoods and create a climate of fear that jeopardizes efforts by law enforcement to keep our citizens safe;

WHEREAS, too many citizens fear they will become victims of retaliatory violence if they cooperate with law enforcement investigations or prosecutions;

WHEREAS, illegal drugs remain available to our children, and illegal drug sales fuel drug dependency, strain public health resources, and cause violence in our streets;

WHEREAS, police, prosecutors and victim advocates continue to search for effective means to protect victims from domestic violence and sexual assault;

WHEREAS, each year 20,000 criminal offenders are released from incarceration in Massachusetts, often without appropriate post-release supervision and support;

WHEREAS, to meet these and other challenges, all agencies of government responsible for investigating, prosecuting and preventing crime must improve their ability to share information, assess the success of current anti-crime efforts, and collaborate on new and innovate public safety strategies;

WHEREAS, government action must be combined with a renewed commitment from the community, non-profit organizations, and other federal, state, and local partners to make the Commonwealth and its citizens safe, secure and free from the destructive causes and effects of crime;

NOW, THEREFORE, I , Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution, Part 2, c. 2, § I, Art. I, hereby order as follows:

Section 1. There is hereby established the Governor's Anti-Crime Council. The Council will recommend to the Governor a comprehensive set of proposals to prevent and reduce crime in the Commonwealth.

Section 2. The Governor will serve as Chair of the Council. The Council will consist of the Attorney General, the Secretary of Public Safety, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Colonel of the Department of State Police, the Chair of the Parole Board, the Commissioner of the Department of Correction, the Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services, the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, the Executive Director of the Governor's Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence, the chairs of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, the Commissioner of the Office of Probation, the Chief Legal Counsel, the President of the Massachusetts District Attorney's Association, the President of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Chair of the Major City Police Chiefs Association, the President of the Massachusetts Sheriff's Association, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance, the Chief Counsel of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association, one or more members of victim advocate organizations, a member of the clergy, a college or university professor with experience in criminal justice issues, one or more community representatives, and other such members as the Governor may, from time to time, appoint.

Section 3. All members of the Council will serve without compensation in an advisory capacity and at the pleasure of the Governor. The Council will meet at such times and places as determined by the Governor. Support for the Council will be provided by the Executive Office of Public Safety.

Section 4. The Governor may direct the Council to form subcommittees to focus on particular challenges facing the Massachusetts criminal justice system. The Governor may appoint persons with relevant subject matter expertise to serve on the subcommittees. Such persons will serve on these subcommittees without compensation in an advisory capacity and at the pleasure of the Governor. These subcommittees will carry out the functions assigned to them and report to the Council as directed.

Section 5. This Executive Order shall continue in effect until amended, superseded or revoked by subsequent Executive Order.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this 10th day of April in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven and of the Independence of the United States, two hundred and thirty-one.