Offices of the Society for the Prevention of Crime, precursor to the Crime Commission, from the Society's 1896 annual report. (Photocopy courtesy of New-York Historical Society)

The Commission is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization working to reduce crime and to improve the criminal justice system and the safety of New York City. Tracing its roots to the New York Society for the Prevention of Crime, founded in 1878, the Commission actively supported the effort by District Attorney Tom Dewey to fight the rackets in the 1930s and 40s and in the 1950s was primarily focused on organized crime and its links to the city government.

In the last two decades, the Commission has been a leading advocate on key issues such as: sentencing reform, reducing jail overcrowding, creating alternatives to incarceration, improving juvenile justice, creating community courts, judicial reform, improving police management, and developing more effective police tactics. During the high-crime years of the 1980s and early 1990s, the Commission urged lawmakers to reform the criminal justice and legal systems so that they could better respond to the escalating levels of violence and disorder. In August 1990, the Commission issued its report, "Restoring a Safe New York," and subsequently urged lawmakers to adopt the "Safe Streets" plan, which was based on the "broken windows" theory of policing. This plan, adopted in 1991, called for thousands of additional officers to be hired and for police to move away from reactive 911-based policing towards a more proactive crime prevention and maintenance of order approach. In the mid-1990s this plan began to show significant results, leading to New York City's historic recent reduction in crime and a dramatic improvement in the quality of life in the community. Today, the commission continues to collaborate closely with business leaders on issues like the impact of crime, as well as the threat of terrorism, on the economic potential of New York 's downtown and other commercial centers.

The Commission's primary activities center around conducting research on crime and criminal justice issues, including the relevant factors that effect crime and public safety in the community; making recommendations that address the major crime and law-enforcement issues of the day; monitoring various government agencies to discover how they can be made more effective; promoting responsible citizen anti-crime programs; and providing accurate information for the public and the news media.

The Commission serves on the New York State Law Enforcement Council, a consortium of leading law enforcement professionals that helps determine New York's law enforcement legislative priorities. The Council includes the Attorney General of the State of New York; the New York State District Attorneys Association; the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police; the New York State Sheriffšs Association; and the New York City Criminal Justice Coordinator. Its formation in 1982 marked the first time the statešs major law enforcement officials joined each other and leading members of the business community in major anti-crime efforts.

After the terror attacks of September 2001, the focus of the law enforcement community has increasingly been on counterterrorism efforts, and the Commission has shifted its efforts to reflect this new priority. Of particular interest to the Commission are: state, local and federal coordination of counterterrorism initiatives; the intersection of law enforcement and business community counterterrorism efforts; and ensuring that public safety forces of New York City have adequate training, equipment, funding and management to carry out their tasks.

The Commission's Board of Directors consists of high-level corporate executives and prominent members of the legal profession. Membership in the group ranges widely across the business, civic, law enforcement and legal communities, which is reflected in the attendance of Commission events. In addition to its longstanding ties with local business leaders, the Commission's work brings it into close contact with agencies such as the Office of the Mayor, the Governor, the police, District Attorneys, the courts, and the city and state corrections departments.