South Dakota Department of Public Safety Secretary Craig Price has been selected to serve as a commissioner on the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice.
The Commission is designed to conduct a system-wide, comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, develop a strategic plan to include recommendations for moving forward and provide guidance to federal, state, local and tribal governments. The Commission will study issues critical to making sure communities are safe and those who enforce and administer the law are properly supported.
Price says he looks forward to working on issues that impact law enforcement and the officers who work every day to protect citizens. He says law enforcement is a profession vital to our society.
Sec. Price is a life-long South Dakotan who began his law enforcement career in 1997. He has held positions of correctional officer, state trooper, special agent, supervisory special agent, assistant director of Criminal Investigation and served as the 13th Superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol until one year ago (Jan. 2019) when he was appointed DPS Cabinet Secretary by Gov. Kristi Noem.
In October (October 28, 2019), President Donald Trump signed Executive Order No. 13896, authorizing and designating the US Attorney General to create a Commission that would explore modern issues affecting law enforcement that most impact the ability of American policing to reduce crime.
The Commission recommends a variety of subjects for study, such as, but not limited to:
- The challenges to law enforcement associated with mental illness, homelessness, substance abuse, and other social factors that influence crime and strain criminal justice resources;
- The recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of law enforcement officers, including in rural and tribal communities;
- Refusals by State and local prosecutors to enforce laws or prosecute categories of crimes;
- The need to promote public confidence and respect for the law and law enforcement officers; and
- The effects of technological innovations on law enforcement and the criminal justice system, including the challenges and opportunities presented by such innovations.
The Commission will principally conduct its study through a series of hearings, panel presentations, field visits and other public meetings. At these events, the Commission will hear from subject matter experts, public officials, private citizens, and other relevant stakeholders and institutions who can provide valuable insight into these issues.
The Commission will meet monthly for the next year and then report its findings to the Attorney General, who will submit a final report to the President.